What is the meaning of Luke 24:21? But we were hoping – The travelers speak in the past tense, revealing crushed expectations. Their hearts echo Proverbs 13:12, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life”. – They had watched Jesus heal, teach with authority, and even raise the dead (Luke 7:22; 8:54–55). Each miracle had fanned the flame of hope that at last Israel’s Deliverer had come (Isaiah 35:4–6). – Yet Calvary seemed to slam the door shut. Like the psalmist they could cry, “Why are you downcast, O my soul?” (Psalm 42:5). He was the One who would redeem Israel – “Redeem” meant buying back from bondage (Exodus 6:6). Zechariah had celebrated that very promise at Jesus’ birth: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people” (Luke 1:68). – Most Israelites pictured political freedom from Rome (Acts 1:6). Scripture, however, pointed first to release from sin’s slavery (Isaiah 59:20; John 1:29; Titus 2:14). – The cross accomplished that deeper rescue: “You know that you were redeemed … with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18–19). The disciples’ eyes had not yet caught up with that reality. And besides all this – Disappointment piled up: • Betrayal by Judas (Luke 22:47–48) • A sham trial before the Sanhedrin and Pilate (Luke 22:66 – 23:25) • Crucifixion, death, and hurried burial (Luke 23:33, 50–56) – “All this” felt overwhelming, the very opposite of the kingdom victory they expected (Psalm 22:1; Luke 24:19–20). It is the third day since these things took place – Jesus had foretold this timetable repeatedly: “The Son of Man … will be raised on the third day” (Luke 9:22; 18:33). – Prophecy stood behind it: Jonah’s three days (Matthew 12:40) and Hosea 6:2, “On the third day He will raise us up”. – Even their own report included rumors of an empty tomb (Luke 24:22–24). The pieces were all on the table; they simply had not been put together yet (1 Corinthians 15:4). summary Luke 24:21 captures hearts caught between shattered hopes and coming glory. The travelers mourn a Messiah they believed would set Israel free, unaware that His death has already paid the ransom for sin and that His promised third-day resurrection is even now dawning. Their sorrow soon turns to joy when the risen Christ opens the Scriptures and their eyes, proving that God’s plan has never faltered and that every promise stands sure. |
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