Third Sunday of Easter (2026)

What Difference Does It Make? “From Hopelessness to Burning Hearts”

Sermon Text: Luke 24:13-35

Supplementary Texts: Acts 2:14a,32-41 and 1 Peter 1:17-21. 

GOAL

That the hearers would trust that the risen Jesus comes to them through His Word and Sacrament to restore their hope, turning their downcast hearts into hearts that burn with faith and joy.

MALADY

Because we misunderstand God’s ways and measure life by what we see, our hopes collapse in suffering and disappointment, leaving us discouraged, confused, and tempted to give up.

MEANS

The risen Jesus draws near through His Word, opens the Scriptures to reveal Himself, and makes Himself known in the breaking of the bread—thereby restoring true hope and setting our hearts ablaze with faith.

Introduction (Hook – The Long Walk Home)

It was a long walk home.

Seven miles. Not terribly far…unless your heart is heavy.

And theirs was.

You can almost see them: heads down, steps slow, voices low.

Every once in a while one of them gestures— remembering something Jesus said, or shaking his head at what just happened.

They are not only walking away from Jerusalem— they are walking away from everything they thought they knew about God.

Luke tells us the heart of it in one sentence:

“We had hoped that He was the one…”

Past tense. Had hoped. Hope…now gone.

And maybe you know that kind of walk.

The walk out of the doctor’s office after the test results you didn’t want. The walk out of the funeral home after everyone else has gone home. The walk to your car after another job interview that went nowhere. The walk through your house after the argument you don’t know how to fix.

Everything looks the same on the outside— same road, same sky, same houses— but inside, nothing feels the same, because hope has drained away.

That’s where these two disciples are: walking away from Jerusalem, away from the cross, away from hope.

Hope Lost

Luke says they are talking, discussing, debating— replaying the events of the last few days, trying to make sense of it all.

They have facts: Jesus was a prophet mighty in deed and word. The chief priests and rulers delivered Him up. He was crucified. Some women say the tomb is empty. They even say they saw angels.

They have information… but they don’t have understanding.

They can quote the headlines, but they can’t see the story.

Why?

Because their expectations were wrong.

They thought Jesus would fix everything now: make life better now, restore Israel now, overthrow Rome, set up a kingdom, solve their problems.

They imagined a Messiah who would match their plans and fulfill their dreams.

But instead—He died. They had built their hope on the idea that if Jesus is really from God, He will prevent suffering, avoid the cross, and win in a way that looks like success to us.

So when He suffers, when He dies, when He hangs on a cross— their hopes die with Him.

“We had hoped…”

And that’s not just their problem. That’s ours too.

We build our hope on what we expect God to do.

“God, I thought if I followed You, things would be easier.” “I thought if I prayed, You would fix this.” “I thought if I trusted You, the doors would open, not close.”

So we say: “I thought things would be different by now.” “I thought God would heal this.” “I thought this would turn out better.”

And when it doesn’t— when the diagnosis is worse, not better; when the relationship breaks, not heals; when the job disappears, not appears— we don’t just lose confidence in our circumstances. We start to lose hope altogether.

We begin to wonder: Where is God? Did I misunderstand Him? Is any of this real?

Misunderstanding God’s Plan

The deeper problem is this: we misunderstand God.

These disciples were not atheists. They had the Scriptures. They had heard Jesus Himself teach. They had walked with Him, watched the miracles, heard the parables, listened to the promises.

They had all the right pieces— but tried to arrange them into the wrong picture.

They expected glory without suffering. Victory without a cross. Life without death.

In their minds, if Jesus really is the Messiah, then He should skip the cross and go straight to the throne.

So when the cross came— it shattered everything.

That’s why Jesus says to them:

“O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!”

He doesn’t say they believed nothing. He says they were slow to believe all of it.

They believed the promises of glory— but ignored the promises of suffering. They picked the parts of Scripture that fit their hopes, and set aside the parts that spoke of a suffering Messiah.

