Luke 24:3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

The light of the world is gone. It is day two of the three darkest days in history. It is however our first opportunity to observe the apostles. They went looking for Jesus where they expected to find Him. All they found was an empty hole.

When life presents its darkest hours, it is that empty hole in our hearts that hurts the most. We go looking for a way to fill the hole and end the pain. We go looking first where He is not. Are we looking in the right place, for the right thing, at the right time?

During these three days the actions of the apostles might speak to us about our own darkest days. Dare we look or do we know enough that we want to run and hide? My darkest days were not pretty. It is not easy to look at them with any objective forgiveness. At the time I was as far from peace and forgiveness as I’d ever been.

Rather than going to that really dark place, let us look to the group as a whole. What was happening in their world that we might relate to in our own experience?

How about feeling persecuted? They were being hunted down to be questioned vigorously about where the body went. Accusations were being made. No one wanted to believe them, much less listen to them.

A loneliness, even in the middle of a group, sets in when you are in darkness. You hear rumors and want to believe the worst in everyone. You come to even doubt your friends. Thomas might have been the only one brave enough to voice his doubts. Fear often causes us to avoid sharing how we feel.