Luke 24:25-26
[25] And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! [26] Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
Jesus had just been hailed as the Son of David just a few days prior, and now, their Messiah, their Christ, was dead. Two days have passed. It’s now the Sabbath. And it’s been just silence. No whispers. No shakings. Just silence. A heavy silence. Their hope had been shattered. Now, keep in mind, Jesus had prophesied His death three or so times before it actually came to be, but because that wasn’t what they wanted the Messiah to be, they didn’t understand when He told them.
See, they wanted the Messiah to restore Israel to its rightful glory. To restore the House of David. To overthrow the Roman Empire. To be the military force they had so hoped for, but instead of silencing His enemies, Jesus seemingly was the one who was silenced. And their hope was crushed. See, His disciples couldn’t see what He was doing. Their spiritual eyes were closed just as Elisha’s man-servant’s eyes were closed to the Heavenly army surrounding them. They couldn’t see what Jesus was doing in the Spirit.
They didn’t realize, at the time, that Jesus was acting as the goat that took the sin of Israel (now the sin of the whole world) away from the presence of God. Away from the people of God. Jesus’ seemingly horrid failure was actually a great victory. In His death, we too died (to sin). In His death He killed sin and took it far away. In His death, that moment of despair for His disciples, He was able to give the entire world what they lost that day. Hope.
Hope is easily killed when you don’t know what it is you are hoping for. The disciples were hoping for a military leader that would lead a great conquest to restore Israel to its former glory under King David. The Son of David was to take His rightful place on His father’s throne and rule, but instead they received the opposite. They received a Messiah that didn’t come for physical victory, but spiritual victory.
Jesus, in His death, made a way for all people of all walks of life of all backgrounds to be saved. To be redeemed. To be reconciled to God. That is a great military conquest. He fought and overcame our spiritual enemies, so that we might be able to be with Him in the spirit. And one day, when He comes back, we will be with Him in the physical as well.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Know What To Hope For.