And that is still our temptation.

We know the promises: “God works all things together for good.” “Never will I leave you nor forsake you.” “Ask, and it will be given to you.”

But we interpret those promises through our expectations.

We hear, “God will work all things for good,” and we quietly think, “That means good the way I define it— comfortable, successful, painless.”

We hear, “God will never leave me,” and think, “That means I’ll always feel His presence.”

We hear, “Ask and it will be given,” and assume, “That means God will give what I want, when I want it.”

When reality doesn’t match our expectations, our hope starts to fade.

The problem is not that God failed. The problem is that, like those disciples, we believed some of what He said— but not all.

We wanted resurrection without crucifixion. Easter without Good Friday.

Jesus Draws Near

And then—Jesus comes.

They don’t go looking for Him. He comes looking for them.

They don’t recognize Him. Their eyes are kept from seeing Him. But He comes anyway.

He joins them on the road. He walks in step with them.

That is grace.

Grace is not God waiting at a distance until you get your act together. Grace is God walking into your confusion, your disappointment, your shattered expectations.

Grace is God drawing near when you are walking in the wrong direction— not toward Jerusalem and hope, but away from it.

He comes into their confusion. Into their sadness. Into their lost hope. And He walks with them.

He doesn’t start by saying, “How dare you doubt Me?” He starts with a question: “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

He invites them to open their hearts. He listens to their pain. He lets them tell the story of their lost hope.

Brothers and sisters, that is still how Jesus comes.

He may be hidden behind ordinary things— another Christian’s words, the reading of Scripture, the preaching of a sermon, the simple bread and wine of the Supper— but He is there, as He has promised to be.

And notice how He restores their collapsed hope.

1. Jesus Restores Hope Through His Word

What does He do first? He opens the Scriptures.

“Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets…”

He explains everything.

He shows them: the cross was not a failure. It was necessary. It was the plan. It was always the plan.

“The Son of Man must be delivered up.” “The Son of Man must suffer.” “The Son of Man must be killed and on the third day be raised.”

Why “must”?

Because this is the only way sin can be paid for. The only way death can be defeated. The only way God’s justice and mercy meet at the same place.

If Jesus had avoided the cross, He would have avoided your salvation.

Their problem was not lack of hope— but misplaced hope.

And Jesus corrects it—through the Word.

And something happens. They don’t fully understand yet… but they feel it.

“Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?”

That’s what the Word does. It doesn’t just inform. It ignites.

2. Reveals Himself in the Breaking of the Bread

Then they arrive. They urge Him:

“Stay with us.”

And He does.

At the table— He takes bread, blesses it, breaks it, gives it.

And suddenly—their eyes are opened. They recognize Him.

Luke summarizes it (v. 35):

“He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.”

Word…and Sacrament. That’s where Jesus makes Himself known.

Not in spectacle. Not in gimmick. Not in emotion. But in the means He has given.

And He still does.

He comes to you in His Word. He comes to you in His Supper. There He restores your hope— assuring you that your sins are forgiven, that He is truly present, that you belong to Him.

3. Jesus Turns Hopelessness into Living Hope

And everything changes.

They go back to Jerusalem. They take the same road, travel the same distance, on the same day.

But now— they run back.

Because hope has been restored.

As Peter says (1 Peter 1:3):

“We have been born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

Not a vague hope. Not wishful thinking. A living hope. Because Jesus is alive.

Climax (The Difference It Makes)

It means your hope is not based on circumstances.

If your hope rises and falls only with how life is going, you will always be on a roller coaster.

But because Christ is risen, your hope is rooted in something that does not move— His finished work on the cross, His empty tomb, His living presence.

It means your hope is not based on outcomes.

Sometimes the healing comes. Sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes the relationship is restored. Sometimes it isn’t.

Your hope is not in getting the outcome you prefer. Your hope is in the God who promises to work all things— even suffering, even loss— for your ultimate good in Christ.

