Friday, December 16, 2011

Daily Gospel Devotional: December 16

Mark 16:12 / Luke 24:13-24…

The right sort of hope…

Two of Jesus’ followers were on their way to Emmaus, discussing the things they had been hearing about. But the reports meant little to them, because they didn’t hear about anyone actually seeing Jesus yet. These men obviously didn’t believe Jesus had risen from the dead, because they were not on the way to Galilee to meet Him (Matthew 28:7 / Mark 16:7).

So Jesus came to them instead. He approached them along the way, but they didn’t yet know it was Him. When Jesus asks them about their discussion, they seem amazed that He had not heard about the news yet. Even in the days before electronic and digital media, even many centuries before the printing press, news like a resurrection was sure to spread fast. Of course, how people processed this news made a lot of difference as to how they responded.

As for these men, they were unbelieving, utterly defeated, giving up and going home. They had been disappointed, but it was because their hope was misguided. They expected a temporal triumph (he was the one to redeem Israel), in other words, freedom from Roman bondage. Yet their true hope was fulfilled in a greater way than they could have ever dreamed of, in other words, from the bondage of sin, death, and hell. They had wanted a political and social revolution. He was providing a spiritual revolution.

People often have a sad and hopeless reaction to the good news even today. That’s because they want a Jesus that isn’t really there. Jesus comes to us, but we don’t recognize Him because we are looking for someone else. It isn’t that Jesus lets people down. But our hope must be in who He is, not in our ideas about what we think He is supposed to do.

5 comments:

Even So... said...

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MrsEvenSo... said...

But our hope must be in who He is, not in our ideas about what we think He is supposed to do.

Amen. So true. Once you realize this truth you experience real spiritual growth!

Anonymous said...

amen

Even So... said...

Thanks!

Mike said...

ANOTHER THING IS THAT---JESUS COMES TO CHANGE THE INSIDE, NOT TO DELIVER AMERICA FROM A SAGGING ECONOMY!!! GOD BLESS AMERICA, SHOULD BE COMING FROM MY INSIDES----------LORD CHANGE ME!! HILLARY HAD ONE THING RIGHT---IT TAKES A VILLAGE. AS EACH PERSON CHANGES, THE NATION AND WORLD CAN CHANGE. CONVICT ME OF SIN, RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND THE PENDING JUDGEMENT IF I DON'T GET IT RIGHT.

Joh 3:19


And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Joh 3:20


For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Joh 3:21


But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.