Read It Again
"While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them." Luke 24:15
Have you ever been confidently wrong? On December 21, 2012, millions around the world were convinced the world was ending. They were confident that the ancient Mayan calendar, which ended on that date, was evidence that doomsday was coming. But December 22 came and went, and you and I are still here. As they say, hindsight is 20/20, and it is easy to look back now and say how foolish people were, but the reality is we have all been confidently wrong about something.
Maybe you never believed the world was going to end, because you understand Bible prophecy. But there are times in our lives when it feels like our world has ended: a bad grade, a breakup, a parents’ divorce, a prayer that seems to have gone unanswered. We had expectations of how life was supposed to go, but now it feels like our life is falling apart.
That is exactly where we find two disciples in Luke 24. For them, it felt like the world had ended, and Luke captures how it felt as they made their way back home from Jerusalem: "And they stood still, looking sad" (Luke 24:17).
In Luke 24, we learn that even those closest to Jesus can be both confident and wrong.
These two disciples were heartbroken. Why? Because they were confident that Jesus remained buried in a grave. They had anticipated a king who would crush Rome, but now it seemed their Messiah had been crushed by Rome. This is what they told the person walking beside them: "We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel" (Luke 24:21). Here we can gather that these two disciples were sad, trying to comfort each other on the way back home to Emmaus, because they were sure that the story of Jesus was not supposed to go this way. Their misreading of Scripture not only made them confidently wrong; it also made them exceedingly sad.
You see, feelings are real, but they are not always reliable.
Here is the good news. Jesus did not condemn them for being mistaken or sad; rather, He walked with them and gave them a Bible study about Himself. That must have been the greatest Bible study of all time, with the greatest teacher of all time. And before Jesus revealed to them Himself, the Living Word, He first revealed to them the written word. "Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27).
They had read those Scriptures before, but they had never seen the whole story. So Jesus read them again, and by the end of the road they said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?" (Luke 24:32).
Just like the disciples, we can find ourselves feeling hopeless because life did not go the way we expected. We can feel like the darkness will never end and convince ourselves that Jesus is far from the road we are on. Our prayers may still be unanswered, our defined plans may fall apart, and our hearts may feel broken. But when we read God’s word, He reminds us that He will never leave us or forsake us. Jesus is closer than we think, both on the road of joy and on the road of disappointment and doubt. The promises of God are what keep us going when our feelings say otherwise.
When speaking about times of disappointment, Ellen White writes, "Many pass long years in darkness and doubt because they do not feel as they desire. But feeling has nothing to do with faith." Our faith does not rest on how we feel; it rests on what God has said.
Just as the world did not end on December 21, our disappointments are not the end of our road either. The disciples did not end their journey in Emmaus; rather, when they realized that the crucifixion of Christ was not a surprise to God but a fulfillment of His word, they returned to Jerusalem with joy.
Whatever road you are on today, Jesus will meet you there. Just as Jesus read the Scriptures to the disciples on the road, maybe He is calling you to read His Word on the road you are facing today. The road may be long, but His Word is a lamp for your feet and a light to your path. May we see the living Word walking right beside us through His written Word. Today we can choose to read the Bible again and know that Jesus will be right beside us.
Reflection Questions
What is one "I had hoped" in your life right now, and what might it look like to surrender the how while still trusting God?
When God feels distant, what do you tend to rely on: your feelings or His Word? What is one practical way you can "read it again" this week?
Where do you sense you've been walking toward Emmaus, in discouragement or withdrawal, and how might you invite Jesus into that walk today?
