Luke 24:17-24
He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?” “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”
Reflection
These two disciples of Jesus, as they talked about their hopes for who Jesus was expressed the hope that he would be the redeemer of Israel. They had spent a lot of time with Jesus during his earthly ministry but they had gotten the wrong idea of who Jesus was and what he was going to do. Jesus didn’t come to this world to be the redeemer of Israel. Jesus came to redeem the entire world.
Isn’t it amazing how we do the same thing. We often misinterpret the mission of Jesus. Many times we narrow down what Jesus came to do to be about our personal salvation. Sure, Jesus came to save you but he came to save everyone else as well. If we understand that fact then we won’t be focused on keeping Jesus’ good news of complete salvation to ourselves. We will want to share it with others because it isn’t just for us; it is for all people.
How have we often misunderstood the mission of Jesus?
How do we broaden our understanding of Christ’s work for humanity?
