Jesus Revives Hope In Disappointed PeopleSample

The last time Mary, the mother of Jesus, is mentioned in the gospels we find her at the foot of the cross—a first-hand witness to the finished work of Christ. She knew her trustworthy God had fulfilled His word to her and to Israel in unexplainable and unexpected ways over the years. But she could neither understand nor explain the crucifixion of Jesus.

No one knew better than Mary that Jesus was God’s son. As such, she might have been inclined to expect an extra measure of protection. But Mary was no stranger to upheaval, accusation, grief, and loss. Religious leaders in Jerusalem called Jesus a devil, and his brothers said He was “out of his mind.” The Jewish population at large called Him Elijah or John the Baptist come back to life. For a while, His disciples called Him a prophet, then teacher, and when He proved Himself to be much more, they asked one another “Who in the world is this?” 

Mary knew who He was, but doubt must have strained at the dual bonds of divine and familial love as she wept beneath his cross. 

God had assured Mary that Jesus would be great. He would rule forever, and His kingdom would never end. Mary never questioned whether God meant what He said. From the time Gabriel appeared to her and declared, “Nothing is impossible with God,” Mary believed.

Two millennia later, with the gift of God’s written word, the presence of His Spirit in our lives and the testimony of believers before us, we too wobble on the edge of what we cannot understand and wonder if a few things are impossible, even for God. 

We hurt as we witness the excruciating death of dreams, expectations, or loved ones. God does not always prevent the casualties. We stumble from the ruins carrying remnants and mementos of what we expected God to do. But it’s in the waiting, when we can’t imagine how God could accomplish His plan, that we must trust His timing and infinite wisdom.

 

Even in our confusion, God is accomplishing His eternal purposes to display His manifold wisdom in a realm we can’t see. Hope based on Christ is an invisible future certainty. Like Mary, we cling to His word. It remains true even if our experience says otherwise because nothing is impossible with God.

 

Respond: What scriptures remind you of the certainty of God’s presence with us in even when the situation seems impossible? Consider memorizing Psalm 139:11-12.