We can see that the disciples had high hopes for themselves and their nation but tragically became disillusioned and disappointed as well as fearful. We know this by referring to Luke 24. Those hopes were based on earthly ideas addressing earthly concerns. In a similar way we can limit Christ later realizing that we did not really know him at all. These disciples were deep in a discussion which cause sadness. Instead, Jesus told of the more positive topic for discussion and his glory. They saw the crucifixion as a bad thing that terminated their dreams. However, they found that to really know Christ caused an internal burning regardless of circumstances. They made the transition to realize that some of life’s greatest disappointments may be God’s way of giving us the greatest blessings. There may be times that he takes us from pain to praise. So, what really happened in those days?
The worst has happened.(vs 14, 18-21) With all their high hopes, they were still putting themselves above Jesus and his intentions. When Jesus was crucified, they came to the conclusion that everything was hopeless, and their dreams were torn to pieces. All that they wanted would not be. Whatever understanding they had of Scripture, whatever belief they had was all shaken to the core. With Jesus dead, the perplexities remained with no way to fix matters. There may be terrible times in our life in which we feel God has let us down. It might seem that all of our prayers were useless, in vain. If you ever had a time in which everything was despairing, you had a time in which you believed that God absolutely had an answer to your prayer, then you felt betrayed because he did not, then you can relate to the disciples.
Suddenly, the unusual event happened. (vs. 17,24) The disciples remained startled. Confusion overwhelmed them. At a time when they felt there was no alternative, Jesus met their need in his own way. We can say that he was someone who was unconcerned with what appeared to be the worst. Jesus had to delve into the very worst of everything before he would have victory. At that time the disciples had no concept of Jesus’ plans even though he told them ahead of time in a multitude of ways. He tried to forewarn them. He tried to encourage them. Their minds were so locked on human thinking that they could not grasp what he was trying to relate. In spite of it all, Jesus was someone who knew another way with other details. There was no blending of the disciples’ ideas and that of Jesus’ plan. There was no reconciling of the two. In His Ultimate Glorious Way, Jesus was someone who was willing to share new hope, real hope for the greatest of all mankind’s needs. Once the disciples realized this, they declared it to the world.
Then, the best happened. (vs. 32-35) The best was not their way at all. To trust God means to wait, to accept his answer even if it’s diametrically opposite of what we think. And just in an instant, the previous pain, the previous plans of the disciples became of no interest to them. They began to realize who was really in charge outside of their expectations. It is a time for all of us to realize what happened to the disciples when their human will was absorbed into God’s will as is mentioned in John 14:14; 15:7. They wanted Christ to conform to them, but when he presented himself, that desire went away. There was a higher need, a higher goal, a divine way that became more real. I’m thinking of some traumatic experiences in my own life. One in particular involves the death of a loved one. I was angry, I was disappointed, I was hurt. Later, however, I came to realize that that death became a great testimony to others for Christ. This is hard to accept, hard to believe, but it is vital to put our trust in God so that no matter what happens we accept his way. When we stop to realize it, Christ has been in the midst of our lives all along. It is that reliance on Christ that will enable us to have a permanent, ongoing relationship with him.
Christian Writer 