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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?” “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 1928, scientist Alexander Fleming returned from vacation to find that one of his petri dishes had been contaminated with mold. It looked like a failure and ruined work. But when Fleming looked closer, he noticed something remarkable. Around the mold, the bacteria had died. What looked spoiled was actually powerful. That mold, penicillin, would go on to save hundreds of thousands of lives during World War II and millions more in the years that followed.

Three days after Jesus’ death, two disciples were walking away from Jerusalem. With their faces downcast and their hearts full of disappointment. They said, “We had hoped…” They had hoped for redemption, freedom, and restoration for Israel. But Jesus had been crucified. To them, the cross looked like failure, like God’s plan had been ruined.

But the cross wasn’t failure; it was success. There, Jesus satisfied God’s wrath. There, he paid for every sin. And three days later, Jesus proved it with an empty tomb.

We know the feeling of having hope disappointed. We hoped the diagnosis would be different. We hoped the relationship would heal. He hoped the door would open. Sometimes God’s work in our lives looks like a ruined plan.

But the cross teaches us it is better to trust God’s promises than our perceptions. What looked like defeat became salvation. What looked like death became life. In Jesus, your greatest problem has already been cured.

Lord Jesus, when plans don’t match my expectations, help me trust your promises. Remind me that your cross is never failure, but always my cure. Amen.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.