Imagine for me, if you will, if you had been there at the foot of the cross as the King of the World breathed His last. We read in Scripture that the very earth groaned and mourned her Creator’s death; the sky was black, the earth quaked. Was His death felt around the world? I certainly think so.
Continue to imagine that, after your Friend, your Savior, the Hope you had waited on for so long and had traveled with for years is taken off the cross and taken to the tomb, you follow. You watch as the stone seals His fate as well as yours. The laughter, smiles, healing, and power you had witnessed is sealed shut into a musky tomb.
And then imagine having to wake up the next day. Surely the first day was the worst, yet no one talks about the second day as much. The entire day, spent being physically ill from the night before. Did the disciples wake up from their fitful sleep only to roll over and stare at the ceiling as silent tears streamed down their cheeks? Did Mary wake up wailing once again, pondering how Jesus would overcome this? Wondering if she did something wrong? Did Peter sit up and rub his face, only to be reminded of his disobedience and betrayal? Did he hold himself close as a sob escaped his throat?
We as Christians know the end of the story, that just as He promised He rose on the third day. He had secured the victory and won the battle; yet on the second day, no one knew what was coming. Even when Jesus had told them He would rise with the keys to death in His hands, they had forgotten.
Have you ever forgotten His promises? Or been in a place so dark you can barely see? Have you experienced something so devastating and cruel you can barely breathe? Are you in your second day?
The third day is coming. He has already won. Remember that He has overcome the World, that He rides victorious. The tomb will be found empty, death has lost its sting, the snake has lost its venom. The third day is coming, and He is coming to rescue you if you let Him.
A. L. Bowker