Three Days

 By: Grace Metzger

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the

 tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared.  They found the stone rolled

away from the tomb. They went in but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

Luke 24:1-3

Tomorrow is Easter so I wanted to focus on writing something Easter related. I won't lie, I struggled to come up with something. Easter is one of my favorite Holidays but I haven't actually looked too much into why that was. So as I was complaining to my mother, as I often do, about the writers block I was going through, she gave me a suggestion, write about the three days.

If you're wondering what that means let me explain a bit, the three days my mother was referring to were the three days that Jesus was laid in the tomb, before He rose on the third day. I absolutely love this idea for one big reason, it got me thinking a lot! 

What was it like during those days? I can imagine the anguish the disciples felt as their friend and teacher was away from them. The hopelessness the Jewish people felt as the man they have come to know as a teacher passed away right before their eyes. The guilt some of the Roman soldiers must have felt after seeing the horrible treatment of an innocent man. The world was probably a quiet, sad, and dark place during these times.

I think about what it's like to go through times like that, when the world seems so quiet, sad, and dark. When the hope that you had just left you and you start to wonder where is the miracle. I know that this feeling is unknown to any of us. We all can empathize with what they felt during this time. 

“Why are you troubled?” He asked them. “And why do doubts arise in your

hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself! Touch me and see.”

Luke 24:38-39

I've read the story about Jesus' death and resurrection about a hundred times however this verse never stuck out to me before now. I can imagine Jesus standing in front of the disciples wondering why they had doubts after He has told them time and time again what was happening. In Mark 9:31-32 Jesus literally said it as plain as day, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and after He is killed, He will rise three days later.”  But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him.

If I were in Jesus shoes, I would be unhappy. What do you mean I told you I would rise again and yet you still don't believe?! But then I think of myself. How many times in the Bible does it tell me that God will take care of me? How many times I have read in the Bible that even though it might be dark in the night joy still comes in the morning? And yet just like the disciples, I still have unbelief in my heart when things start to become hard.

I don't want to be like that, I don't want to stand in front of God one day and have Him ask me, "Why do doubts arise in your heart? Didn't I tell you I would take care of you?" We can't just jump into the worry, anxious, or doubt when things start happening. When Jesus died it was a dark and sad time but in three days they got the most incredible miracle that has ever happened. It only took God three days to change the course of salvation and faith! Imagine what He can do to your situation if you just believed that He will rain victorious in the end. Imagine what miracles He can do in those dark moments.

Discussion Questions:

1.) What do the three days mean to you?

2.) What things have you learned this Easter season that brought you closer to God?