Three Words that Threaten Hope

 Three Words that Threaten Hope

(Resurrections Before the Cross)

 

October 29, 2022

Larry R Evans

 

Introduction

Words are powerful even when unspoken but thought. So often they reflect the deep things within the heart. Such was the case within hours of the crucifixion. Two women had gathered to pay their respect to their fallen friend, Jesus. As they arrived at the tomb where Jesus had been lain, they found the tomb empty. The Bible doesn’t say they said anything, but two men “in clothes that gleamed like lightning” (Lk 24:4) standing beside them read their thoughts. “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen.” Then came the magic word, “Remember.” “Remember how he told you . . . ?” After describing what Jesus had said, the Bible says, “Then they remembered his words.” (v.8)

 

Luke then tells of another moment when “hope” was nearly lost because of discouragement. You know the story. Two believers were on their way to Emmaus. They were discussing recent events that had happened in Jerusalem. It was during this conversation that Jesus appeared beside them as they walked. He asked, “What are you discussing?”  They were shocked that this “stranger” had not heard the news.  They described how He had been handed over by the chief priests to be put to death and how He had been crucified.  

 

It must have been hard to recount their loss. Discouragement had swept through the ranks of the believers. These two were but representatives chosen by Luke to describe a prevailing attitude among the believers. The immediate circumstance blinded them from what Jesus had said.  It was then that these travelers said, “we had hoped.” Yes, they once had hoped that He was the One who would redeem Israel. Implied with their words was that their hope, their faith, was fading.

In our study today we are called to “remember” what God has done and what He has promised.  I am reminded of Psalm 106:12-14,

Then they believed his promises

and sang his praise.

But they soon forgot what he had done

and did not wait for his plan to unfold.

In the desert they gave in to their craving;

in the wilderness they put God to the test.

In our study today, let us “remember” that what we see now may seem discouraging, but it is not the last word. We must not forget what God has done in the past. We must “wait for his plan to unfold.” Then what “we had hoped” will be realized when God’s plan unfolds. Impatience has destroyed the faith of many. We see but part of the story.  The story of the resurrection of Moses is such an example.

The Resurrection of Moses

 A central figure in the Old Testament was Moses. Deuteronomy 34:5-7 tells us that Moses died at the age of 120 and that the Lord buried him in a hidden place in a valley in the land of Moab. It is hard to lose a leader whom you respect and have depended upon.  Perhaps that is why he was buried in a place where “no one knows where his grave is” (v.6).  There was to be no idolization of Moses.  A new leader, Joshua, was chosen. They must look ahead.

In the New Testament, however, we discover Moses and Elijah meeting with Jesus. Peter, John, and James witnessed this meeting (Luke 9:28-36). This is often called “the transfiguration.” Jesus had just shared the prediction of his death with His disciples. He saw their grief over the very thought of losing Him. He had taken the disciples to be with Him that by being with them He might strengthen them for the days to come.  In the Desire of Ages, p. 420, I found this amazing statement that reflects the heart of Jesus,

 The Saviour has seen the gloom of His disciples, and has longed to lighten their grief by an assurance that their faith has not been in vain.

To encourage these disciples, The Desire of Ages points out that the burden of Jesus' prayer was threefold:

1.     That they might be given a manifestation of the glory he had with the Father.

2.    That His kingdom might be revealed to human eyes

3.    That His disciples might be strengthened.

 Is it any wonder that Satan fought against the resurrection of Moses? We find this conflict in Jude 9,

But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!

Jude reveals that the dead body of Moses was the subject of dispute between Christ and Satan. The Lord triumphed in the contest with the devil and raised Moses from his grave.  This is the first known resurrection done by Christ. At the transfiguration, the disciples saw the history tied together with the future through the resurrection power of Jesus. This wasn’t done for Jesus but for the strengthening of His disciples. He knew what was ahead.

 QUESTION: Have you had experiences from the past that have helped you face today’s difficult situations? How might Satan use the transfiguration to distort the truth?

