A friend of mine recently went to a meeting to discuss nutrition and weight loss. Halfway through she remembered she had a Peep in her purse, contraband for sure. It cracked me up as I thought about the possibilities if she was found out by the hungry people around her. There might be a peep pile on! There she sat, no one knowing she had this little delightful treat in her purse. It was like an Easter surprise for one. You just never know what things are hidden in a woman’s purse. This is a season of surprise, fulfillment and …. hope.
Feeling a little disconnected, one night I bought the kids palm fronds at the grocery store. As I wheeled through the aisles I debated with myself the necessity of tradition. I pondered how to celebrate this event at home. As I loaded the groceries into our vehicle, the wind picked up and off went the fronds flying through the air. This did not go as planned. I had really hoped to celebrate the event with the boys. I remembered as a child when balloons flew away, my mom would tell me they were going up to Jesus. I never understood why he would steal a little kid’s balloon, but on this day I was OK with it because the reason I bought the fronds was to praise Him. So, there in the dark parking lot, littered with sale fliers I broke out into a little praise. I thought I might as well, while the fronds were airborne. Nope, there were no donkeys, coats or disciples but somehow I knew Heaven had heard my song. Hosanna, Hosanna!
This weekend is Resurrection Sunday, a serious high church holiday. I greatly respect the churches that pause and meditate on Good Friday. It is powerful to consider the cross as we embrace the reality of pain, suffering and the experience of what it feels like before the third day. It gives depth to the miracle of the resurrection and helps us identify that “place” of absolute abandon and hopelessness before our prayers are realized. When all is dark, we can not rely on our vision, we must hope in that which we cannot see. It grounds us in the reality of repentance and remission of sins and their cost. Hope on that dark night appeared destroyed.
The Messianic line took 14 generations of waiting from David to Jesus. That’s a lot of hope! I was reading in Ruth how her hope had understandably been crushed when she lost her husband and sons. (Ruth 1:12) It’s really hard to hope when death seems to have won. She couldn’t even say she had hope, even the effort to breathe out the words would be too exhausting. Because she could not “see” or touch hope, she thought it was hopeless. That’s not what faith is though.
Faith does not need evidence, faith only needs Jesus.
When the enemy can’t snuff out hope, he’ll try to tell us that hope is real but just no longer available for US; it’s for the “other guy or gal or couple” who deserves it more for whatever reason. Ruth lives out a season of her life trying to help her daughter in law who is young, vibrant and “worth” blessing but God was still working to provide for, strengthen and support Ruth. God is multi-inclusive when He blesses and “overflow” is His specialty. Prov.13:12 tells us that “Hope deferred makes the heart sick but when desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life “. Sometimes the timing in the answer is part of the blessing. Prov. 33:18 tells us “behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy.” When we continue to hope, God comes near. We cling to faith, God clings to us. We posture our hearts and He comes near and answers. That’s a good exchange.
Hear another weary spiritual traveler (New Testament):
18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.”
This previously unknown group now becomes very important in the New Testament. They take center stage in the story of the risen one. Who is Cleopas’ companion walking with them? Many have speculated that it was another disciple or perhaps his wife. I wondered if he was the owner of the donkey that brought Jesus into Jerusalem or maybe it’s Simon of Cyrene, bewildered how he got in the middle of all the craziness on Friday. Note that they are walking away from Jerusalem. What Cleopas and this mysterious person say gives us a clue to perhaps why the risen Lord would seek them out:
21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.
Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.” Perhaps they saw that any possibility for change has been stripped away and thought they were fools to believe otherwise. They held on for awhile, they listened to the women and their testimony, for awhile — but just like they thought, it was just another cruddy end to another cruddy day. We understand disappointment, it’s that sadness that appears when we believed otherwise. Nothing would ever change, what were they thinking? It was near sunset so they had believed almost to the end. They did not know the song He’s an on time God or maybe they would have held on!
Don’t read over that to fast because it is where WE fit into the story:
But we had hoped….
They were honest, real, transparent, broken = all things Jesus values.
