The Road to the Resurrection

Saturday…before the resurrection

Jesus the Messiah…the Son of God…God in human flesh…had died. Joseph of Arimathea had asked and received permission from Pilate to take His corpse and place it in a tomb in the garden just a stone’s throw from Golgotha. Nicodemus also came and brought 75 pounds of spices…myrrh and aloes…for Jesus’ burial…the amount that was used for the burial of a King, because he believed Jesus to truly be Messiah, the King…his King.  They carefully wrapped His body with the spices and the strips of burial cloths and, oddly, our minds go back to Christmas…to the “swaddling cloths” that Mary had wrapped Jesus in as a newborn baby…so, now, in death.

The two men finish and exited the tomb. A large stone was then rolled over, covering the opening to the tomb…and they left.  The sun was setting and Friday ended…and Saturday began…”Silent Saturday.”  Nothing is recorded about the Saturday between Friday and Sunday…but God was active.  His Son, was not in that corpse in that tomb. Jesus’ spirit, at the instant of His physical death (a word that means “to separate”), had gone to Paradise to keep a promise He had earlier made to a newly believing criminal…

Luke 23:42-46

42 And [the criminal crucified with Him] was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” 44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 because the sun was obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. 46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.” Having said this, He breathed His last.

…and Jesus trusted His Father to keep a miraculous prophetic promise concerning His body…

Acts 2:27

“You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay”

“Silent Saturdays.  The day between the struggle and the solution; the question and the answer; the offered prayer and the answer thereof…Jesus knew God would not leave [His body] alone in the grave. You need to know, God will not leave you alone with your struggles.  His silence is not His absence, inactivity is never apathy.  Saturdays have their purpose. They let us feel the full force of God’s strength. Had God raised Jesus fifteen minutes after the death of His son, would we have appreciated the act? Were He to solve your problems the second they appear, would you appreciate His strength? For His reasons, God inserts a Saturday between our Fridays and Sundays.  If today is one for you, be patient.  As one who endured the silent Saturday wrote:  “Be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord” (James 5:7 NKJV).” ~ Max Lucado

Blessings as we learn to trust God…in the silence,

Pastor Dave

(You’re invited to join us for our live streamed Resurrection Celebration Service tomorrow morning at 10:40 AM (EDT) at https://www.facebook.com/Peru.Grace.Brethren.Church.)