Hope
On what is observed as Good Friday, Jesus shares His last meal with His disciples and prepares them for His death and resurrection.
Matthew 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” 30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”
Jesus knew that His death would bring His disciples great sorrow and pain. Jesus knew they would not have an easy time dealing with their loss. Jesus knew their grief would be persuasive in their decision-making immediately following His death.
The more wonderful and loved the person we lose, the more deeply the loss is felt. Jesus was and still is amazing, great to spend time with, and a better friend no one could ever ask for. That was what Jesus’ disciples experienced the most wonderful person they had ever encountered or known. But that wonderful person was about to be taken from them. He would be arrested, falsely accused, sentenced, and put to death on a cross.
As Jesus had spoken, His disciples were scattered and went into hiding after His death. Even though He had also talked of His resurrection to them, their grief overshadowed the hope such words could offer them. The reality of loss can cloud our minds and capture us in surreal moments where time passes without our detection.
I have experienced much loss in my life. I know the process all too well as a result. I have learned how to hold on to the hope given in the promise of resurrection! I have found that it can shorten the surreal time frame and empower me to press forward in the wake of grief and great sense of loss.
We cannot know how familiar the disciples were with a loss in life before they saw Jesus die. They were still unprepared for this loss even if they had been made aware. Unlike us, they had no resurrection story to look back on to draw comfort from.
Their grief was soon turned to rejoicing when Jesus rose from the dead just as He said He would. It took some time for Jesus to break them free of the fog of the loss they felt so deeply. But after appearing to them at various moments, they realized that all that Jesus had told them was true. Jesus was alive again! Jesus is alive today!
As the Christian world prepares to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on the Lord’s Day, on Good Friday, we observe what led to such a glorious resurrection. As we observe, we should remember the hope that resurrection is intended to sow into our hearts and allow it to minister to us in the power it offers.
Jesus is alive! He is coming again! He will never leave us, nor will He ever forsake us! When He returns, those we’ve said goodbye to will be raised from the dead, and we who remain will be caught up to be with Him. So shall we ever be with the Lord!
If there is no resurrection from the dead, there is no hope in death. But we who know Jesus have great hope knowing that just as He was raised from the dead, we will also be raised. This is why the day of His death is called Good Friday. He paid for our sins in His death and gave us the promise of hope in resurrection life by His being raised from the dead.
