It takes 3 days ✝️

Friday, the day Jesus was crucified, made a mockery of and insulted on so many levels. Friday was The Worst Day. It must have been excruciatingly painful both physically and emotionally to watch the people He came to save treat Him in such a manner. Even those who were crucified alongside Him had the audacity to throw accusation and fault at Him. His disciples and those who loved Him must have all watched in horror as the events unfolded. Jesus could have easily saved Himself, He could have, yet He remained on the cross till His final breath. This is the love that He has for us – Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). On Friday, prophesy or purpose was fulfilled. Friday was the worst day. Friday was the day filled with hurt, loss of hope, tragedy and perhaps disappointment. Friday was the day of failure. The day filled with sorrow and much pain.

I can’t but ponder, what about Saturday. What about the morning after? I imagine the disciples may have dispersed to their own homes and had a sleepless night. I imagine Saturday to be the Day of Silence. Today, silence may have befallen the city. The crowds gone, the religious leaders coming to terms with what they had done – some guilt ridden and others still clueless. The disciples and his immediate family in mourning. Perhaps they gathered or individually wondering what went wrong? How could this have happened? Was He truly the messiah? Some may have questioned the existence and sincerity of Jesus. Reminiscing on His teachings and struggling to come to terms with their new reality. Jesus had warned them, and yes, told them of his coming demise. But the reality of it all may have been different to what they could have possibly imagined, that is if they ever did. Saturday is the day after the worst day. The day after tragedy, hurt or pain. Saturday can leave us hopeless. It’s the day our new reality sets in. It’s the day of many uncertainties. The Day of Silence where we try to make meaning of our tragedy, hurt or pain. The day where we decide to remain in solitude or reach out to a confidant to share our feelings. It maybe is the day of irrational thinking.

And then comes, Sunday, a new dawn. Sunday is a New Dawn. I can imagine the disciples and those who had come to love Jesus still in mourning. Still thinking of ways things could have been handled differently. But amongst them, Mary gathered herself together and took a painful trip to the tomb to prepare Jesus’s body for burial. What courage it must have been to be prepared to see a loved one laying lifeless. On getting to the tomb, she finds it empty which added to her pain of loss – she begins to cry. And as she turns to leave, she sees a man standing there – He asks why are you crying? This question must have taken her aback seeing as she was in a cemetery. After a dialogue, Jesus calls her name – Mary and instantly she recognises Him. She knew it was Him. Isn’t it ironic that she could not recognise Jesus by looking at him, but it was by the mention of her name that she realised this was Jesus? On Sunday, a new dawn we are still clouded by the mist of our tears, hurt and pain. This makes it difficult to see God. It is till He speaks to our hearts that our hurt begins to cease. This is probably why Paul declares that “Faith (Hope) comes by hearing, hearing the word of God”- Romans 10:17. A new dawn is the day that hope begins to rise. It is then that uncertainties begin to fade. It is here that the reality of Jesus Christ ignites a fire within our veins. It is here we come to terms with the fact that pain is fleeting, and hope is eternal. Sunday is the day we begin to believe again!