Holy Week - Day 7 (Saturday)

“And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.” (Luke 23:55-56)

Saturday. The Sabbath. A day of rest. And the whole world is holding its breath from the events of the past week. The one who claimed to be the Son of God, who taught about God and His LOVE for all people, who healed and performed miracles was dead. Jesus, the carpenter from Nazareth, the son of Mary and Joseph was dead. The one who was the advocate for children, for sinners, and the downtrodden, the one who dared to stand up to the Pharisees was dead. And by a cruel, inhumane, torturous means….crucifixion. Beaten, humiliated, spat upon, and killed. Buried.
Depending upon which ‘creed’ you might go for, during this day in the tomb Jesus either descended into Hell where he preached to the saints from the Old Testament days….or, he was simply dead. For my personal theology, I go for the second. I think that for the importance of the miracle about to take place, I need to believe that for these days, Jesus was dead. Giving the disciples and followers a chance to think upon what had happened. Was it all a mistake or a dream? A time to ponder all the teachings of Jesus during the three years they were together. A time to wonder what they had gotten themselves into. Just because Jesus was dead did not get them off the hook for being followers and associates. They were afraid of the Pharisees and religious leaders coming after them, so what did they do? They hid. Wouldn’t you? I feel pretty sure I would be behind locked doors and under my sofa. Quivering with fear.
These days also gave those who put Jesus to death a chance to (possibly) gloat a bit. A chance to catch their breath and look forward to getting “their” religion back to normal and under their control. A chance to try and forget this man and the trouble he had caused them for the past few years. A chance to just start to feel pretty smug before, well, before tomorrow morning comes.
But, most importantly to me, all the key players observed the Sabbath. Whether in grief or in joy, the Sabbath was observed. Can you imagine the silence of Jerusalem and surrounding areas on that Saturday? The quiet glances during their synagogue services. The whispers on the street. The talk around the dinner table? That feeling you have when something has gone so very wrong, but you don’t know what to do because you can’t really believe it happened? The silence and the heaviness that clouded the Holy City after the death of Jesus. The Law that commanded observance of the Sabbath was being obeyed because, well, it was the Law. Not realizing that all these Laws were about to be burst wide open and would never ever be the same. But, for today, silence. Remembering.
It’s so important for all of us to remember that Good Friday and Easter are not just dates on a calendar with a seemingly non-important Saturday in the middle. Don’t go back to business and fun as usual today after remembering the events of Thursday and Friday. Sure, Sunday is coming, but this day is a day to reflect and ponder and examine ourselves. A day of silence and rest.

Thanks be to God.