Gathered together for safety, no one slept that fitful night. It’s hard to describe how slowly the hours of darkness crept along. And yet, without sleep, everyone in the room experienced the same nightmare. The gruesome scenes of Jesus bloodied stayed at the forefront of their minds.
In the quiet of those long hours, their ears kept hearing the crowd’s voice yelling, “Give us Barabbas” and “Crucify Him.” They could not drown out the jeers and mockery directed at Jesus on the cross. The only sounds that broke the silence that night were quiet sniffles and sobs.
Another scene that replayed in their minds was that of Judas leading the soldiers who arrested Jesus and took Him away. Peter’s sleepless night was the worst of them all. Peter wondered if things had been different if he had fought harder to protect the Lord, or if he hadn’t been such a coward in the courtyard.
And the arrival of dawn didn’t help. It was the Sabbath. They were supposed to attend synagogue, but not one had the heart to go. The pain in their hearts didn’t diminish with the sunlight. Was all this the result of one man’s greed and another man’s cowardice?
How could things have fallen apart so fast? Just six days ago, Jesus had ridden into town to the cheers of His followers. Like an unquenchable fire or an undefeated heavyweight, Jesus stormed into the Temple, driving out animals and overturning tables. No one could go toe to toe against Him.
This certainly was not the end the disciples had envisioned. After Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, His followers expected the Roman rule to begin crumbling and the exaltation of Israel to follow.
It’s hard for us to realize what it was like for these followers of Jesus since we are on the other side of the resurrection, but we can learn that when a dream fails or turns into a nightmare, God isn’t finished.
His plans hadn’t been frustrated that Friday afternoon; they had been fulfilled to the letter. God’s Son had finally completed His mission of carrying our sins on His shoulders and paying the price of death that we deserved. God’s plans for you who follow Him will not be frustrated, either.
It was finally understanding the “why” of the crucifixion that caused me to see my need for Jesus. And it was the reality of His resurrection that explained why I could have a personal relationship with Him. He’s not a dead historical figure but a living Savior.
Therefore, I saw no reason to wait to thank Him for dying for me, asking Him to come into my life, and relinquishing the leadership of my life to Him. If you haven’t yet trusted Jesus, there’s no reason to delay.
Friday night and Saturday are days of questioning and grief. But Sunday is coming. Happy Easter.
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