Today is basically going to be a day of reflection. It’s not a time to get into a discussion with anyone or talk. Just spend the day thinking and praying.
What is Silent Saturday? After the events of Holy Week and particularly Good Friday, silence was felt in many homes. Jesus’ body had been placed in the sealed tomb with guards standing watch. His followers shed tears as we would at a funeral. In a borrowed tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, Jesus got the rest coming to Him as He awaited the glorious resurrection that would come.
From sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday was the Jewish Sabbath Day. So it would normally be quiet anyway, but with all that happened on Good Friday, people may have been hiding and silent, lost in their own thoughts.
Grief. The believers were grieving the death of Jesus, still not understanding all that happened and would happen in the next few days. They thought that Jesus was gone and they’d never see Him again. They may have talked quietly among themselves about all the things He taught, the miracles they watched Him perform, the healings, even the way He marched into the temple and overturned the money changers, sending money rolling all over and animals fleeing for their lives.
Think about what and how you would be grieving on this day in history if you were there.
Fear. Perhaps the believers were fearful that the Romans would persecute and arrest the now that their leader was gone. They might have gone into hiding to protect themselves and their families, especially those who had been seen with Jesus and were vocal about their beliefs.
Think about what your fears might have been as well as what your fears are in the present in light of the way Christians are being persecuted around the world.
Doubt. The believers had no problem trusting Jesus to save them while He was alive, but now He was gone. They may have doubted that He really was the Messiah. Along with the doubt came disappointment that things did not turn out the way they envisioned it. Their whole world was turned upside down and they weren’t sure what to think or do.
Think about whether you would have doubted and how you would have felt after Jesus died—not knowing what you now know from the Bible. Then think about your current doubts about Jesus, the Bible, salvation, and the Christian faith in general.
Fatigue. Yes, fatigue! It had been a stressful week for everyone. The believers didn’t agree with the trials and the decisions made to put their Messiah to death, but they were unable to do anything about it, especially without risking their own life as well. Emotional stress is just as tiring as physical stress.
Think about your physical body and how emotional stress affects it. How would you be feeling after a week like this? What emotional and physical stressors are affecting you right now?
Silence. Sometimes silence seems deafening. On this day Heaven was silent. God was silent. Jesus was silent. Silence does not mean absence. God was waiting for the appointed time to bring Jesus back to life, but this was a day of waiting in silence for God to make the next move.
What do you do with silence? Do you fill it with noise because you can’t stand silence? Or do you lean into it and really listen to hear what God is saying?
Waiting. I read a quote on the internet but I’m not sure who said it: “It may be good for us to sit in the tension of the already and the not yet.” That’s waiting at its best! Who wants to sit in the middle of tension, stress, and problems? We want things fixed and the frustrating issues to go away.
What would you have done while you waited for the Sabbath to end? What would you do when it did end? What do you do now on Sundays?
Scriptural account. This is the account from the Bible of what happened on Saturday:
“ 62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.”
Matthew 27:62-66, NIV
Now that you know what the Bible says about Saturday, the day after Jesus’ crucifixion, does that change how you would have responded or how you now respond?
Tomorrow is RESURRECTION SUNDAY! I am going to post tomorrow’s at the same time as today’s so I can spend the day celebrating with family. Enjoy! I’ll be back next week with one or two new posts after Easter, but they won’t be every day going forward.
PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, it is so hard to just be still and be silent, but I know that is what You want me to do. Help me to be more diligent about guarding the sabbath day from activities that take my mind and devotion away from You. Help me to use it as a day to draw closer to You, rest, and share with others.
- Week 1 – temptation
- Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
- Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
- Week 4 – God’s love for us
- Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
- Week 6 – suffering (W), pain (T), and struggles (F-S), rejoicing (Palm Sunday), Trials (M-T-W), Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Silent Saturday
- Easter – resurrection and salvation