Hope

Re:Verse passage – Luke 24:13-35 (day four)

As the two disciples walked home from Jerusalem, they were mulling over the events of the weekend. I know when I experience something overwhelming, my first impulse is to talk about it with someone and do some external processing. The word used for “discussion” here implies a passionate conversation, even a debate. They were genuinely trying to piece together what had happened and what it all meant, but they weren’t getting very far. While they once had hope that Jesus would deliver Israel, that hope was nailed to the cross with Jesus on Good Friday.

When Jesus meets them on the road, its a unique encounter. While the disciples don’t recognize him, they’re still completely engrossed in what he has to say. While we might expect Jesus to speak in parables like he did before his death, he instead speaks plainly to them, and unpacks the entire Biblical narrative which all finds its satisfaction in him.  After all this, it isn’t until they share a meal with him that they realize this man in front of them is Jesus. That intimate experience of walking and eating with him opened their spiritual eyes, the eyes of their heart, and they believed.

When the disciples examined their situation with their earthly eyes, they thought all hope was lost. When Jesus opened their spiritual eyes, they realized hope was standing right in front of them, fully alive. They thought they had witnessed the death of hope, but really they witnessed the fulfillment of it. What situation in your life have you assessed to be void of hope? What might you see if you asked Jesus to open your spiritual eyes?