Silent Saturday

It's Saturday.

Some call this Holy Saturday. There is debate as to where Jesus was on this day. Whether he descended to hell and freed the righteous who'd died before His time, descended into hell and broke through the gates and cleaned house, ascended into heaven, or was simply lying in wait for the resurrection, the point of the matter is, He was dead. We will leave the speculations on what he did with that period of time until we get to heaven ourselves and can ask.

 

It's Saturday.

We are hunting eggs and visiting with friends and family,  but this is quite different from what went on the FIRST Holy Saturday.

 

Imagine what those who loved Jesus most went through. They loved Jesus the man. Son, Brother, Friend, Teacher. They loved Jesus the Messiah. Healer of the sick, Defeater of demons, Conqueror of death, Redeemer, Savior, Lord. They loved Him, as much as I have loved any person in all my life.

 

And He is dead.

 

How they must have agonized. How they must have grieved. All their hopes and dreams were buried with Jesus. You can read what Scripture says about this day here.

 

Know what breaks my heart? Verse 61.

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were seated there, facing the tomb.

Oh, those poor women. Can't you just see them sitting there outside the tomb, hopes shattered, grieving the loss of the One they loved so very much. I imagine them alternating between sobbing and staring at the closed tomb with blank faced disbelief. What must have been going through their minds?

 

My heart breaks for those who loved Jesus on Saturday.

 

There are times in my life (I've even recorded some since I began writing) when I felt as though God was sitting back with a grin on His face as if to say, "Watch what I'm about to do."

I feel like this was the ultimate example of that. I imagine all of heaven and creation held its breath as it awaited the Lord's Resurrection.

 

But I get ahead of myself. It's still Saturday.

 

I love Saturday in all of its agony because Saturday tells me that God's got a plan. He IS in control. My heart is shattered for those who loved Jesus so much because I know that they don't know that He is coming back. I want to call out to them over the ages and say "Hang on!!!!! Sunday's Coming!!!!!! He's coming back!!!!! It's not over!!!!! Just hang on til tomorrow and everything will be all right!!!!" I'm on the edge of my seat, about to burst with excitement because I know what's coming! I know what they are in for tomorrow and my poor human heart wants so much for Saturday's grief and morning and agony to be over because I know that the JOY of seeing Jesus again will erase the pain of  today! But we aren't there yet.

 

It's Saturday.

The day that reminds me to hang on and trust in Jesus, God's got a plan, He is in control.

 

It's Saturday.

The day that God shows me that He allows unbearable suffering because HE knows it will be insignificant compared to the JOY at the end! All our suffering here will not even be a memory when we meet Jesus face to face in Heaven! 

 

I'm getting ahead of myself again.

 

It's Saturday.

(But Sunday's Coming!)