John Calvin Commentary Luke 24:21

"But we hoped that it was he who should redeem Israel. Yea and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things came to pass." — Luke 24:21 (ASV)

But we hoped. From what follows, it is evident that the hope they had cherished concerning Christ had not been broken off, though their words might initially seem to suggest otherwise.

But because someone without prior instruction in the Gospel might be likely to be prejudiced by the account he was about to give concerning Christ's condemnation—namely, that He was condemned by the rulers of the Church—Cleopas counters this potential stumbling block with the hope of redemption.

And though he later shows that he continues in this hope with trembling and hesitation, yet he diligently gathers everything that can support it. For he probably mentions the third day for no other reason than because the Lord had promised that He would rise again after three days. When he later relates that the women had not found the body, and that they had seen a vision of angels, and that what the women had said about the empty grave was also confirmed by the testimony of the men, the whole amounts to this: Christ had risen.

Thus this holy man, hesitating between faith and fear, uses what is suited to nourish faith and struggles against fear with all his might.