Hope is defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for certain things to happen. We all live with some kind of hope. We live looking more at tomorrow than we do today. We plan our lives with the anticipation that great things will happen. A little girl dreams of growing up, having a career, finding the perfect husband, and one day having a family. Looking to the future is what hope is about. Those who have suffered with pain look to the day they will be well. Those who are poor look to the day when they will be able to pay their bills. Hope is a part of our everyday life, and even the most pragmatic person hopes for things. As a Christian, I understand that the cross brings hope for my future life in Heaven. It is this hope that I live for every day.
When Jesus walked with His disciples on earth, they did not understand what would happen and how it would hold hope for the future of all mankind. In John 16:16-17, Jesus tells them He is going away, but their understanding was so influenced by the literal world they lived in that it made no sense to them.
John 16:16-17 “A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father?”
Jesus knew that when He was arrested and crucified, they would scatter out of fear. They had hoped that Jesus would live on earth with them and continue to teach and convince people He was the Messiah. Some thought He would set up a literal kingdom here. This was not God’s plan, and now their was gone.
John 16:32 “Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.”
Matthew 26:56 “But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.”
This same night, Jesus would be arrested and tried as a common criminal. The disciples were in fear. Some watched from a distance, others returned to their homes, not understanding what was happening. For a brief period of time, their hope was gone. Their joy turned to sorrow as they watched and heard others tell of the death of their Savior. In John 19:30, Jesus proclaims, “It is finished.” This was a cry that brought despair to all who loved Jesus. In their minds, He was dead, and life as they knew it had come to an end. They had no idea that when he said it is finished, He was declaring redemption for the world. This work of God that was set in place before time began was now complete. The sin debt was paid, and now eternal life in Heaven was accessible to all who would believe.
John 19:30 “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”
Only through the dying of the perfect sacrifice could forgiveness come. Only through His death could we have proof that death had been conquered. The cross brought the hope of eternal life in Heaven. The cross gave way to the resurrection, proving there was life after death. Jesus’ death on the cross tore the veil in the temple from top to bottom, signifying access to God for the common man. A priest would no longer be needed. Our High Priest was inviting us to come to Him. The cross brought a secure hope. A sure hope, and a hope that is true enough, bold enough, and sure enough, to see us through this life to Heaven. We have hope for the future. We will either die and go to Him, or we will see Him coming in the clouds to take us home. Either way, His death on the cross secured our hope. I am so thankful for the cross and the redemption it brought to me. My hope is a living hope that will never fade or be dampened by this world. If you are down and out today, look to the big picture. Zoom out from the cross and see what God has prepared for you.
I Peter 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that faded not away, reserved in heaven for you.”
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