Luke 24: 13-35
Dealing With Despondency

by Gary DeLashmutt

Introduction

I have chosen to pass over the more familiar events of Jesus’ arrest and trial and crucifixion—and look at an event that occurred shortly after his death. It begins with a conversation between two of his followers as they journey to Emmaus.

This event is about despondency, and how Jesus Christ deals with our despondency. Some here today are despondent, the rest of us have been despondent, and may be so again. As we examine this event, let’s look especially for the spiritual principles that speak to this issue . . . 

The most common cause of despondency

Read 24:13-14. One of these two people was named Cleophas (24:18); we don’t know who the other person was. They were not members of the inner 12, but part of a much larger group of men and women who had been followers of Jesus over the past three and a half years. They had witnessed Jesus’ arrest and trial and crucifixion—and now they were evidently going back home despondent (24:17b) to start their lives over again.

Read 24:15-16. A stranger, travelling from Jerusalem like them, joins them.  We know who the stranger is—it is the risen Jesus. But they don’t because “their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.” The passive voice makes it clear that it wasn’t that they prevented themselves from recognizing Jesus (tears, etc.), but someone else. Who prevented their eyes from recognizing him? It was God, in order to teach them certain lessons . . . 

Read 24:17-19a. “Have you been living under a rock or something?” Jesus isn’t asking them because he doesn’t know. He’s asking them so they’ll verbalize the reason for their despondency, so he’ll have the opportunity to speak to it.

Read 24:19b-21a. The key phrase is “we were hoping.” They had seen Jesus’ miracles, etc., and had believed in him as Messiah. They had banked their whole lives on Jesus being the Messiah, the One who would restore Israel to its position of power. “We were counting on him—and he went and got himself killed. He was a prophet, mighty in word and deed—but he couldn’t even handle the chief priests and rulers. We were banking on him—and now the man is dead!”

Here is the most common cause of despondency: “We were hoping.”  What happens when you put all your hopes on someone—and then they don’t come through? What happens when you really give yourself to something—and then it proves unworthy of your trust?

Perhaps some of you have put your hopes in a relationship or a job—and it has been shattered, or didn’t deliver the satisfaction you hoped it would. “I was hoping she would want me as much as I want her, but she doesn’t.” “I was hoping this relationship would fill the void in my heart, but it hasn’t.” “I was hoping this new job would infuse my life with a sense of purpose, but it hasn’t.” “I was hoping this new city and home would enable me to start my life all over, but it hasn’t.” “I was hoping.” This is often the point at which we first begin to consider Jesus seriously. “The created things aren’t dependable or sufficient, but maybe Jesus is . . . “

But in this situation, the despondency is greater because they had been hoping in Jesus, and he didn’t come through. There is no despondency like pinning your hopes on Jesus, and then seeing them dashed to the ground. “I was hoping he would deliver me from this destructive habit, this terrible loneliness, this agonizing conflict, etc.—but he hasn’t.” Where else are you going to turn when Jesus lets you down?

So they were despondent, and this despondency affected their perspective on the events of the previous day. Read 24:21b-24. “Yes, some of the women disciples reported the tomb empty and claimed that some angels told them he was risen—but they were just silly women. Yes, Peter and some others verified their report about the empty tomb—but they didn’t see any Jesus walking around.  We gave it three days and nothing happened, so we’re going home. If you want us to come back to Jerusalem, we want to see his face.”

Have any of you ever given God a deadline? Have you ever said, “I told you what I needed, I prayed every day about it, I gave you a month to provide it—but you didn’t come through, so I’m going home.” God has not responded very cooperatively to my deadlines!

How does Jesus address their despondency? Let’s read on and see . . . 

Jesus’ solution to despondency

Now here is an amazing twist. The problem is that they haven’t seen Jesus since his death. Jesus could have resolved their despondency immediately by simply enabling them to “see” him. But he does not do this (yet), because if he did they would miss a deeper, more important lesson. So he does something else . . . 

Read 24:25a. “You dumb-bells!” That’s not a very nice way to speak to these despondent men—but that’s what Jesus says. Why were they foolish? Read 24:25b-26. Listen carefully—this is important. Why were they despondent?  Because they didn’t know and believe “all that the prophets have spoken.”

They only learned and believed the part that appealed them—about the Messiah entering into glory. They weren’t interested in the part about the Messiah suffering. They only had a selective and partial biblical perspective on the Messiah, and it wasn’t big enough to integrate his rejection and execution. Their world-view wasn’t biblical enough to handle this—so they were shattered and despondent.

This is why, instead of simply enabling them to recognize him, Jesus explained the scriptures to them (read 24:27 – note “all”). He gave them a systematic Bible study of all the Old Testament passages that spoke of Messiah’s death (from Gen. 3:15 through Zech. 9:9). And as he explained the scriptures to them, their hearts began to burn with hope again (24:32) as they saw that God’s plan was not defeated by Jesus’ death, but rather accomplished by it.