It means your hope is not based on what you see.

What you see might be a hospital room, a gravestone, a stack of bills, an empty chair at the table.

But we walk by faith, not by sight.

Faith clings not to what is visible, but to what is promised.

And what is promised?

Christ crucified for your sins. Christ risen for your justification. Christ reigning for your good. Christ returning to make all things new.

The Emmaus road shows us that the risen Jesus comes not only to people who are strong, confident, and triumphant, but to people who are disappointed, discouraged, and ready to give up.

And He does the same today.

When you hear His Word, He is opening the Scriptures to you. When you are baptized, He is putting His Name on you. When you receive His Supper, He is making Himself known in the breaking of the bread.

Conclusion (Return to the Road)

It was a long walk home. But they were not alone.

From their perspective, they had lost Jesus in Jerusalem and were walking away from Him.

From Jesus’ perspective, He was walking right beside them the whole way.

They didn’t recognize Him at first. They misunderstood His plan. Their hopes had collapsed.

And yet— He drew near. He listened. He opened the Scriptures. He broke bread. He restored their hope. He set their hearts on fire.

And neither are you alone.

You may be on your own “Emmaus road” today— carrying disappointment, confusion, questions that don’t have easy answers. You may find yourself saying, “I had hoped…” “I had hoped this would change.” “I had hoped this would be healed.” “I had hoped this burden would be lifted.”

Hear this: The risen Jesus walks with you. He is not far away. He is near— near in His Word, near in His promises, near in His Sacraments.

He speaks to you. He feeds you. He restores you. He turns cold hearts into burning hearts, hopeless hearts into hearts filled with living hope.

So hear it again: Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

And even on your long walk home— whatever that looks like right now— He walks with you.

And because He lives— your hope is not lost. Your heart will burn again. Your future is secure.

“For your faith and hope are in God, who raised Jesus from the dead.” Amen.

Prayers of the Church

Risen Lord Jesus, You draw near to Your people on the road of life, even when we do not recognize You. You open the Scriptures, reveal Yourself in the breaking of the bread, and restore our hope. Confident in Your mercy, we bring our prayers before You.

A brief silence

For the Church

Lord Jesus, as You opened the Scriptures to Your disciples, so continue to open Your Word to Your Church. Grant that all who preach and teach would faithfully proclaim Christ crucified and risen, so that hearts may burn with faith and many come to a living hope in You. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.

For Those Who Have Lost Hope

Compassionate Savior, You walked beside those who said, “We had hoped…” Be near to all whose hopes have been shaken by suffering, disappointment, or loss. When faith is weak and understanding is clouded, draw near through Your Word and restore their confidence in Your saving plan. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.

For Right Understanding of God’s Ways

Gracious Lord, we confess that we are often slow of heart to believe all that You have spoken. Forgive us for expecting glory without the cross and comfort without suffering. Through Your Word, teach us to trust Your purposes, even when they are hidden, and to cling to Your promises above what we see. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.

For the Nations

Lord of all, You govern the world with wisdom and power. Guide leaders in every land, bring peace where there is conflict, and protect those in danger. Remind all people that true and lasting hope is found only in the risen Christ. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.

For the Suffering and Afflicted

Risen Lord, You are present even on the hardest roads. Be with all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit. Walk with them in their pain, comfort them with Your presence, and assure them that their suffering is not meaningless, but held within Your saving plan. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.

For the Means of Grace

Lord Jesus, You made Yourself known in the breaking of the bread. Bless us as we gather around Your Word and Sacraments. Through these means, strengthen our faith, assure us of the forgiveness of sins, and keep us steadfast in the fellowship of Your Church. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.

For Lives of Witness

Risen Savior, as the Emmaus disciples returned with joy to proclaim what they had seen, so send us out as witnesses of Your resurrection. Give us courage to speak of the hope that is within us, that others may come to know You and rejoice in Your salvation. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Conclusion

Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy; through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.