Easter Eve’s Great Lesson

Imagine with me for a moment what those hours were like between Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. That  day before the very first Easter must’ve been filled with a lot of fear, frustration and bewilderment for those early disciples.  The women who would later come to His tomb early the next day would’ve likely spoken to each other about doing the customary things when people died, and in that culture the passing of a loved one was more frequent than in our day.  They knew the drill.   The apostles likely felt much guilt for deserting Him in His greatest hours of need aside from dealing with this there was undoubtedly a mixture of fear wondering if the authorities would soon seek them out as well.

It is easy to be an “armchair quarterback” looking back at the gospel accounts and think how I would’ve reacted better, but truth is I don’t think any of us would’ve.  Even Mary, His mother, as godly as she was, headed to His tomb and made preparations prior to that trek thinking He was still dead.   But here’s the deal – every wrong reaction, emotion, and preparation could’ve been avoided had they simply believed what He’d told them in the first place !   Luke records that on Easter morning as the women were at the tomb, two angels said this to them, “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” (24:5-6).

The angels vividly recalled His Words. Why? They take very seriously what He says.  And so it was with great wonderment to them that these women came with the mindset that He wasn’t alive !!    Oh how many of our worries, fears, problems would evaporate if we only seriously took to heart the Word of God !!   Today is Saturday, a day before Easter, are you struggling with something you wouldn’t be otherwise if you took to heart very much what God has said in His Word?  Instead of trifling with it, neglecting it, fudging about it, why not take it very very seriously and watch your fears dissolve too, just as the fear of the disciples did when they finally came to really believe the Resurrection was a fact, just as He’d said !!!!