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Key Bible Verse: We had our hopes up that he was the One, the One about to deliver Israel. (Luke 24:21, The Message) Dig Deeper: Luke 24:17-21

Only a handful of followers remain. Friday was a nightmare day; Friday was the kind of day that is pure terror, the kind when you run on adrenaline. On Saturday when Jesus' followers wake up, the terror is past, at least for the moment; the adrenaline is gone. Saturday is the day they realize they have to go on.

Those who believe in Jesus gather, quietly maybe. They remember. Things he said. What he taught. Things he did. People he touched or healed. They remember what it felt like when this Jesus wanted them. They remember their hopes and dreams. They were going to change the world. Now it's Saturday.

None of them wants to say it, but in their hearts, they're trying to come to grips with this unfathomable thought: Jesus failed. Noble attempt, but he couldn't get enough followers. He couldn't convince the chief priests. He couldn't win over Rome to make peace. He couldn't get enough ordinary people to understand his message. He couldn't even train his disciples to be courageous at the moment of great crisis.

Everybody knows Saturday. Saturday is the day your dream died. You wake up and you're still alive. You have to go on, but you don't know how. Worse, you don't know why.

—John Ortberg in Who Is This Man?

My Response: When was a time I wondered if Jesus really was who he said he is?

Adapted from Who Is This Man? (Zondervan, 2012) by permission. All rights reserved by the copyright holder and/or the publisher. May not be reproduced.

Copyright © 2013 by Christianity Today/Men of Integrity magazine. Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Jesus, let this week's readings sink deep into my heart and give me a fresh perspective and new appreciation for your death, burial, and resurrection on my behalf.

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