Saturday, March 22, 2008
Holy Saturday
Luke 24:21-26 "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see."
HOLY SATURDAY
We hear very little about the events of the day after Good Friday. It was the Sabbath, and the God-fearing would be gathering in the Temple and in the synagogues to hear the Word of God in the Psalms and the Prophets. But this Sabbath must have been a most quiet and sobering day for Jesus' disciples. They had been with Him for three years; they believed Him to be the Son of God and the Messiah. Yet now he lay dead in the grave.
Even the next day, Sunday evening, two disciples sorrowfully trudged out of town -- words of sorrow and hopelessness on their lips, "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel." Were hoping.
We know what happened next. Yes, I know it's early . . . but who can wait? I know that tomorrow is Easter, but let's throw away our sorrows now.
All our hopes were ended . . .
had Jesus not ascended from the grave triumphantly.
For this, Lord Christ we worship Thee. Lord, Have mercy.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 187)
Jesus compassionately rebuked those disciples' hopelessness and sorrow. "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?"
Even now the message of the resurrection energizes our hearts. We imagine Him lying cold and dead in the tomb today . . . but we will celebrate His resurrection tomorrow. We know that He is who He said He was. We know that we no longer have reason to fear sin and eternal death.
Yes, even as we expect the sun to rise tomorrow, we also look forward to the celebration of the rising of THE SON.
Like the golden sun ascending,
Breaking thro' the gloom of night,
On the earth his glory spending
So that darkness takes to flight,
Thus my Jesus from the grave
And Death's dismal, dreadful cave
Rose triumphant Easter morning
At the early purple dawning.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 207:1)
