As I awoke this morning, a thought arose in my mind. This day, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, some 2000 years ago, was the day after Jesus/Yeshua was placed in the tomb. The day before, (i.e., Passover), the disciples had shared a last Passover meal with Jesus. The Scriptures seem to indicate that it was one of the most intimate, connected times the disciples had with Him . . . at least up to that point.
Not long after that time of connection with Jesus, they were all scattered . . . after watching Him in prayer with great anguish, a betrayal from a fellow disciple, and quite a ruckus in the garden with the Temple Guard. What happened afterward must have been the whirlwind of all whirlwinds. An illegal midnight trial, abuse, Jesus being shuffled back and forth among various regional rulers, absolute upheaval and all manner of plotting and conniving.
What followed all that was even worse. Beating, lashing, mocking, spitting and then . . . crucifixion. Jesus, stripped of all dignity, publicly shamed and humiliated, illegally convicted and sentenced to death . . . pled with the Father to forgive all His abusers stating, "they don't understand what they are doing." How were those disciples, both standing and kneeling there, to understand what was going on and what He was saying. It was all so horrifying, and happening at a pace that dizzied the mind and senses. Confusion, grief, anguish, loss of all control . . . and maybe one of the greatest senses of hopelessness that was ever experienced by a group of people.
At 9am (the time of the morning sacrifice) Jesus was brutally nailed to a cross. From noon to 3pm (the time of the evening sacrifice) darkness overtook the earth and despair overtook the hearts of the followers of Jesus. In the darkest of earth's moments, as the sin of the world was laid upon the body of Messiah, the Heavenly Father was blotted out from Jesus' earthly experience. Jesus cried out, "My Father . . . why have you forsaken me?" Within that 3 hour period of darkness, there hung Jesus in an experiential sense of being alone, forsaken, abandoned and disconnected from the source of life, light and hope (something He had never experienced before). Just like we often feel and experience at times in our early lives.
When I was thinking this morning . . . it struck me that there was a parallel between the three hours of horrific agony Jesus endured for us and the three days the disciples hid in seclusion. Left alone in their doubts, fears, depression and anguish, they did not see what was transpiring in the unseen world. That there was provision being established for them. The victory was already won. Jesus was already testifying to the 'spirits of disobedience' in the belly of the earth, as the Scriptures tell us.
The resurrection hadn't yet occurred, but the victory had already been established. It just wasn't yet seen or experienced by the disciples. How I have had many of those moments in my own life. The waiting in uncertainty, feeling rather hopeless, at time in anguish . . . unable to see what the Father is at work at for my provision.
When Jesus submitted His life to the mission of redemption in the Garden at Passover, the resurrection was already a certainty. And that, of course, was already certain from before the foundations of this world, as the Scriptures clearly state. Our provision . . . no matter the circumstance . . . is already certain as well . . . for all our provision is based upon the completed work of Jesus, on our behalf. Praise Him and amen!
Whether the 'three hours of Jesus agony' or the 'three days of anxious and dreadful waiting of the disciples' . . . there is a pattern here.
"All things work together for good to those who love God,
to those who are the called according to His purpose."
Thinking about the disciples on Unleavened Bread - that first day after the crucifixion - has helped me freshly see that just because I do not understand what is going on in my life, or around me, does not mean that God is not up to something incredible. It has refreshed my understanding of Isaiah 40:30-31 . . .
Even the youths shall faint and be weary.
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
What strength and power Jesus received, after He had suffered and endured the sin and shame of the cross, and the Father raised Him from the dead. What strength and power the disciples receive, after their three days of self-doubt, anxiety and hopelessness, when they saw and spent time with Jesus after His resurrection.
And what strength and power we receive, when our season of struggle comes to a close, and the fresh provision of the Father's love flows into our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit. The season of struggle and anguish has its limit. Our waiting and trusting, beyond all logic, is our testimony that a certain 'resurrection in our hearts' will occur and we will once again mount up in strength, as the season of doubt passes away.
The same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead,
is at work on behalf and within us. Newness of life is at work in me . . . in you. Hold on and keep trusting your Heavenly Father. He knows the beginning from the end and is at work in unseen ways, right this very minute, on your behalf. His strength will fill you. You will mount up and soar again. The stone will roll away from the tomb of your struggles.
He keeps His promises with precision.
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