In early 1980s the producers of Sesame Street faced a dilemma. Will Lee, the actor who played Mr. Hooper, passed away, and the producers were faced with how to communicate the concept of death to the 10 million children (most of whom are under 6 years of age) who watched the show.
Child psychologists suggested they NOT say, “Mr. Hooper got sick and died,” because children get sick and they are not going to die. And the psychologists suggested they NOT say, “Mr. Hooper got old and died,” because little children think of their parents as being old. And the staff of Sesame Street decided to avoid religious issues and NOT say, “Mr. Hooper died and went to Heaven.” So the show’s producers decided to say just a few basics: He’s gone, he won’t be back, and he’ll be missed.
They decided to use Big Bird to gently set the matter before the children. The show was aired on Thanksgiving Day so parents could watch it with their children. Big Bird came out and said he had a picture for Mr. Hooper and he couldn’t wait to see him. One of the cast said, “Big Bird, remember, we told you that Mr. Hooper died.” And Big Bird said, “Oh yeah, I forgot.” Then he said, “Well, I’ll give it to him when he comes back.” And one of the staff members put an arm around Big Bird and said, “Big Bird, Mr. Hooper isn’t coming back.” “Why not,” Big Bird asked innocently. “Big Bird, when people die, they don’t come back.”
When people die… they don’t come back.
Normally, that’s how it works, and it bothers a lot of folks.
Sigmund Freud famously said: “And finally there is the painful riddle of death, for which no remedy at all has yet been found, nor probably will ever be!”
Aristotle called death the thing to be feared most because “it appears to be the end of everything.”
Jean-Paul Sartre asserted that death “removes all meaning from life.”
And French philosopher Francois Rabelais (as he was dying) said: “I am going to the great Perhaps”.
When people die… they don’t come back.
But Easter reminds us that one Person came back from the dead …. JESUS!
In Luke 24:13-35 Jesus appears walking with two of His followers. They assumed He was dead and not coming back. Unknowingly, they carried on a conversation without knowing that He was actually Jesus. They lost hope when He died. But by the end of the road, they got their hope back.
What can we do when hope is gone?
1 – When hope is gone, friends stay.
One of the first things that we notice is that the two disciples are together. It is important for us to understand that we do not need to go through hard times alone and we should not go through hard times alone. It’s called bearing one another’s burdens. The word that is translated “talking with each other,” doesn’t mean that they were casually passing the time of day. Rather, the word indicates that they were really wrestling with the problems which confronted them. They were attempting to help each other to understand what had happened and was happening in their lives. The disciples did not fall into the temptation of trying to tough it out and go it alone.
Though they didn’t know that Jesus was there, they conversed together—a good example for all Christians. In troublesome times, we need each other. Whether you’re full of faith or not, it’s still good to talk. One of them was saying, “I’ve lost my Lord!” and the other answered, “I’ve lost my Lord, too!” Suffering together makes it easier. We need each other!
2 – When hope is gone, Scripture guides.
“Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17) This explains why Jesus opened the Bible to these men. Their real problem was not in their heads but in their hearts. They could have discussed the subject for days and never arrived at a satisfactory answer. What they needed was a fresh understanding of God’s Word.
Their basic problem was they did not believe what the Bible said. They thought Jesus would be a conquering hero, not a suffering Savior. But as Jesus showed them what they Bible said, they began to understand.
It was through their search of scripture that the disciples begin to understand what was happening. It didn’t enable them to escape, but it did help them to see what God was doing in their lives.
3 – When hope is gone, Jesus walks.
These two disciples were not aware that even as they talked of the absence of Jesus, He was right there. Even if we go through tough times that it seems like Jesus has abandoned us, He is closer than we realize. It wasn’t until Jesus was revealed to them, that their spiritual eyes were opened and they knew who Jesus was.
We are often spiritually blinded. We see our problems and the turmoil of our world as the absence of God. Where is God? He is right where He has always been… right beside you.
Footprints
One night I dreamed a dream. As I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, One belonging to me and one to my Lord.
After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints.
This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. “Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You’d walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”
He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you. Never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you.”
The situation changed when the disciples were able to see Jesus. Jesus had been raised from the dead since the morning. Jesus had also been walking with the disciples for some time, but they were not able to see Him. Once the disciples saw Jesus, Luke records that their eyes were open.
Things didn’t magically change for the disciples. They still had many changes to face. Eventually they would face persecution. Once they saw Jesus, though, the confusion cleared and they were able to take the next steps of faith and discipleship.
Bad things do happen to good people–they happen to everyone. We can do things, though, that will help us journey through the tragedies and see Jesus in the middle of them.
You can find hope in Jesus!