March 26, 2016

Holy Week: Day of Agony



As the large stone was slowly rolled forward, Mary, the mother of Jesus, wept beyond control. She sat on the ground, with her shoulders down and tears in her eyes. Joseph of Arimathea held her hand as he tried to comfort her in this time of great remorse. Peter stood in quite disbelief. How could Jesus die? How could he die the way he did? He was to be the promised Messiah. Yet, not only had his life been ended, but he had suffered one of the most agonizing deaths imaginable. As the crowd began to disperse from the cold dark tomb, a somber feeling was left by each of the witnesses. This day would truly be a day of agony and remorse; a day of dashed hopes and of losses beyond compare.

The day was Saturday, the Sabbath of the Jews. Jesus’ body had been wrapped and placed in a tomb. The despair that the disciples of Jesus must have felt is beyond description. Less than a week before they had witnessed the great entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem, hailed as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He had cast out the money changers of the temple and had called the temple His own. He had spoken with power to the Pharisees and had usurped their power on every hand. He had spoken words of comfort and peace to the disciples in the upper room. He had spoken of kingdoms and greatness; He had spoken of overcoming all things. Yet now He lay in a tomb. His life of teachings and influence had ended literally overnight. From the time of His arrest to the time of His death would not have been more than about 12 hours. He had been tortured and executed. He had died and had been buried. How could He raise a man from the dead, yet He could not prevent His own death. How could He heal the blind and deaf, yet not be able to heal Himself.

How ironic the disciples must have thought, that on this Sabbath day, on which Jehovah had rested from his labors after creating the earth, their Lord and Master would rest and lie in a tomb. The Sabbath was to be a day of delight and joy (see Isaiah 58:13); it was to be a day of rest and rebirth. On the Sabbath Jesus had healed many, yet He could not bring this same power unto Himself (see Luke 13:10-16). This day that was to be a delight, was anything but a delight.

Discipleship by Liz Lemon Swindle
Each of us is faced with moments of despair and depression; moments when we feel lost, alone, and forsaken. At these times of agony we often ask how the Lord could permit such an event to occur. How could the Lord let the righteous suffer so? We may feel that because of our loss the Lord does not love us, or we have in some way displeased the Master. Yet, these moments of despair and loss are given to us that we may learn. It is only after sorrow that we can feel joy; it is only after loss that we can feel restoration; it is only after death that we can know life. Had the disciples witnessed Jesus die of old, they would still have reason to mourn. However, because He died in such an appalling and agonizing way the disciples were given the chance to experience complete loss and total despair. Because of this, when Jesus was raised from the dead the next day, the light, glory, joy, and happiness that must have filled their hearts is beyond description. By His death and suffering He literally helped them to learn what true joy was like. [1]

Though we often may find ourselves in despair, let us look to Christ and put our faith in Him completely and totally. Let us never question what He has told us. Let us never doubt the promises that He has given. He had told His disciples that He would be killed and rise again [2]; yet, the agony of the moment overshadowed their hope. In our times of trial, let us never allow our faith to be overshadowed by fear and sadness. Let our hope be a beacon to the world. Let us always place our faith in the Lord who is mighty to save. For after great trials comes great blessings; after great sadness comes great joy; after death comes life and resurrection.

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

[1] See Sunday will Come, by Joseph B. Wirthlin
[2] See Matthew 16:21, 17:22-23, 20:17-19

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting these! I am now a follower so I can see the updated content. Now this is a new way to use blogs... really polished, readable content of great worth. Great!

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  2. Very well done, Daniel. Thank you for sharing your testimony with online viewers. I have been a member for 32 years now and still cannot hear enough of this GLORIOUS GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.

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    1. You are welcome! Yes, that is the beauty of the gospel, you can always keep learning!

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