The Worst 60 Hours of the Disciples' Lives

      From the time Jesus was arrested, to the time He appeared to them in the house after the resurrection were the most terrifying 60 hours, give or take, in His disciples lives. Most of them did not even see the crucifixion itself because they were too scared and devastated to be there. Imagine the trauma they were going through of having their Teacher arrested, and then sentenced to crucifixion.
     Now imagine the trauma John, His best friend and cousin, Mary His mother, and Mary the Magdalene who insisted on caring for Him personally were going through watching all of it unfold. They didn't know in that moment that the resurrection was coming. He had told them, yes. But it's clear that in all the pain this bit of information was forgotten, or disbelieved in the face of bloody wood and nails. It's hard to believe in resurrection when a lifeless, blooded corpse is staring at you, and you have to remove it from its mounts, embalm it and get it into the tomb with the sun setting in less than an hour.
     Thomas was nowhere to be found for days afterwards, he was so devastated. And when he was found and brought home after the resurrection, he couldn't bring himself to believe it. He was too scared to hope, because hope died for him that past Thursday night when his Teacher was arrested.
     Understand the brokenness of the disciples once Jesus was arrested.
     It's important to not try to sugarcoat or to whitewash what happened on April 3rd, 0033 C.E. We're so used to seeing depictions of the crucifixion that we're desensitized to it. It was traumatizing for those who loved Him who stood by and watched it unfold. It was a rollercoaster from bad to worse as the back and forth played out between Pilate and the High Priests. It literally shook the ground and damaged the largest and most important building in the city. It felt like the world had ended and nothing else mattered when the news was delivered to those hiding in the house that He had been crucified, and then that He had died. "Where do we go now?" "What do we do?" These were questions that, though appropriate couldn't even form in their minds. They had been a found family for three years, and were closer to each other than to their own blood relations. They had given up jobs, family members, property, and their entire former lives and had little if anything left of the world to return to. And the entire reason for this had just died on a cross.
     "Devastated" doesn't quite cover it.
     They had seen Him do the impossible. It had been terrifying and awesome to see Him walking on the water during a raging storm, in total command of it. They had seen Him literally call the dead from the tomb. They had seen Him face down a mob of pharisees armed with stones and turn them all away with just His words.
     And He was dead.
     How was He dead? How was that even possible? They knew He wasn't physically strong. They had even worried about it. It was a contradiction to what they had seen Him do, but it was the reality that had lived with and accepted.
     He was dead.
     The news didn't seem real until His mother, John, Mary the Magdalene and the two others had returned from quickly getting Him into the tomb. The looks on their faces confirmed their worst possible fears. That it was true.
     He was dead.
     And in a way, so were they. Everything they had become had died with Him, and there was nothing left for them but to sit, hide, and do nothing as Shabbat fell upon them like a heavy stone sealing them into a tomb as well.