The Bible doesn’t record any activity for Wednesday during Jesus’ final week. It is silent. We can assume a lot of things, but the truth is that we don’t know what went on. I think it was the calm before the storm. It was that moment of silence before it all broke loose. We assume Jesus was in Bethany where He finished up Tuesday. He could have spent the day preparing for the Passover since it was going to begin shortly. He knew what was coming even though the others didn’t.
I recently watched an interview with Jesse Martin who was the youngest person to sail around the world solo and unassisted. He was 17 years old when he set sail. During the interview, they showed some footage from the documentary “Lionheart” that was made from his trip. In one of those clips, he looks at the camera and says, “Something’s wrong. It’s too quiet. I’ve been watching the barometer and it just keeps falling. It’s eerily quiet out here. I’m going to prepare the boat for the worst and get ready for anything.” He started tying up all loose ends, putting things where they went, securing anything that might be lost as it was tossed about. His instincts were right and his preparations weren’t in vain.
A bad storm came that night and flipped his tiny ship on its side several times. Winds reached 80 miles per hour, the boat was damaged, he lost a couple of things too, but he survived. When asked about how that affected him, he said, “The day after the storm was over was one of my happiest days. I knew that I had survived and was going to make it.” He felt a sense of accomplishment because his losses were minimal and because he recognized that something was wrong and did something about it.
Jesus knew that this was His final week. The barometer was falling and there was a sense that something was wrong. This week was all about Jesus preparing for the storm that was coming. Even though He knew it was coming, His flesh was still very much alive and active. He spent all day tuesday battening down the hatches in the temple. He gave many parables and answered lots of questions to get everyone else prepared for what was coming. On Wednesday, I believe He was finished getting ready for the storm and just spent time with His disciples savoring every moment. He was all about relationships and He knew what Thursday evening would bring.
God is not afraid of silence and neither should we. If you’re in that moment before a storm in your life, make preparations now. If you feel a storm brewing and it’s eerily calm, trust in God to get you through. The storm is on His radar and He’s given you insight so that you can prepare. If you aren’t sure how to prepare, spend time in prayer. Read the Bible and put God’s Word in you. It will act as an anchor to hold you through the storm. You may get knocked over, the winds may beat against you, and you might even sustain some damage. Storms don’t last forever though. You will emerge stronger and happier because you will know that through Him, you can survive anything.
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 