We Had Hoped

“Now that same day (Resurrection day), two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. 

He asked them, “What are you discussing together?” They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?” “What things?” he asked. 

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all of this took place.” 

Luke 24:13-21

Ever had hopes that didn’t come to pass? I’ve been thinking about these words, “we had hoped,” a lot the past few weeks. These followers of Jesus must have felt so much disappointment. As a collective people, the Jews had been longing and waiting for their redeemer. 

What hope and excitement they must have felt when Jesus came along. “This could be it!” they might have thought. After months/years of following Jesus, listening and trusting him, they believed (had hoped) that he would be the one to finally set them free from their Roman oppressors. 

Their hopes were more than some wisp of wishful thinking. Hope is a confident expectation, a level of assurance, and security. The messy thing with hope is that we often attach our expectations to it. For the Jews, it wasn’t a vague hope of a redeemer. It was a hope and specific expectation that Jesus would be a military and political leader who would overthrow the Romans, restore Jewish sovereignty, and return the scattered tribes to Israel. 

The followers were not just sad that Jesus died; they were grieving the death of their expectations. 

I can relate to these followers, and you probably can too. That disappointment that comes when circumstances look different than how we thought. It can make us question and doubt. “Was any of that real?” “I thought that was good/right.” “Can I really trust God?” What we see is “failure,” which makes us feel disillusioned and wonder if God is really good. 

We get the benefit of seeing the larger picture here. That Jesus did redeem Israel, just not in the specific ways they thought. Rather, God’s redemption for them was far deeper, wider, grander than they could have ever imagined. Jesus was not only redeeming first-century Jews, but he was also redeeming humanity on a cosmic level. 

Now, I don’t believe that every disappointment or painful thing in life has some cosmic motive behind it. Evil and brokenness are realities that I believe God is actively working against. But I do think there are some good takeaways here. 

Perhaps some of our disappointments are the result of us having wrong expectations or too small expectations. We like to assume we know what’s good for us. But maybe God has something better. And sometimes not getting what we want is actually God’s loving protection. 

We can’t define God’s goodness as predictability. True faith and trust are not certainty in circumstances looking a specific way. Our faith and trust are in God’s character, which is always consistent. 

A final takeaway from this story is that Jesus walks and talks with them in the midst of their disappointment. It says, “they were kept from recognizing him.” There may be times in our journeys where we don’t “see” or “feel” that God is with us, but his presence is just as real and effective, regardless. 

Jesus is present and comfortable in our "unknowing."

He doesn’t immediately fix our disappointment or correct our wrong expectations. He walks with the two for miles while they are still wrong, still sad, and still confused.  He explains things to them, and it’s later that evening, while Jesus is eating with them, that they recognize who He is. 

Interestingly, their eyes weren’t opened by Jesus’ explanation on the road. We can’t always “think” our way out of disappointment. “Stay with us,” the two said to Jesus. It was through communion and intimacy that their eyes were opened. 

Perhaps you have your own, “We had hoped…” I believe Jesus walks beside you, even if you haven’t recognized Him. You can ask him, “Stay with me.” And as you commune together, I pray that Jesus will reveal himself to you and restore your hope.