Misplaced Expectations & A Living Hope
4/2/25 Bible Thought (Luke 24)
Life is filled with disappointments. So much so that some have said, “The key to happiness is low expectations.” Truly, this is something that the apostles knew all too well. They followed Jesus for years. They preached in His name, even working miracles in His name! Yet, the story ended with a scandalous trial and His brutal and totally unjust crucifixion. Their King was humbled publicly and killed. All hope seemed lost.
The curtain on the stage had closed and it seemed like that was the final act. That was the end of the story. A sad, utterly disappointing, tragic ending. Time to go home.
This is shown so clearly when the women came from the tomb with news of the resurrection. To the apostles, their words, “seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them” (Lk. 24:11). Later, two disciples on the road to Emmaus summarize their disappointment so clearly by saying,
“But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel” (Lk. 24:21a).
The word redeem here means, “to liberate from an oppressive situation, set free, rescue, redeem.”[1] Essentially, many disciples thought He was going to be the military Messiah they’d hoped for. He was going to overthrow Rome and liberate Israel as their own nation again.
After the glorious days of David and Solomon, the kingdom of Israel slowly fell apart and was subsequently conquered and owned by Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. It seems everyone got a turn. There were moments along the way where things looked up, like in the days of the Maccabees—yet, overall, it was filled with countless disappointments.
Along comes Jesus of Nazareth, a mighty prophet who is doing signs, wonders, and miracles. A man who claimed to be the Messiah. Yet, before any real revolt, He is killed and His followers scatter. Roman oppression wasn’t even close to being gone. In fact, Jesus hadn’t done anything about it!
But they were missing the point. Jesus didn’t come to liberate from Rome. He didn’t come to rescue from any earthly oppressors. He came to deliver us from sin, Satan, and the grave. He came to bring about a rescue, far greater than a national rescue from a political entity.
While the disciples were presently disappointed, they would shortly find out that although the curtain had closed, there was a final act. The Lord Jesus Christ was raised from the dead! Their hope wasn’t empty, it was just misplaced. He was the One to rescue Israel and He succeeded in doing so with His atoning death and bodily resurrection from the dead.
One scholar has helpfully said, “The resurrection is God’s ‘amen’ to Christ’s ‘It is finished.’” In effect, it was a sign that the Father accepted the ransom payment for sinful humanity.
Now, to all who are born again there is a living hope through His resurrection (1 Pet. 1:3). No matter what disappointments or trials we face down here, Christ’s triumph over the grave gives us hope because we will one day be raised to be with Him forever.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ shows us that death doesn’t have the final word. Sadness and suffering don’t have the final word. One day we will follow in His footsteps, bearing the image of the man of heaven (1 Cor. 15:49).
“Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven” (1 Cor. 15:49).
As such, when we read the resurrection account we must come away encouraged. Life might not always go as we planned, but the end is certain for those who believe. We will one day share in Christ’s triumph. As such, all earthly disappointments pale in comparison to the hope of resurrection.
This is worth celebrating today.
[1] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 606.
So good, and it is definitely worth celebrating!
How liberating it is to know the victory is already accomplished. I sometimes marvel in my studies at how the disciples constantly failed to understand the fullness of what was before them. As you say, even they expected a warrior Messiah, a totally different expectation of what victory looked like. Thankfully, their limited understanding, just like our own, does not deprive them of the Kingdom.