Moses upon the mount of transfiguration was a witness to Christ's victory over sin and death. He represented those who shall come forth from the grave at the resurrection of the just. Elijah, who had been translated to heaven without seeing death, represented those who will be living upon the earth at Christ's second coming, and who will be “changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump;” when “this mortal must put on immortality,” and “this corruptible must put on incorruption.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-53. (Desire of Ages, pp 421-422)

QUESTION: Does the transfiguration help you understand how much Christ cares for you when you are discouraged?  How?

No One Escapes God’s Compassion

 When a leader speaks, he or she often speaks not only for himself/herself but for the organization.  I was recently given a gift in recognition of the work I have been doing while employed at the General Conference. When given the mic to say a few words I wanted to make it clear that I was accepting the gift on behalf of the people I represent. They were not present but through me, they were included. I was symbolic of the 1.2 billion people in the world who have a significant disability. They have had my heart for the past several years. They have also been my teachers.

 I believe the same principle holds as we read stories in the Bible. In each Bible story, you can find yourself. As the compassion of God is poured out in these stories God is speaking to you.  The story while historically true, it also is symbolic just as I was when I received the gift.  I mention this because of the next two Bible stories.

 The Hungry Widow of Zarephath

(1 Kings 17:8-24)

Elijah had his plans changed. He was to go outside Israel where he would find a poor Phoenician widow. Her world was caving-in on her and her only son. She was about to fix their last meal. The food supply had come to an end. Then Elijah showed up and a miracle happened. The flour and oil lasted through the famine! I guess one could conclude that God should provide miracles for every difficulty we face.  I see it differently. I see God with me in every difficulty. I leave it to Him to determine the best outcome.

 

The story, of course, didn’t end with the endless supply of flour and oil.  The cherished son of the widow died. The prophet for whom she fed with the last meager portion of food she had now raised her son from the dead.  Does God always show His compassion in the same way.  No, He doesn’t but the raising of the son does tell me that God loves not only us but our families as well.  He will do everything in His power to save them too. 

 

QUESTION: There must have been many widows suffering at the same time as this widow.  Why do you think Elijah was sent to her?  Why do you think Elijah was sent outside of Israel?

 God with Us

We sometimes listen best in times of sadness and suffering. God seems to know that. We find this to be the case when Jesus went to a town called Nain with a crowd following Him. As they neared the town they met another crowd, a funeral procession.  

 

We don’t know how it happened, but all we know is that this woman's son, her only son, died. Her husband had died a short time before.  Her son was the treasure of her life now. No doubt she had dreamt of what he would become but death had taken that away. Surrounded by a crowd of mourners the group was on its way for burial when the two crowds met. Her son was being carried on what we would call a liter – not as a coffin as we have today.  Let’s read the account in Luke 7:11-17.

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”

Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

The story says, ‘When the Lord saw her, . . .”  (Luke 7:13). It does not say “Jesus saw her,” “Christ saw her,” “the Savior saw her.” The one who saw her was the “Lord”, the one whose Lordship is eternal. 

 The Lord saw this woman and He understood. She was shaken. She was destined to extinction, to forgetfulness, to misery with both her husband and son gone. Her future was not filled with hope. The Bible says when He saw her, “his heart went out to her.” Jesus was shaken too. He knew He had not created man to die yet it was now a reality. The Lifegiver now confronted the enemy, Death. As Jesus approached the woman He simply said, “Don’t cry.” He wasn’t asking her to bury her emotions.  Rather He was about to restore hope. 

 What Jesus said to that woman, He is saying to us, “Don’t cry”—not to deny our hurt but to place our attention on the Lifegiver. He was promising that He would remove the cause of her crying—the loss of her only son.

 If the widow is to stop crying, it must be because someone else will cry in her place. Paul explains, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”  2 Cor. 5:21. Knowing the price of raising the son, Jesus the Lifegiver said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!  That same command will someday be said to those who now rest in sleep. 

 The “Three Words That Threaten Hope”—"we had hoped” will forever be erased. Hope will be realized. Not only will those who have died to be raised, but we will also be together. We will be with Jesus.

 A Concluding Affirmation

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:5)

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-4)