Three Days, One Messiah

Chapter 7

Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”
John 20:2 (NKJV)

As the long, awful hours of Good Friday dragged on, Peter felt as though the day was an endless night. Thoughts of what was being done to Jesus tortured him, and he fought against the demons of fear that kept him away from Jesus in his final hours. One of Mary and Martha’s servants had gone to the outskirts of the city and had personally watched as the three crosses were raised, but had left soon after. While there he had seen John with Jesus’ mother and the other women. When he returned to Bethany, he revealed the information to the disciples who had taken shelter there. This knowledge was yet another slap in the face for Peter.

John has the courage to stand by His side and here I am, hiding like the coward that I am.

His struggle continued for several hours. Late in the afternoon he was overcome by a feeling that Jesus didn’t have long to live. He couldn't brush it off. It was time to face his fear.

Philip, Andrew, and Nathanael had all passed out from exhaustion and were still in a restless slumber when Peter quietly slipped away. As he walked the couple of miles to the city he could see the darkness that surrounded Jerusalem, as if nature itself rebelled against it’s Creator’s murder. He was just getting in view of Golgotha when the darkness became even stronger, and the sudden trembling of the earth sent Peter to his knees. The violence of the earthquake caused most of the crowd who had gathered at the place of execution to leave the scene entirely, but even from in the city, all was chaos. Not even the temple was spared. The moment Jesus died, the long, thick veil that separated the outer and inner chambers inside was ripped in half in an instant, and for the first time, the holiest part of the temple was wide open. The ultimate sacrifice had been made and the priestly work in Heaven’s temple had begun. What was left of the tradition on the earth had in one moment become utterly useless.

Peter managed to make it to his feet and come near the crosses. As he did so, the soldiers had just become aware that Jesus was already dead, though it normally took days for someone to die from crucifixion. Peter had not made it far enough to see clearly in the dim light, but John, who had stayed near the cross, watched as a soldier, under order from his commander, plunged his spear into Jesus’ side, resulting in an outpouring of blood and water.

“He really is dead,” the soldier said in amazement. Barely had he said this when Nicodemous and Joseph of Aramithea, two members of the Sanhedrin who were secretly followers of Jesus arrived. They had ignored normal Jewish protocol demanding that they stay out of the house of a Roman on Passover and had gone to Pilate asking for Jesus’ body. Joseph, being wealthy, owned land just outside the city, and therein was a garden where he had just recently had a tomb cut out of the rock, and he intended to bury Jesus there. He informed John of his plan to the latter’s intense relief, for he had been racked with worry about how they could give Jesus a decent burial.

Nicodemus didn’t speak. He was dealing with a great amount of frustration and regret. He had secretly hoped that his presence as a member of the Sanhedrin would be of use in protecting Jesus from their wrath, and he felt as if he had forsaken his post. But then, as he reasoned with Joseph later, the trial had been held illegally in their absence. It was not their fault that they could not have prevented the tragedy.

When Jesus had been taken down from the cross, John was tearfully assisting Joseph and Nicodemous with preparing His body when he noticed Peter standing nearby. He had not seen him since their confrontation in the courtyard the night before, and John’s movements were almost hesitant as he got up and walked towards him. Peter looked ashamed, but he knew he had to speak.