Some Thoughts
Had you or I been one of the believers in Jesus, this day would have been the worst of our lives. We had seen what Jesus had done with our own eyes. We followed him everywhere. We’d seen him raise Lazarus, heal blind people instantly, walk on water and so much more. We heard him say firsthand that he was the Son of God. He forgave our sin, something only God can do. He said the kingdom of heaven was among us. He rode into Jerusalem as king. Then everything went south. Yesterday they crucified and buried him. I guess we were wrong about him. Talk about being depressed. It was like a terrible mix-up.
But think about it. What were his last words? He said, “It is finished.” But in our eyes, what was finished? He was dead; his life was finished. If ushering in the Kingdom of heaven was the goal, it surely doesn’t look like that project is finished. If I recall, there was another time when, after Friday, the sixth day of the week, God the Father used the same words. God said he had finished his work of creation and rested on the seventh day, the Sabbath and called it holy. But unlike the other six days of creation, God did not say “it was evening and it was morning” regarding this seventh day. Why omit those words for this particular day? How are these phrases connected?
Likewise, the Son of God finished his work on the sixth day of the week and rested in the tomb on the holy Sabbath. But Jesus rose on the eighth day ushering in a new era as he paved the way for resurrection for all believers. God did not say “it was evening and it was morning” regarding his Sabbath rest, because we have yet to enter our final rest. We are still in the sabbath rest awaiting our Eighth Day and our future resurrection when Jesus returns to lead all people either to eternal life or to judgment (2 Cor. 5:1-10). As Paul writes in First Corinthians, “Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.” We are currently in that Sabbath rest, awaiting his return. Then the Sabbath will have an “evening and morning” as we enter eternal life where there is no longer an evening and morning, but one glorious never-ending day.
For the early church, Holy Saturday was a solemn day. Then at midnight, the believers gathered and held an Easter Vigil. There were four parts to this unique service: 1) a Service of Light in which Jesus was celebrated as the Light of the world overcoming darkness; 2) a Service of the Word in which the following passages were read outlining the entire biblical story from Genesis to the Resurrection; 3) a Service of the Water in which new converts were baptized; and 4) a Service of the Bread and Cup in which the Lord’s Supper was celebrated. Read some passages from each of the nine sections. This is a good day for quiet reflection thinking of the Savior’s love for you as you read and for listening to some of the musical suggestions. Make this day a different kind of Saturday in preparation for tomorrow.
Scripture:
1
Genesis 1:1—2:4a
Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26
2
Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:6-18; 9:8-13
Psalm 46
3
Genesis 22:1-18
Psalm 16
4
Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21
Exodus 15:1b-13, 17-18
5
Isaiah 55:1-11
Isaiah 12:2-6
6
Proverbs 8:1-8, 19-21; 9:4b-6
Psalm 19
7
Ezekiel 36:24-28
Psalms 42 and 43
8
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Psalm 143
9
Zephaniah 3:14-20
Psalm 98
Romans 6:3-11
Psalm 114
John 20:1-18
Music: “Requiem,” John Rutter, Apr.19
“Requiem,” W.A. Mozart, Arsys Bourgogne, Apr.19