Matthew 27:62-66 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

There is no record here for the activities, thoughts or expressions of Christ’s followers. This first dark day is full of activity for the enemies of the Cross. They will enlist the help of their sworn enemies if need be to see that Christ is denied.

If anything can be said of the apostles, at least those that were Jewish, is that they went back to observing the Sabbath and did nothing. Christ was gone, they had no leadership, no direction, instruction, and nothing to do. They ignored everything Jesus had taught them and fell back into old behaviors.

One could also say they were patiently waiting on the Lord but in order to support that thought, we would have to see their reactions on the second day.

If there are any lessons here for us to see during dark days would be personal. What do you lean upon without Christ? I cannot answer that for you.

John 19:28-30 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

One last act was performed before the beginning of the three darkest days in all history. Jesus has now completed His work, everything He had set out to do has been done. His last words here are “I thirst” and are said to keep the prophetic words of His coming and ending true.

If the only reason He said “I thirst” was to fulfill scripture, then what is the significance of those words, that they were placed in the Old Testament at all?

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Having taken on the sins of the world, Jesus had given up His right standing before God, His righteousness. In order to regain His right standing, He had to die. This was said for our sake, so that we might know that to obtain the righteousness of God thru faith in Jesus Christ, we must needs die and be born again. At his point Jesus Christ had put an end of the law as a way to have a right standing before God.

Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Christ had just died. It would be three days before His resurrection. Resurrection power had not yet been released, and the law as a means to obtain righteousness with God was ended. During these three dark days, there was no way to stand before God, by obedience of law or faith. God was cut off from man, and inaccessible.

Access was lost for three dark days.