Burned Out and Bummed Out

In 2018 Russia unveiled a new intercontinental ballistic missile that supposedly can hit any target on Earth. NATO has nicknamed it (and I’m not making this up) Satan 2.

We’re living in a crazy world. And in some ways, it’s a hopeless world. There’s a sense of hopelessness pervading many young people today. In fact, I’ve read that suicide is up among ten- to fourteen-year-old children. They give hopelessness as the reason, and it’s all around us.

The Bible tells a story about two men who were burned out and bummed out. They felt that Jesus let them down. They felt, honestly, that Jesus failed in His mission. Even though Jesus constantly spoke about the fact that he would die on a cross, it still came as a shock to them.

So when they saw the beaten, traumatized, bloodied body of Jesus hanging there, it devastated them. They thought Jesus was coming to overthrow the Roman government and free Israel from the occupying force. But that never was His plan.

He didn’t come to wear a crown of gold; He came to wear a crown of thorns. He didn’t come to sit on a regal throne; He came to die on a wooden cross.

Jesus talked about it. He said it again and again. But somehow they collectively missed the memo.

They didn’t want to think about the horrible events that happened, so they decided to get out of town. And who joined them on the road? It was none other than Jesus himself. Then He took them on a personally guided tour of the Old Testament, showing them all the passages pointing to the coming Messiah.

Maybe you’ve lost hope today. Maybe you’ve had a tragedy come your way that has rocked your world in some way. Jesus can restore your hope.