Modern Christianity celebrates the birth of Christ. We rejoice at His resurrection, but we often have difficulty trusting Him in silence. Not long ago, I reflected on the everyday “humanity” of Easter and the gravity of trusting God forced its way into my brain. What was it like for the people who followed Christ during the days after His death? How did Peter feel? What did Thomas think about his future?
While the Bible provides us some evidence of the Apostles’ new existence, it is impossible for us to know all of their inner struggles. These people left their livelihood to follow this man Jesus, and now their hope seemed gone. Those early disciples of Christ lived out the C.H. Spurgeon quote, “Let us lean on God with all our weight.” But in the days following His death, it must have felt like all of humanity’s weight had broken the kingdom that Jesus was setting up.
Dazed and confused. Broken and rejected. Unsure of the decision to commit all and follow this man called Jesus. This must have been exactly how the disciples felt while the body of Jesus lay in a borrowed tomb. Not much has changed in the last two thousand years. Hurt and pain are sometimes part of God’s plan to make sure that humanity remains dependent on Him. Death is still inevitable (Hebrews 9:27), sickness still happens (Luke 4:38-40), and sometimes, we wonder where God is.
Life is not always easy, but thankfully as Christians, we have hope beyond temporality. Our trust and help come from the One who has defeated humanity’s ultimate enemy: death. When our world is falling apart, when our lives are under pressure, and when we do not see how God can possibly be involved, remember: He has parted a sea, He caused water to come from a rock, He has healing for sicknesses. The One in whom we trust challenged the religious status quo, died on a cross, and rose again.
It is impossible for God to break when we lean on Him, so let us lean on God with all our weight.