One of the things I love about Easter is that it invites us to stop and reflect on the cross. Some years my reflection turns inward to my own sin. Other years I become burdened for all of those who haven’t made Jesus their Lord. This year my eyes were turned to those who were closest to Jesus while on earth – His disciples. I identify with their confusion about His teachings, their fear when He was killed, and the hope they must have felt when He arose from the grave. As I began to think about them, I noticed two things I had never seen before.
We Don’t Always Understand What God Says
As I read the gospels, I can imagine the disciples following Jesus with a confused look on their faces. I envision groups of two or three huddled in hushed conversation discussing Jesus’ latest teachings. “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up”; “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” I can’t blame the disciples. I too would have been confused. “Surely this isn’t what He is asking me to do!” or “What does He mean by that?” are two of the thoughts that often go through my head.
We see these mysteries not just in Jesus’ words but in his actions as well. In John 13 we see Simon Peter question Jesus about washing his feet. Jesus answers, ”You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” (John 13:7)
Again a few verses down we see Jesus address the mystery when He predicts His betrayal. John 13:19 says “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He.”
I often wonder why He spoke in mysteries? Perhaps He knows that it is the only way our faith will grow. When we hear His voice and hold onto His words, even when it doesn’t make sense, something inside us happens. We will begin to wrestle with one of the most important questions in our life – do I truly believe God is who He says He is? Will I choose to believe, not because I understand, but because I know Him and trust Him.
I think this quote by Phillip Yancey expresses this thought well,
“I have learned that faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse.
God often works through silence
Three days in the tomb and nothing is heard but silence. Silence seems to be His pattern. For three days his followers and family wondered what had happened. Maybe some were holding onto faith, while others were trying to remember what He said, doubting the years spent with him. I imagine others were simply confused. This isn’t the first time we see silence. Noah hammered away at the ark with no rain cloud in sight. We see God give Abraham the promise of a son and then years and years go by without a birth. Many currently await the second coming of Christ, looking to the sky wondering if today could be the day
I love how Max Lucado describes the silence when he says, “Silent Saturdays. The day between the struggle and the solution; the question and the answer; the offered prayer and the answer therof. Saturday’s silence torments us. Is God angry? Did I disappoint him? God knows Jesus is in the tomb, why doesn’t He do something? “
Maybe you feel the same way
This Easter while others are celebrating the risen Savior, you still feel stuck in the tomb. Maybe you can
relate to the disciples and wonder; “Did I miss something?” “When will I understand?” “When will I see the fulfillment of the promises?’” You can take heart in this truth; the same God that did not forget His son in the tomb, will not forget you in your struggle.
I wish I could see the looks on the disciples’ faces when they knew that Jesus was alive. I bet they had never run faster, smiled bigger, or yelled louder than they did on that day. All of their doubt and fears were washed away. Finally, they could see the bigger picture now, and it was a beautiful one! On that day worry was replaced by confidence, fear was replaced with boldness, and their restless heart was replaced with peace. Maybe you can identify with the disciples this Easter season. Are you full of doubt, fear, and confusion? Maybe God has spoken a mystery that you don’t understand. While you may not understand God’s mysteries, and feel like you are stuck in Saturday, take heart, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”
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