Thinking back over history, I paused to reflect over each dark period—
the worst the human race had to offer;
times when evil reigned and all goodness seemed lost.
The Old Testament record is filled with eras of sin and chaos. The Israelites knew generations of conflict at the hands of the Philistines, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and a whole long list of “ites.”
We don’t have to think back that far, though.
No need to reach back into ancient history, searching in eras long past, for when darkness prevailed. The 1900’s had an ample supply of its own horrors. In the early 1900’s there was the Armenian Genocide; there was the evil of the Rwandan Genocide in the 90’s; and the unparalleled atrocity of the holocaust during WWII, to name but a few.
Darkness!
But none so dark as those three dreadful days.
The interminably long days from the Passover Feast to that First Easter.
They were, unquestionably, the worst to date.
Gross injustice was heaped upon the sinless Servant of God;
He endured the cruelest of mockery and torture.
Then, bad turned worse with His last breath.
The world's Savior lay dead—
buried in a dark, lonely tomb.
The Light of the world extinguished.
All the Life,
Love,
and Joy
sucked right out of the world.
Our God,
grieving over His only Begotten Son,
had witnessed the worst from His own creation.
Hopes were lost,
dreams dashed,
plans seemingly thwarted.
I imagine a hushed stillness fell over Jerusalem;
a shuffeling in the shadows;
quaking fear;
the moans of mourning.
(Or did that solemn sound emanate from heaven?)
I imagine the ache of inconsolable hearts.
The dazed confusion of a shepherdless flock.
The sense of being lost, with nowhere to turn.
But here,
by grace,
we stand—
this side of those darkest-of-dark days.
Sin still casts a long shadow, however.
You’ve read the headlines.
You’ve gotten that call.
You’ve undoubtedly experienced some awfully dark days of your own.
And there can be a heavy that takes your breath away.
That buckles your knees;
and sends a stabbing pain through your gut.
But there’s this hope we have….regardless;
because of the Light, risen that third Glorious Day;
and Life, Love, and Joy live again.
Believing the Resurrection is to believe truth;
it is to stand strong—
because God is strong.
And those who believe the Resurrection
have so much more to believe—
because it is the culminating proof of all God has said.
God has displayed His almighty power,
His unquestionable sovereignty,
His overruling purposes.
We have an unshakable faith
which produces unwavering hope.
Hope, to endure the troubles of this raging world.
Yes, in this world there is dark,
there are horrors,
evil, even.
But fear has a final word:
Resurrection!
Because with the Resurrection the darkest of days
—hopeless days—
have passed,
they’re history.