The Scroll: April 2017

Several months ago, a friend and I
watched the movie Manchester by
the Sea. We knew very little about
the movie, other than that it was up
for several big Academy Awards. The
movie is about a man named Lee who
is reeling from a tragic past, but finds
an opportunity for redemption when he
is named as the guardian for his nephew.
Sadly, the hoped-for redemption does
not take place. Lee comes to the
conclusion that he simply cannot get
past his grief. Instead of raising his
nephew, he farms him out to some
family friends. And thus ended the
sad story of Manchester by the Sea.
When the film ended, my friend and
I sat in disappointment. It was as if
we both wanted to say, “But I had
hoped...” We had hoped Lee would
work through his grief. We had hoped
his nephew would provide his means
for redemption. We had hoped the film
would have a happy ending. We had
hoped that, but we were let down.
Our response to the movie actually
reflects the experience of
disappointment that many of us have
in life. We say things like, “But I had
hoped I would get the job. But I had
hoped our relationship would work out.
But I had hoped they would find
a treatment for me. But I had hoped my
life would have turned out differently.”
When we say, “But I had hoped,” it
reflects the sadness of a lost dream
and the conclusion that the story has
ended in disappointment.
Jesus’ disciples had a similar experience
after His death. In Luke 24, two of
Jesus’ disciples were, unbeknownst
to them, speaking to the resurrected
Jesus. In their conversation, they
were still reeling from Jesus’ death.
In describing the situation to Jesus
(who they thought to be a stranger),
they said in verses 19-21, “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.” But we had
hoped. The words clearly express a
dream unfulfilled. To them, a story
had finished, and it had ended
in disappointment.
The scene is comical. They were
expressing their disappointment that
Jesus’ life had ended in tragedy, while
unaware that the risen Jesus was
standing right beside them. They
expressed their sadness that Jesus
failed to redeem Israel (probably
thinking of redemption from the
oppression of Rome), not realizing
that Jesus had accomplished final
and eternal redemption through
His death and resurrection.
They think the story had ended,
yet it remains gloriously unfinished.
The resurrection of Jesus is not simply
good news for Him. And it is not only
good news for our distant future. Jesus’
victory over death means that God is
bringing redemption and new life into
the lives of those of us who belong
to Him through faith. Just as Jesus’
story is unfinished, our stories are
unfinished.
As we prepare for Easter, remember
that the resurrection of Jesus means
that your story, confusing and
disappointing as it may seem right now,
is unfinished. God is still working His
surprising and beautiful redemption,
despite all the times you find yourself
saying, “But I had hoped.”
In the end, the redemption that Jesus
brought was better than the redemption
for which they had hoped. In the same
way, Jesus will never disappoint to
deliver a better and richer future than
the one for which we had hoped.
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