For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights,
so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.
Matthew 12:40 (NLT)
They were in mourning. Not just for the man they’d loved and followed, but for all they’d given up, the hopes and dreams they’d fostered, and the aspirations and beliefs that had changed their lives. They didn’t just lose a person, they lost their purpose. They didn’t just bury their friend, they buried their future. Nothing would be the same now that Jesus was dead.
We can’t fathom the depths of sorrow the disciples and Jesus’ loved ones experienced when Jesus died on that cross because, unlike us, they didn’t know the end of the story. They didn’t grasp how bright their future would become because all they could see and focus on was their loss. They didn’t grasp the gift of grace Christ had so painfully purchased for their salvation. They had no inkling of the joy and insight Easter morning would bring.
When our own dreams are crushed and our hopes lay in tatters, we may reach a point when we believe everything is lost. Why go on when the future appears so bleak? Why even rise out of bed each morning? Why bother at all when the sky is so dark and tomorrow seems so dismal?
What the disciples didn’t know, what Mary and the other women failed to understand, was that tomorrow their world, their very lives, would be altered beyond belief; death conquered, eternal life theirs through Christ’s sacrifice. What appeared to be the end would actually be a glorious beginning.
Are you stuck on Easter’s Eve? Trapped between the grave and the resurrection? Do you feel like this darkness will last forever and all hope is gone? The story is not over yet. God is at work. Hold on to the hope believers have in Christ. Easter morning is just one night away.