Buuut....on THAT Saturday, all those years, they didn't know that. They didn't know what we know now, they didn't have our benefit of hindsight. This man, this Jesus they'd loved, followed, and believed in for years was just...gone. Imagine the despair they felt. Anger. Confusion. Fear. Abandonment. Sadness. All they could see was the darkness.
And how many times have we found ourselves in the same place? Where all we could see was the darkness that surrounds us? If they could have looked ahead, they would have seen what Sunday held for them. The joy, the relief, the celebration. Knowing what was coming, would they have felt the darkness at all? And what if we could look ahead to see what our future holds? Would we feel the darkness around us now, or would we reject it because we could see the good that was coming?
I think it's very possible that we weren't given the ability to look into the future because it would cause us to not appreciate the present. In other words, if we don't experience the darkness, can we fully experience the light? God never promised us that to follow him would mean a life without suffering, only that he would stand by us through our suffering and give us the strength we need to overcome it. 1 Peter 5:10 says "The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ...will have you put together and on your feet for good."
Be encouraged today. You, like those people so long ago, may be experiencing the worst pain you can imagine. But - at the risk of sounding cliche and trite - Sunday's coming. Whatever you are going through, it won't last. It will end. There is so much goodness and happiness and bliss and joy to come, because that is what's been promised. Saturdays are important, and they matter, and they help to form us into who we were created to be. Don't reject the Saturdays in your life. Without them, we would never have the Sundays.
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