God Moments

The Day Between

By Professor Rennae de Freitas

What gets these frightened followers through it? 

I am wondering because I have been in that same place. That "day between" place. Maybe on that day, the one thing that gets them through is remembering what Jesus said. He gave them words of hope to hold on to. In fact, even the unbelievers remembered what Jesus said. Still, I wonder if some of them forgot. It seems impossible, but observing how some acted, I wonder if they forgot. I often forget, and I have Jesus' words written in red, leather-bound, and contained in at least 20 Bibles in my house. Yet perhaps the best thing to do on this day "in-between" is to remember what Jesus said. And, if you can't remember, shake the dust off that leather-bound Bible, or click the YouVersion leather-bound icon and look for the words in red. And remember. 

So the Jews answered and said to him, 'What sign do you show to us since you do these things?' Jesus answered and said to them, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days, I will raise it up.' Then the Jews said, 'It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?' But he was speaking of the temple of his body. When, therefore, he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken (John 2:18-22)

Two things appear to me. No formulas here, but something to be gleaned for the discomfort of being "in between."

1. John tells me they did the regular stuff that needed to be done. They prepared Jesus' body for burial and "laid him in the tomb." I imagine it could be easy to be paralyzed in fear, and some of them were, but on the "day between," there is always the stuff that just needs to get done. So we do it. John 19 "...they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there."

2. They remembered what Jesus said. Matthew tells us that the unbelievers remembered Jesus' resurrection prophecies and took the necessary precautions despite their suspicions. Matthew also tells us that Mary and Martha were at the tomb watching the stone, and I imagine they remembered too. 

Yet their memories, instead of sending them into hiding, would send them to the tomb early the next morning. So on this "day between," we remember what Jesus said. It will get us through to the next morning.