BibleProject | One Story That Leads to JesusSample

Hopefully everything works out. I hope my team wins. The weather will be sunny, we can only hope. It’s a common word. So what does “hope” really mean in Scripture?

Today’s video differentiates positive optimism from true hope. Optimism hopes for something that may or may not happen, choosing to assume the best and remain positive. In the Bible, hope is the desire for something that will happen, guaranteed, according to God’s promise.

In other words, hope involves patience and expectant waiting for the faithfulness of God. Psalm 130 describes it like an overnight guard who waits for the morning, knowing the dawn will overcome the dark.

Paul has that kind of hope in Christ. He knows it’s not the same hope he sees in many Jewish religious leaders, so he spots an opportunity and shrewdly pits the Pharisees against the Sadducees. Both groups assume opposition toward Paul. Then, Paul says he’s hoping for the resurrection of the dead.

Hope in the resurrection God will bring? The Pharisees agree with Paul, saying, “We find nothing wrong with this man” (Acts 23:9). The Sadducees find everything wrong with him, and chaos soon erupts.

Roman soldiers forcibly remove Paul. Soon, he’s standing trial before a higher authority, the Roman Governor Felix.

Paul appeals once more to his hope in God’s faithfulness and promised resurrection of the dead. Felix likes that good news, but he also likes bribes. He keeps Paul in house arrest for two years, during which he frequently dialogues with Paul.

Notice the progression Felix follows as he grows increasingly more uncomfortable when Paul talks about justice, self-control, or judgment. Felix loves hope as a lofty idea, but not as an active trust in Jesus that expects change.

Still, Paul waits patiently—not passively—with hopeful expectation. Paul knows deep down how Jesus’ resurrection proves that the dawn will always overcome the dark.

Reflection Questions

• Can you think of anyone else who compared crooked religious leaders to a whitewashed building, tidy on the outside but rotten on the inside? (Turn to Matthew 23:27-28 if you need a hint.) How might this context help you understand Paul’s critique?
• Meditate on Psalm 130. The psalmist is sure that if God preserved a record of sin, no one could stand up under it. It’s a scary thought. What specific things about God bring the psalmist relief? What does he yakhal (wait/hope) to receive from God?