LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
Thursday 24th April 2025
A FALSE EXPECTATION
Scripture Reading: Luke 24:1-27
>But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. Luke 24:21–22
The two disciples on the road to Emmaus were disappointed. They had followed Jesus with hopes that He would fulfil their desires for a free Israel. Like most Jews, their vision of the Messiah was shaped by the political struggles of their people. Since the Assyrians and Babylonians defeated their nation, the Jews had suffered as a subjugated people. As a result, they viewed the promised Messiah as a political liberator. The two disciples of Jesus were disappointed that Jesus had not lived up to their expectations.
They used to believe that God had visited them through Christ; now, that hope was gone. They saw the miracles of Jesus and had great expectations, but now the dream was dead. Walking with them was the living Jesus, yet hope was gone from their hearts.
Listening to their narration, we see that the two disciples lived by people’s opinions. They based their knowledge of Jesus on what other people were saying about Him. They knew about the news that had come from the women who went to Jesus’ tomb. They were astonished by the news but did not express any opinion as to what they believed. They did not know whether to accept the report of Jesus’ death or the announcement of His resurrection.
The two disciples went through life with questions but no answers. They reported the last few days’ events without ever referring to the scriptures or what Jesus had said about His resurrection. Listening to them, we hear the words of followers of Christ who have no assurance about God, Jesus or themselves. Some of us have our spiritual eyes closed to the presence of God and our ears shut to His voice.
Nothing defeats a person more than defeated hope. When hope dies, faith dies. All that these men should have done was to look back at the miracles of Jesus. They should have remembered what He said about the times in which they lived. Jesus had prepared them for the moment they were in, but they forgot about everything He taught them.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I want to know you for myself. Open my eyes to your presence and my ears to your voice. In Jesus’ name, *Amen.*_
