The experiences of Jesus during Good Friday looked like anything but good to the natural eye. Rather than a path of victory, it had all the marks of despair. Betrayal, pain, humiliation, and grief washed over Him on His journey to the cross. What began with so much hope of defeating Rome and reestablishing the reign of Israel had turned to doubt and ultimately death.
When we are on a journey, we often look for signs, markers, landmarks to identify where we are going. Jesus was on a road and the signs and landmarks looked nothing like a road to hope.
But hope isn’t always obvious.
In Matthew 20, Jesus foretold his entire journey to His disciples when He said, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day, he will be raised to life!” Matthew 20:18-19 (NIV)
Jesus knew that His road included betrayal.
He knew that His road included injustice.
He knew that His road included affliction.
But Jesus also knew that His road included the resurrection!
All prior despair disappeared in a moment when Jesus breathed again. His road to hope was looking ahead at the landmark of the resurrection. When the Spirit raised Jesus from the dead, suddenly hope rose with Him! Hope conquered sin, hope provided eternal life, HOPE had the final say.
Today, YOU are on the road to hope, not dispair. You are on the road to health, not sickness. You are on the road to victory, not defeat. You are on the road to eternal life, not death. You are on the road of Jesus and HE is the road to HOPE.