Was this believer perhaps the only one who trusted until that hour that Jesus was Messiah? We aren’t told. Was this guy the greatest fan or most devoted servant? We are not told. We hear that Cleopas is dejected, disappointed, and downcast by his statement, “we had hoped.”
It’s almost like Jesus leaves the crowd (99) to find the 1 on purpose. It’s almost like the Shepherd has returned to gather His sheep. It’s almost like He’s giving them a visual of what repentance and returning physically look like as they have supper. Then, as mysterious as He had appeared, He vanishes… but their hope is restored. His presence does that.
They had encountered the exalted and resurrected King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He’s not in Jerusalem doing a victory lap with James or Andrew, he’s taking a dusty, arduous walk on the road to Emmaus with some folks who won’t even shut up long enough to hear Him tell His story… (totally self-absorbed) yet He goes with them on their journey. Selfless, aware, mindful, in tune, compassionate, merciful, patient and still smelling glorious from being in the throne room of Heaven, fragrant from His offering. That is just crazy awesome. Now King, yet remaining a Shepherd. I love that about HIM!
Would Jesus go the wrong direction, leaving the group at this critical moment in history, in order to get His loved ones to the right place?
A thousand times YES!
He would and did go out of His way to reach the lost.
He would leave the “party” to encourage the downcast. Imagine the vindication and celebration of being with the group of disciples at that specific time? No one would have blamed Him, but He didn’t go back to the church or even his family to celebrate – he went to find those who had already checked out and gone on their way home. He saw their dejected faces, slumped shoulders, weary hearts as they dragged on to Emmaus – and met them in their hopelessness.
See, hopelessness had to surrender to the HOPE of HEAVEN. He stared it down and sent it running the other way. He came by that day to tell someone God’s promises are real, they are true and they are for YOU! Someone must have had an ounce left of faith on that road to Emmaus! Like the Army – leaving no man behind, Jesus sought them out! He took a YOU turn so He could find where the ewes turned and then pointed them to Heaven. It’s not just what He does – it’s who HE IS.
He transformed the womb, then transformed the tomb, rose and entered Heaven… .
That u turn on the Emmaus road got them ready so CHURCH would forever be transformed to look like the church in Heaven. No one missing, no one broken – all gathered in HIS name. THIS is the One we ALL hoped for. Lift your hands up! It’s Messiah, lift your hands UP. (Sorry, just got happy).
Hope in Jesus DOES NOT DISAPPOINT. Hope in Jesus, draws Him near because trust is His currency. When we hold out hope that He is who He says He is, He comes running to meet that faith. He’s not some star just strutting around seeking applause, He’s Lord of the Universe – and He came to seek and save the lost, whoever they are, authorized disciples or barely believers, wherever they are on life’s twisted, dusty roads. He came to recover them ALL, not one that God gave Him will be lost.
“Our hearts are broken Lord, our dreams are gone. XYZ did not take place.” Did we fail you or did you fail us? We had hoped….
Hope can be misplaced. It needs to be in God.
Hope can be misguided. It needs to be according to God’s word.
Hope can be delayed. It needs to be in God’s timing.
But Hope in Jesus, is NEVER, EVER disappointed. He is who He said He is. He has done just what He said He promised. He has challenged and conquered death, hell and the grave. He is coming back to rule and reign in righteousness. That Hope is fixed. Hope that is grounded and rooted in the Savior is permanent because He has proven ALL His words are true.
Whatever you are going through … fix your eyes on Jesus. God is watching over you with His protective eye. Jesus is near you with His mercy and the Holy Spirit is working in and through you to form Christ in your heart. You will never be forsaken or forgotten; it just is not Christ’s character. YOU are His treasure – the one He came to seek and save. If on the busiest day of His entire life he came back for Cleopas and his unknown, no name friend, who had lost hope, don’t you think if you are hoping and waiting that He will come near you? He stands ready to save, fill and lead you on. Who are you hoping in today?
Lord, we place our hope in YOU today. Thank you for your example. May all of our hope be firmly fixed in YOU. Please also show us those along the road who have lost hope that we could point them to YOU, the ONE who does not , will not, can not ever disappoint.
We had hoped… and you came near and answered, just as you promised. Thank you Jesus.
RenaeRoche 2018