All through his time with his disciples, Jesus had always made it known that the pinnacle of his earthly mission was to die for mankind. In Luke 24:7(NIV), He says to them “The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.” Thus, it can be said that Jesus had prepared them for what was to come, especially the twelve. However, despite these preparations, the death of Jesus was a devastating blow to those who followed Him, especially the twelve including the twelve who were His closest comrades.

The impact of His death was evident in how overwhelmed they were by fear and panic. Despite His attempts to prepare them for this dreadful day, they all “left him and fled” (Mark 14:50 NIV). The group which was once tightly knitted became scattered and unorganized, without leadership and direction, fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy that said, “strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered” Zach 13:7(NIV). 

The bible records that when Jesus died, darkness came upon the whole land for about three hours (Luke 23:44-45 NIV). The darkness, though a physical event, had a deep-lying spiritual implication. For a moment, it appeared as if the one who was called “the sun of righteousness” (Malachi 4:2 NIV) had lost His light and the people who believed in Him had been thrown into a state of disarray and turmoil. For us today, this darkness can also be likened to hopelessness, doubts, fear and uncertainty.

As the gospel of Luke 23:48 NLT puts it, “and when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow.” Like the early disciples, in our journey, there will be dark times, moments when hope seems lost and nothing is clear and certain. There will be periods along the journey when it appears like our saviour has abandoned us. What we do during these periods is essential to making Christ’s victory a personal reality in our lives.

Despite being in deep sorrow on the day of the crucifixion because of the loss of their master, the disciples were not deterred by the darkness of the following morning. The gospel records that some of the disciples took the courage to seek out their master without any concern about what would happen.

According to John 20:1 (NIV), “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.” The scripture states here that while it was still dark, uncertain of what would happen or what they would meet, the disciples still sought the Lord.

The disciples showed us here that there is no better time to seek the Lord than when hope is at its minimum. When clarity is lacking and fear increases. Jesus invites us in Matthew 11:28 (NIV) to come to him as burdened as we are; he assures us that we will find the rest we need. Every doubt presents us with the opportunity to accept the invitation of Jesus and like the courageous women who sought the Lord when it was not yet day, we must also take the bold step of seeking him when in doubt or in the darkness of life.

The writer to the Hebrews reminds us that there is an assurance of finding the Lord if we diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). We can also take comfort in the experience of the disciples who sought the Lord. The bible records that as they sought him while it was still dark, the stone had already been rolled away before they got to the tomb. There is always a rolling away of stone, there is always clarity and answers when we seek the Lord.

The beauty of our relationship with God is that there is always a provision even before the need arises, so the devil gathers dark clouds to discourage us from accessing these provisions. At the other end of your doubt and uncertainty lies an empty and open tomb waiting for you to behold the glory of the resurrected king. You only need to take the bold step of seeking the Lord in prayer even while it is still dark.

Written by Bro. Damian Ike

Thank you for reading and reflecting with us. May the Lord strengthen your faith and fill your heart with hope even in seasons of uncertainty. We look forward to having you join us in the next series as we continue to seek Christ together. God bless you.