Hell must have rioted uproariously on Jesus’ crucifixion day. Those deceived by the enemy scorned Him, saying “He saved others, but Himself He could not save.” As Satan cackled with glee, Jesus’ followers shut the blinds and locked the doors, hidden away in devastation and fear. The One they believed in with all their hearts lay lifeless in a tomb not too far away. The most awful day of history just played out before their eyes. There was no coming back from this.
How could the Son of God die? Why did He not call His hosts from Heaven to rescue Him at the last minute like they all thought He would? How were they supposed to just go back to their old lives after all they had seen and done with Him? Hopefully people would forget who they were soon, if they just laid low for a while.
For three days and three nights they wept and trembled. Every thump at the door made their hearts race and their palms sweat. They did not have the end of the script in mind, though Jesus told them many times that He would die AND rise again. Jesus’ words never registered with their hearts, so they sat in the darkness and waited for day.
When Mary Magdalene breathlessly informed them of what she had seen at the tomb, Peter and John raced each other there to verify what she had said. They saw the stone rolled away and the empty tomb, but they had no idea that the powers of evil had lost their grip on humanity. When Mary Magdalene told them she saw and spoke to her beloved Jesus, she reported His words to them. He was not dead. He was on His way to the Father. As the High Priest, He was the only One who could place the blood offering He had just made on the mercy seat of Heaven.
17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. John 20:17
11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Hebrews 9:11-12
Within the span of human history, the bleakest day suddenly emerged into the greatest victory. Satan stopped laughing at the sight of that empty tomb. The religious leaders scrambled to cover what could not be hidden. Those who sat frightened in the dark began preaching on the streets, eventually dying for the One who died for them. What changed in those three short days?
Everything.
If believers could grasp the work of Jesus today, the bleakest days would lose their paralyzing force. Our physical bodies may still reside where darkness rules and spiritual wickedness controls the high places, but that is not our soul’s reality. Paul said that right now, God has “blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:” Ephesians 1:3. The streets of gold in Heaven are just as real as the asphalt pavement we drive on every day. Whether you have a few nickels or a full 401k, none of it will guarantee you any real estate there. Jesus already purchased your full livelihood. Your job rests in making sure everyone He died for has a chance to get there too.
Why do we reel with every disappointment this life springs on us? Because we forget where our residence actually is. We replace our King with presidents and politicians, hoping to keep our world controllable, comfortable, and cozy. Perhaps our comfort zone needs a little dust. Perhaps God wants to replace our cozy comfort with construction zones instead—diverting people from this world into His much better one. It is time for believers to stop trembling in the dark and work like they have never worked before, because there is a night coming where no man can work. That Messiah that rose again will come back to rule. Hell’s cackles will fade into wails and corruption will no longer thrive on Capitol Hill. Rest assured of that. But which kingdom believers work for now will matter for both their eternity and those they help get to Heaven. Get your hard hat and steel toed boots on. There is work to do.