A DAY OF FEAR AND DOUBT

What were the disciples doing between Good Friday and Easter? 

Jesus told them that He would be crucified, but His words ran contrary to all their hopes and beliefs. They fully expected the Messiah to defeat Israel’s enemies and establish His kingdom. These men were looking for a coronation, not a crucifixion. 

Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge Him and kill Him. And on the third day, He will rise again.” But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.  Luke 18:31-34

The twelve had seen Jesus eat with sinners and say to the lowliest of them, 'Blessed art thou'. Jesus called people out of their unrighteous lifestyle and offered them what the religious leaders never did: God's love. These disciples had witnessed countless miracles; the multiplied loaves and fishes, the healing of the blind, and the casting out of devils. There seemed to be no question that He was the Sent One. 

But ... now He was dead. 

Christ's followers were overwhelmed with grief. They had no expectation of ever seeing Him again. They trembled at the thought that His accusers had been proven right. Jesus was just another in a long line of heretics.

On that traditional 'day of rest', the disciples were full of fear and doubt concerning the One to whom they had committed their lives. They hid. Their faith had been shaken and the uncertainty of what lay ahead brought despair upon their troubled souls. 

But Oh, dear pilgrim ... we know the rest of the story. Sunday's coming.