Luke 24:17-24 (NIVUK)
17 He asked them, ‘What are you discussing together as you walk along?’
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, ‘Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?’
19 ‘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. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 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. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.’
The disciples’ answer maybe gives a clue to why they were struggling to make sense of Jesus and recent events, they saw him as a powerful prophet (19). Jesus was, of course, a powerful prophet, speaking on behalf of God and performing signs and wonders that backed up what he was saying, but he was so much more than this! My suspicion is that this is always the case, that Jesus is so much more than any label we might put on him or expectation we might have, even if we call him ‘the Son of God’.
Father, expand our outlook so that we don’t confine Jesus to our understandings, but are open to see more. Thank you that he is greater than we can ever imagine.
Original image contributed to FreeBibleImages by the LUMO project
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