“What things?” He asked them. So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, who was a Prophet powerful in action and speech before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified Him. But we were hoping that He was the One who was about to redeem Israel. Besides all this, it’s the third day since these things happened. Luke 24:19-21 HCSB
Have you ever felt like there was no hope? I had the privilege to attend the NCAA basketball Final Four tournament this year. Being from Kentucky, I was hoping for the University of Kentucky basketball team to go all the way. They had 40 wins without a loss. Things looked hopeful, but with only four minutes left in the game against the University of Wisconsin things did not go well for the Kentucky Wildcats. They could not seem to make any points while Wisconsin continued to score. With a minute left in the game it was obvious that Kentucky was going to lose the ballgame. All hope for a perfect season abruptly ended.
The two disciples on the road to Emmaus had great hopes. They believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, but they were looking for an earthly king who would deliver them from their enemies. They believed that the prophecies in the Old Testament pointed to a military and political leader that would redeem Israel or rescue them from the Roman Empire. When Jesus died, they lost all hope. They did not understand that Jesus’ death brought the greatest deliverance of all time and brings the greatest hope possible.
Challenge: Thank God for the hope you have in Jesus Christ. Share the Good News and the Hope of Jesus Christ with your friends, work associates, relatives, and neighbors.