Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
While I was preparing for Easter the word that came to my mind was hope. (But not the kind of hope that is wishful thinking.) I’m talking about hope that is confident because you know what’s coming. If you’re looking through the first four books of the New Testament, they all share the story about Jesus’s birth, life, death, and resurrection. There are multiple instances where Jesus tells his followers (disciples) to trust that He is God’s Son and that He was sent to bring the kingdom of God to earth. Since Jesus knew that people needed proof, He told them multiple times that He was going to die and rise three days later. He had twelve guys surrounding Him night and day who heard Him say this…but didn’t understand His words. Why? The disciples saw Jesus speak miracles into existence; they saw Him teach with power and authority. They even expressed belief that He was the promised one of God, but they expected that the promised Messiah was sent to overthrow their current earthly kingdom. The disciples were hoping (or wishing) for a Savior. But the “savior” they wanted would deliver them from their current reality (being oppressed by a Roman government). Are we any different? How often do we look for someone or something to save us from our current circumstances? Only to find that once we placed our hope in that solution, it failed to meet our expectations and maybe even crumbled under the pressure. Jesus stated repeatedly that His kingdom was not of this world; He came to establish the kingdom of God. Therefore, it is no surprise that the disciples scattered in fear and disbelief when the man they were hoping would save them was betrayed, mocked, suffered injustice within court, tortured and then nailed to a tree. What Jesus’s followers didn’t realize is that all these events had to take place for hundreds of years’ worth of God’s promises to be kept. Furthermore, the disciples were not expecting that three days later when Jesus rose from the dead a better salvation would be available to them. What does that mean? “Better salvation.” When Jesus rose from the grave, He not only proved that He was who He claimed to be (the God Man), but He also defeated sin and death because God provided His sacrifice on our behalf.
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
Jesus didn’t save the disciples from their current situation. Rome was still ruling when Jesus returned to heaven. Instead, Jesus offered the disciples eternal life through faith in Him. This belief drastically changed their perspectives on their current situation and their purpose in life. Our current situation is a world in chaos. The nations are devastated by sickness, financial crisis, job loss, and unmet expectations. So my final question is this:
Where are you placing your hope? Is it in your health? Academics? Job? Future plans? Significant other? Or is it in God? The One who always keeps His promises and who longs to give you a better salvation.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
Brittany Kent
BCM Intern