FIRST THE CROSS, THEN THE CROWN
«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»
(Luke 24:21).
WE HAD THE HOPE that He would redeem Israel.» That is what the two disciples returning to Emmaus said after having witnessed Jesus’s crucifixion in Jerusalem. Where were these disciples when Jesus predicted that He had to «go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day» (Matthew 16:21)? How could they forget His words?
Like the other disciples, they had hoped that Jesus would redeem Israel, but now their faith was being severely tested. Sad, «hopeless and faithless, they were walking in the shadow of the cross.»—The Desire of Ages, ch. 83, p. 795. Why did they continue «in the shadow of the cross» since the morning of the resurrection had already arrived? They had already heard of the empty tomb (Luke 24:22—24) and heavenly angels had announced His resurrection (v. 23). And they still did not believe!
«Then He said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?’ And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself’ (vv. 25—27).
Do we realize what the Lord did to restore the two disciples to the joy they had lost? Instead of telling them: «Here I am; I have arisen!» He told them: «Everything has been fulfilled as spoken of by the prophets.» It would later be revealed to them, but at that time, «it was necessary for them to understand the witness borne to Him by the types and prophecies of the Old Testament. Upon these their faith must be established. «—The Desire of Ages, ch. 83, p. 796. In other words, what they had regarded as the end of their hopes was in reality the most powerful reason to believe, because the prophecies indicated that the Messiah first had to suffer before being glorified.
What a beautiful lesson! When we feel that the world is collapsing around us and that our faith in God is collapsing under the weight of our trials, let us remember that Jesus is walking beside us. Above all, let us remember «what the prophets [had] spoken» that after the suffering comes the glory; after the cross, the crown.
Thank You, dear Father, because we have the reliable prophetic word. May Jesus’s light illumine us today and always until the morning star rises in our hearts (see 2 Peter 1:19, NIV).
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2022
“GREAT IS OUR GOD!”
From: FERNANDO ZABALA
Colaboradores: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate