Saturday, April 4, 2015
Matthew 16:21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
SATURDAY: IN THE HANDS OF HIS FATHER
When Jesus gave up His spirit, He rested from His work. It was finished, and it was very good. With Jesus' body in the grave, He spent Saturday in Paradise, fulfilling His promise to the penitent thief and reunited with His heavenly Father.
The disciples, on the other hand, spent Saturday locked in the upper room out of fear for the Jews. Several times before His death, Jesus had told them, "Jerusalem, die, rise again." Imagine if instead of focusing on "suffer ... and die," they had paid more attention to that last part, " ... and rise again the third day."
Instead of cowering in fear behind locked doors, the disciples could have been sitting in that room eagerly anticipating what was going to happen in the morning. But Saturday finds them sorrowing like those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13), mourning the loss of their Master, the One whom they thought would redeem Israel, but in their minds didn't (Luke 24:21).
What is our thought as we stand outside the tomb today and see where they have laid the body of our Lord? Do we mourn the loss of a Friend? Do we sorrow because He is in the grave, never to be seen again in this life?
Or do we stand here today in hope? Yes, we sorrow over our sins that led the Savior to the cross and the cold grave. But we rejoice over the burial of our sins. Like any Christian funeral we look forward in hope, not only to the resurrection celebration on Easter Sunday, but to the ultimate celebration of the resurrection on the Last Day. That Day, Jesus Christ, who is the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep, will return to raise the bodies of all believers to life eternal.
