And They Waited

Fortieth Day of Lent

Saturday, April 15, 2017

by Patience Fort

In the Christian faith, we find ourselves today sandwiched in between two very important days: Jesus' crucifixion and His resurrection. 

Can you imagine what His followers experienced on this day? They didn't have the benefit of knowing "the rest of the story." So I imagine they were pretty devastated. 

• sorrow
• emptiness
• questions
• "How can this be?"
• anguish
• shame
• "Now what?"
• despair
• "I should have done ______."
• "If only . . . ."

As today progresses, contemplate what was going through the disciples' minds on this day after Jesus was murdered. Ponder those sobering thoughts. Reflect on them. How would you have responded?

The reality is that we have no way of knowing what we would have done if we had been with the disciples. And that is probably a good thing. Perhaps we should consider that it was our sin that crucified Him and separated Him from His Father. And it is because of His stripes that we are healed. 

And because we do know how it turned out, let's look forward to tomorrow with excitement as we reflect on the significance of Jesus' resurrection. 

Lord, thank you for reminding us of the gruesome death our Lord suffered on our behalf. Thank you, also, that we don't have to remain stuck in the despair between the crucifixion and the resurrection. May we never forget.