Now on the next day, the day after the preparation, . . . (Matthew 27:62)
We do not pay much attention to Holy Saturday, perhaps because we think that nothing happened on that day. But the fact that Jesus was lying still in the tomb on Holy Saturday means a great deal to us.
When Jesus was buried in the tomb, the disciples’ spirits sank to their lowest point. The tomb symbolized death, grief and despair. They no longer had Jesus with them! They must have felt that they had lost the most important pillar of their lives; there was no more direction or meaning. In short, their dreams had been shattered. But the truth is that in their hour of despair, Jesus was coming through death and darkness for them – He had descended to death and triumphed, and followers of Jesus Christ would never have to enter there!
When we feel disappointment, or despair, or a loss of direction, or even not feeling His presence, we may think that Jesus has left our world. We need to know that even in the tomb, Jesus never left His disciples. Instead at our lowest point, His love for us is revealed more deeply.
One theologian, Alan Lewis, calls Holy Saturday the buffer and boundary between Friday’s Passion and Sunday’s Resurrection. Because Friday Passion and Sunday Resurrection are two very different events in nature, Holy Saturday acts as a boundary that keeps the two distinct and connects them together into a holistic three-day story. Holy Saturday provides a buffer and a boundary between the two, allowing us to slow down and not jump too quickly from the agony and death of the cross to the resurrection.
It’s a day for silence, fasting and prayer, a day to quietly identify with the buried Jesus, to realize all that He has done for us and to prepare us to embrace the joy of resurrection.
Prayer:
Lord, may we learn to be still and meditate on your deep love for us.
