By the time Jesus was crucified, His innocence was evident. The witness at the Cross exclaimed, indeed He was truly the son of God. While the fervent accusers, shook in remorse, and went home only to escape the unpleasant sight. At a distance, the women patrons of Jesus stood, afraid – weeping from afar. But amidst all this, I am not sure why the whereabouts of Jesus’ disciples aren’t mentioned. Whatever the reason may be – I can attest one thing for sure – they were all caught in a grip of fear and uncertainty.
I suppose, the day between the death and resurrection must be a cold – silent one. I imagine the disciples mourning over their guilt; having rejected Christ. I believe at this point they knew Jesus was Christ, the Messiah – whom they had completely overlooked for a worldly king. These are all my minuscule, and perhaps worthless speculations of what events must have painted this particular day. But I know one thing for sure – I know how guilt feels – I know how it feels to be cold, and lonely – to feel like you’ve driven yourself too far away from God. And although, this is an awful experience… it also means two things. One, the silence never lasts. And two, there is always a dawn of immeasurable joy awaiting. The Apostle Paul wrote:
“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (2 Cor 4:17, NLT)
Yes. The day before the resurrection must have been awful for the disciples. But that lasted only a day. Yet on the other hand, the glory that Christ revealed on the next day – will now last forever. I believe, the only reason why the scriptures seem to suggest, the disciples receding into fear is to encourage us. God knows that his later generations of followers like you and me will also face such unfortunate days. So, when that day comes, we now not only have teachings on why to persist, but also a reasonably documented event as an example, as to why we should persist.
Dear readers, I understand there are many times when our guilt overpower us. When we hate ourselves, and believe we are unworthy of any kind of love and care. But I want to encourage you, reminding you of the disciples’ darkest days, that we should use these moments to grow stronger in faith. Because God is faithful. He will never leave you nor forsake you. And most probably, the silent – guilt-ridden days might just be a prelude, to a dawn of glorious eternal life. To God be the Glory.
Series Index: (1) Introduction: Why Observe the Holy Week (2) Palm Sunday: Sovereign Mercy (3) Holy Monday: Tough Love (4) Holy Tuesday: Who do we say this Jesus is (5) Spy Wednesday: The Temptation of Worldly Logic (6) Maundy Thursday: Jesus, Truly Human, for You and Me (7) Good Friday: I Find No Fault in this Man
Semper Reformanda 