The Day In Between

This is the day in between the two most momentous and important days in history. The one day that Jesus lay in the tomb and was mourned by his family, disciples and friends On this day, the horrendous cruelty of his execution was over and the miraculous raising of him from the dead had not yet occurred. Think of it from your own experience. How do you feel the day after you bury a loved one? I know for me it is always a surreal experience.

I am numb to a point and cannot quite wrap my mind around the reality that this person whom I loved is really gone. I have never witnessed such torture in the physical sense as scourging and crucifixion, but I have watched as bodies of family members have been ravaged by disease. I know that the comparison may seem a bit of a stretch, but standing by while someone you love suffers from illness and endures treatments that almost seem worse in the name of healing is painful to say the least. Especially, when it occurs over several months or even years. Then, when death comes and you feel the loss but also a sense of relief because you know they are no longer suffering the pain and torment, you can sit and reflect on the experience. I tend to go into shut down mode once the burial and all that goes with it is completed. I take the time to absorb, pray and comfort myself by remembering and focusing on the good moments.

I can only imagine that Jesus' family and friends were doing the same. They had watched as He was beaten bloody, spit on, mocked and crucified. They witnessed his death, how the world went dark, the ground shook and the temple was destroyed. Even though He had foretold his death repeatedly , not one of them understood it or believed it.

So on this day, the day in between, I can only think that they too were mourning and trying to absorb what they had witnessed. Maybe sitting in the home of His earthly family, they were holding a wake of their own. Sitting around talking about the good times and all the many miraculous events that had resulted from His short tenure on earth. Mary, his mother, may even have told of stories of his childhood. His brothers and sisters may have shared how they played as children and what he was really like as a big brother. His friends testifying to how he was always there to support them in their times of need. Just like we do. They were telling stories and comforting one another after a great loss that they yet did not understand the importance of.

On this day, we have the opportunity to relate to the emotional aspect of what dealing with His death may have been like for those who knew Him as a man. If we try to put ourselves in their place, we can truly empathize with those who felt His loss in the aching of their hearts. And just maybe, we can truly feel the real pain and weight of the sacrifice that was made on our behalf.

God, help me see the gift of Jesus through your eyes, feel it with your heart and know the importance of it to the depths of my being.  Let it be ever so real to me today that I come to a new understanding of your sacrificial everlasting love.  Help me not to take it for granted, but take hold of the resurrection power you have placed within me by your Holy Spirit.

I pray each of you have a wonderfully blessed day as you spend time with our Savior and Lord.