John 19:38-42 (NIV)
We call it SILENT SATURDAY, a space in which we wait and hope. Of course, we know that Sunday is coming; but the disciples didn’t know that. All they knew was that Jesus was dead, and so were their hopes and dreams. But faith is what you cling to when understanding is dead. We don’t believe after we understand—no, we believe in order to understand. SILENT SATURDAY is the time to engage faith, not disengage it. It is a time when we stand in the truth that God is still sovereign even if our expectations about Him are not. The disciples did not know what we know. Too often, we prematurely move from Friday through Saturday and jump joyfully into Easter to celebrate—but we shouldn’t. We should SIT in SILENT SATURDAY to learn the truth that it brings to us.
Joseph went to Pilate to get Jesus’ cold, dead body so that he could properly prepare it for burial. The crowds were gone, the groans of the dying criminals were silent. He slowly and carefully lowered the cross and pulled the nails out of Jesus’ hands and feet. Imagine that! The darkness was thick around him. What was he thinking? He had left his safe and predictable life to follow this man Jesus. Now he was dead. What was his unique response in the middle of all this heartache? He took the body down and joined Nicodemus in the holy act of burying it. His work, his calling, his responsibility in this moment was to carry the corpse of Jesus to the tomb!
Faith will include a SILENT SATURDAY. You will sit in a dark, damp, tomb-like place for a little while at some point in your life. But Jesus is there, and His presence makes it a holy place. There is nothing more to do except to sit quietly and wait for the morning light.
Are you sitting in a tomb-like place void of life and light? If you are with Jesus, then God is with you in that place. You are not alone. Wait with hope and engage your faith. Do not abandon it. Remember Christ’s words: “I am the resurrection and life.”
0 Comments