We had hoped

"We hoped..." and "We had hoped..." seem to say the same thing. They both tell of a hope that is gone. But for some reason, as I've spent two weeks on the road to Emmaus, it seems that we had hoped sounds a lot more final. Cleopas and Mary, along with hundreds, if not thousands, of others are completely and utterly without hope. They express it in their story.

"Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him."

Nothing had worked out AND his body is gone. It is no wonder that their hope is gone. It is no wonder that their eyes are blind to him. It is no wonder that their hearts burn within them yet they still do not understand.

But what does Jesus do in the midst of their grief, despair, hopelessness? He unpacks the whole of salvation history for them. He, the Word, opens up the word so that they might understand. And even when that does not open their eyes and break open their hearts; he breaks bread with them. He repeats the action he called them to do in his memory, and their consciousness is flooded. Hoped had moved to had hoped, but in an instant hope was restored. That is what our resurrected Lord give us on our various roads; hope.