“Walking away from the tomb, the images flashed back across their minds’ eyes. The depth of their sorrow was more than their minds and hearts could grasp. “How could this have happened? How did He let it? He healed the sick. Raised Lazarus. Why?” Their last image of Jesus was a man dying in anguish and torment, screaming out at the top of His lungs.
Seemingly helpless. Powerless. his body ripped and torn. Inhuman suffering. In their minds, the unfathomable had happened. Jesus had lost…Walking away from the cross, from Jesus’ tomb, as the wiped away tears and swore at the memory of the soldiers, as they plotted and planned, each asked one impossible question: “What now!?”¹
I imagine this time between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning as the darkest time in history. There was literally no hope. Or so it seemed to the finite minds of those who dropped everything to follow Jesus.
It was everything they had hoped for and more. It was their purpose and sense of belonging. Three years prior, they had given up everything they knew to follow this stranger who would later become their best friend. It was impossible to fore see the events that would enfold three years later that would result in this man’s death. How could they have known?
Jesus revealed himself to be who they were waiting for all along. The answer to their hearts cry. However, despite the several warnings Jesus had shared with His friends concerning His own death, they refused to believe it. It didn’t make any sense because of who they expected Jesus to be and do. The Messiah. The promised deliverer to save God’s people. So what on earth was He doing on a cross?
I could only imagine what must have been going through their minds:
Doubts such as what have I done? How silly of me to give everything up for this guy. Now what?
Confusion. I don’t get it? How did He let this happen?
Life as they once knew it vanished. Where light and hope once dwelt, darkness and despair now triumphed.
God had become silent.
Their expectations of who they wanted Jesus to be – the Messiah who according to them would save the people from their oppressors, rather than save the people from the oppression of sin – got in the way of the true story God was actually orchestrating right before their eyes. Their expectations silenced the voice of God in their life. They could no longer understand. They could no longer see Him at work in the unfolding of this story because what they expected and hoped for, did not come to pass.
Their own interpretation of how the story should go interfered with them experiencing God.
People’s expectations of God are again challenged in Luke 24:13-35, when two men (identities are debated) were leaving Jerusalem to a village named Emmaus.
This is how Luke accounts the event.
“That very day (that day being when Mary and two other women went to the tomb only to find it empty and have an encounter with two angels saying that Jesus was alive) two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” (vs.13-16)
Okay, quick pause. Jesus. Like the Risen Jesus began to walk with these guys and they had NO IDEA that it was Him. Why couldn’t they recognize Him?
Let’s continue…
“And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” (vs. 17-19)
Pause. Isn’t it kinda true that when God seems to disappear and be silent from what is going on in our lives, we respond much like how these two men did to Jesus when He appeared not to know about the things concerning Jesus of Nazareth. (In case you are not following, Jesus did actually know what had happened to himself haha) But how often do we get upset at God and ask “Where were you? Are you the only person who doesn’t know what is happening to me? Do you not see what is going on in my life God?”
Now the story continues with these two men explaining who this man named Jesus was and all that He did. But they were sad, for they “had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel,” (vs. 21). Who they thought to be their hope and deliverer was dead cold in a tomb. Or so they thought.
Jesus, whom they still do not recognize, begins to tell them all the things concerning himself. Starting with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them why it was necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory, (vs. 26-27).
Despite all this, they still do not recognize him.
Once they finally got to their destination, they all sat down to have a meal together after the long journey. “When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight,” (vs. 30-31).
This is crazy! Could you imagine what that would have been like?
So what changed? What had to take place for their lives to go from being gripped by sadness and despair to suddenly be gripped by joy and hope? These men were finally able to recognize Jesus and see the resurrected Messiah because they no longer were trying to impose their agenda and submitted themselves to the upside-down kingdom of God.²
Their own understanding and expectations of the Messiah both before and after His death and resurrection, jaded Jesus’ followers from a deeper relationship with Him.
They were expecting Him to be an earthly ruler. However, Jesus tried to explain multiple times that “my kingdom is not of this world,” (John 18:6).
Then once Jesus was dead the women went to the tomb on the third day, expecting Him to still be dead. Therefore, utterly surprised when an angel asked them, “why do you search for the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5).
The truth is, God was never silent. He was constantly speaking. The question however, is were we listening?
Are you listening?
Are you listening to the lies of culture? Are you listening to the realties of your circumstance? Are you listening to your own understanding?
Your own expectations? Have you convinced yourself that you are listening simply because you already know the answer?
Are you listening?
Check out this song that has helped me tune in to the truest voice.
¹MARTIN, CHARLES. WHAT IF ITS TRUE?: a Storytellers Journey with Jesus. THOMAS NELSON PUB, 2019, p.108.
²The Bible Project.
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