What does this have to do with you and me? We understand that Jesus had to die. Yet we experience despondency for the same basic reason: we either don’t understand or don’t believe all that the scriptures teach. We have an inadequate super-structure of truth—a few proof-texts or favorite verses. Then when what life throws at us doesn’t fit into that super-structure, we become despondent and blame God. But God says he is allowing these things into your life, in part to drive you into his Word to get a bigger super-structure, to understand more of God’s purpose so you can relate these things to that purpose. This doesn’t mean that you have to memorize every verse, become a scholar, etc. It means that you have to learn what his Word teaches about every area of life, not just the things that interest or attract you.

GOD & JESUS: God is loving and Jesus is a friend and helper. I call out to God/Jesus to help comfort me and help me, but he seems as far away as ever. So I am despondent.

Yes, God is loving and Jesus is your friend, but that’s only part of what the Bible says. It also says that God is righteous and that Jesus is your Savior. And this makes all the difference in the world when it comes to relating to God. It means that you have sinned before a righteous God and stand justly under his judgment. It means that you need to relate to Jesus first as the One who saves you from God’s judgment by paying for the guilt of your sins through his death. When you approach God and Jesus in this way, you will be reconciled to them and experience God’s love and Jesus’ help.

SUFFERING: God doesn’t like suffering. God is able to deliver me from suffering. I prayed to God to deliver me from this suffering—but he hasn’t. Now I am despondent.

Yes, God says he doesn’t cause most of it, and that he will ultimately deliver us from it, but that’s only part of what he says about it. And if that’s all you know or believe, you will be despondent when suffering comes. God says suffering is inevitable in this fallen world. But he sovereignly works through it to accomplish his purpose, wean us from our idols, teach us deeper dependence on him, form his character in us, teach us empathy for others, etc. God isn’t going to spare us from most of it until after Jesus returns—he’s going to use it to transform our lives. So if you’re despondent because you were hoping God would deliver you from some suffering, you need to learn and believe all that God has spoken about this important area of life.

End with Rom. 15:4, 13. As you get into the scriptures with an open, teachable heart, God’s Spirit will enlighten you and infuse his hope into your heart.

Three additional lessons

The rest of this passage records their emergence from despondency to victorious hope. It also illustrates three additional spiritual lessons taught frequently in scripture . . . 

Read 24:28. Why did Jesus act as though he was going further? The text doesn’t say explicitly, but their response gives us a clue (read 24:29). He had addressed their despondency with God’s Word, and now he is giving them the opportunity to respond to it by asking for more or to go back to wallowing in their misery.

This is the way Jesus will work in your life. He is always accessible, always ready and willing to help by explaining and applying his Word to your life. But he will not force himself upon you. If you want more of his truth, he’ll stay and give it to you. But if you want to stay in your hopeless mess, he’ll let you do that (GOSPEL HERE—Rev. 3:20??)

They made the right decision. They were emphatic: “Wait a minute—you ain’t going nowhere! You’re staying with us tonight and telling us more.” So Jesus accepted their invitation—he wanted to stay all the time.  And this decision led to even more light. Read 24:30-32. Maybe he said Jn. 6:51 when he broke the bread, and enabled them to see the holes in his hands. However he did it, their belief in Jesus’ resurrection was experientially confirmed by seeing him.

Notice the order. First, Jesus explained the scriptures to them—that the Messiah had to die and be raised, so he must still be alive. They sensed the illuminating power of the Word. Then, when they responded to the Word by wanting to hear more, they got to experience even more deeply the truth they had just learned and believed.

The Bible does not promise that we will see the resurrected Jesus like they did, but it does promise that when we respond to Jesus’ instruction, he gives us greater experiential confirmation of his presence in our lives. God will give you his Word and he will convict you of its truth and application to your life. Then he’ll wait to see how you respond. If you choose not to receive it, he will leave you to your despondency until you become open to his instruction. But if you respond properly, he will grant you greater light and experiential confirmation of his truth (EXAMPLES: CONFESSION & EXPERIENCING FORGIVENESS; GIVING & CONFIDENCE OF PROVISION).

There’s one more thing—read 24:33-35. As they respond to Jesus by returning to Jerusalem, they not only receive additional confirmation of his resurrection—they also share what Jesus had done for them.

Jesus wants you to have a dynamic encounter with him through his Word, not just so you can be delivered from your despondency, but also so you can share it with someone else! He not only wants to quench your spiritual thirst with his living water—he also wants to quench others’ thirst through you (NON-CHRISTIANS & OTHER CHRISTIANS). Not just through “preachers,” but through you!