In the Life of Christ
“Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” —Luke 24:26, NIV
There are few expressions sadder than “we had hoped.” We had hoped the treatment would work. We had hoped the relationship would heal. We had hoped that following Jesus would make the road ahead easier to understand. Those words carry the weight of expectations that life has overturned. On the road to Emmaus, two disciples spoke that way about Jesus. They had hoped He would redeem Israel, but His crucifixion seemed to have buried their future with Him. What they could not yet understand was that redemption had been accomplished through the very event they regarded as its defeat.
Luke places this encounter on resurrection day. Two disciples, one named Cleopas, were traveling from Jerusalem to Emmaus, about seven miles away. They knew about the crucifixion and had heard the women’s report of the empty tomb. Yet those pieces had not formed a picture they could trust. Then Jesus joined them, although they were kept from recognizing Him. I find encouragement in that quiet arrival. Their inability to recognize Jesus did not prevent Him from drawing near. He listened as they described their confusion, allowing them to express the sorrow He already understood.
Matthew Henry offers a helpful observation about their companionship: “Joint mourners should be mutual comforters.” These disciples were talking together about their grief when Jesus entered the conversation. Their example encourages me to resist withdrawing completely when disappointment comes. A trusted Christian friend cannot answer every question, but shared prayer and honest conversation can make room for renewed understanding. We can help one another bring our sorrow before Christ rather than leaving each person to carry it alone.
Jesus then addressed the deeper problem: they were slow to believe everything the prophets had spoken. They had welcomed the promise of redemption without understanding the suffering through which the Redeemer would accomplish it. David Guzik describes their difficulty simply: “They had not yet seen the necessity of the cross.” Jesus began with Moses and the Prophets and explained how the Scriptures pointed toward Himself. The Greek verb Luke uses, diermēneuō, means to explain or interpret. Jesus helped them understand the meaning of the Scriptures they already possessed.
Luke does not give us a transcript of that lesson, so we should avoid claiming certainty about every passage Jesus discussed. Nevertheless, Isaiah 53 helps us understand its central truth: God’s servant would suffer on behalf of others. The cross belonged within God’s saving purpose. Jesus had also repeatedly prepared His followers for His death and resurrection, but their expectations made His words difficult to receive. I recognize something of myself there. Sometimes I read Scripture eagerly for reassurance while moving too quickly past its call to surrender, endurance, and costly love.
We misunderstand Christian victory when we leave the cross out of our expectations. Jesus calls us to follow Him through daily self-denial. That may mean forgiving when resentment feels justified, remaining honest when dishonesty offers an advantage, or continuing to serve when appreciation is absent. We do not earn salvation through such sacrifices; we respond to the Savior who gave Himself for us. Nor does discipleship require us to seek suffering or remain in danger. We may pursue help, protection, and healing while trusting Christ through circumstances we would never have chosen.
As their journey continued, understanding began to replace confusion. Later, after recognizing Jesus at the table, the disciples remembered how their hearts had burned while He opened the Scriptures. They returned to Jerusalem with news to share. Today, bring one disappointed expectation honestly before Him. Read Luke 24:13–35 slowly, allowing His words to question your assumptions and renew your hope.
Luke 24:25–27 presents Jesus’ suffering and glory as the fulfillment of Scripture. The Emmaus encounter teaches Christian disciples to interpret disappointment through the crucified and risen Christ, whose presence and promises sustain faith beyond what we presently understand.
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