Covid-19 has gifted many of us in the Global Church with excess time to reflect on and pour over His Word in a way our hustling lives often prevent. This week, like thousands of other believers, I have been revisiting the final days of the earthly journey of Christ. Having just visited the Holy Land mid January with a group of fellow Pastors/Pastors wives, the images of each scene in scripture roll through my mind in vivid detail.
This morning as I sit quietly in my favorite “spot” to meet with God, thoughts are flowing, emotions are flooding. Today is “the day” scripturally sandwiched between significant events on His Kingdom calendar. We know on this side of the story that dawn was about to break, victory over death was just hours away. We can celebrate this quiet Sabbath with joy knowing what is ahead. But I have always found an ache in my heart for His early followers experiencing the exhaustion of trauma and loss on that uniquely sacred and silent Sabbath. They did not yet realize the difference 24 hours would bring to their story, nor that their story would be stirring hearts 2,000 years later as followers of the same Christ experience our own strange silence. The early disciples were unaware that Saturday was the “in between”.
In our home we, like the Jewish people over 2,000 years ago, took time on Thursday evening to observe the Passover, remembering the significance of God’s deliverance of His chosen people from the bondage of Egypt, and the foretelling picture of our deliverance from sin.
Yesterday, Friday, we celebrated Good Friday, reflecting upon Christ’s brutal and willing death, the ultimate and final sacrifice paid for the sins of humanity. It is scandalous think that His darkest hours would be the catalyst for our deeming a day 2,000 years later “Good Friday”, but it has, and it is.
I found myself crying out to God as I would awaken through the night, and still this morning the prophetic words of the crowd before Pilate on the night of Jesus arrest “let His blood be on us and on our children.” My pleas, however, were from a much different motive. The desperation of my sinful heart cries out for the washing of His sacrificial blood. And because my children and grandchildren have inherited my sinful nature, I cry out for them as well…”Please merciful Lord, let Your blood be upon me, and my children, and my children’s children”. I am crying out in the crowd, but on bended knees.
The poignancy of mockery from the scribes and elders observing His crucifixion “He saves others, but He cannot save Himself” (Matthew 27:42) brings tears. We know the truth….He could not save others IF He saved Himself…it was for this purpose that He came. I am forever indebted to Him…forever. I am so grateful He choose death so that we can have life.
We as followers of Christ today, have the insight and privilege of daily reminders that we live and serve “in between”. We have experienced and appropriated His death, we rejoice in His victorious resurrection – yet – we wait for His glorious return. We live, we serve “in between”. As we observe the global chaos; wars, pestilence, plagues, rampant sin and disdain for all things representative of a Holy God…we live, we serve, we wait. May we press forward in faithful living. May we boldly proclaim His story.
Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.” Amen (Revelation 22:21)
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