"It is Finished" Was Just the BeginningSample

Day Seven

The Darkest Day

Have you ever lost a loved one? Someone who meant a great deal to you? As children, the idea of losing someone is almost unfathomable. But the older we get, the more real death becomes.

Though they weren’t children, it’s probably safe to assume that the disciples couldn’t imagine a scenario where their Master—who healed the blind, walked on water, calmed the storms, and raised people from the dead—would be killed. And even though Jesus told them repeatedly that He’d be delivered into the hands of the religious leaders and would be killed, they still seemed to brush His words off.

But, then . . . it happened. Jesus said, “It is finished!” and “gave up His spirit” (John 19:30 NKJV). Though the gospels tell us only John was there to see it, you can imagine the other ten quickly learned of all that transpired. Jesus died and was buried immediately afterwards, as the Sabbath was upon them. And though He was laid in a rich man’s tomb—a tomb that had never been used (Luke 23:50–54)—Jesus wasn’t given a proper burial. Did you know the disciples couldn’t even hold a funeral for Jesus the next day, as it was the Sabbath?

So, what do you imagine they did on that darkest of Saturdays? Did they sit together and talk about what He meant to them? Perhaps reminisce on how great He was? It’s possible. But after all they’d seen and gone through, having placed their lives, hope, all their eggs into His basket, it’s more likely that they may have simply sat in silence, hopeless, full of despair, fearful, confused, angry, distraught, inconsolable. No doubt, it had to be the darkest and most empty day of their lives. But, it’s always darkest before the dawn, and the dawn was coming . . . the dawn of a new day, a new era, a new promise, a new covenant.

The early church endured their fair share of dark days, too. “Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8 NKJV), but he was stoned to death. And don’t forget the apostles, who were executed, or the thousands of believers who’ve given their lives since. But for them, it wasn’t hopeless, because their hope—and ours—is in the One who conquered the grave, the One Stephen saw and spoke of just before his death saying, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” (Acts 7:56 NKJV).

Every now and then you’ll undoubtedly find yourself in a dark place. During those times, remember, “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4 KJV).

For the Kids

Has someone close to you ever died? Jesus and the disciples were best friends. Can you imagine how they felt after Jesus died? They were probably so heartbroken and didn’t understand why this happened. While it seems like a sad story, yesterday, we learned why Jesus had to die on the cross. We know that the story didn’t just end there.

Three days later Jesus would come back to life! Because of this, we know that if you’ve asked Jesus in your heart, His death isn’t such a sad thing after all. We can have peace knowing that someday we’ll see Jesus again in heaven. The next time you find yourself sad or without hope, remember that Jesus never leaves you—in fact, He lives inside your heart. Tomorrow, we’re going to learn more about this and how you play a very special part in God’s story!

Reflecting on the Promise 

In Matthew 12, the Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign. He said, “No sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:39–40 NKJV). Jesus fulfilled this after His death, before He rose three days later.