Passion Week Devotions 2021 – Saturday

What happened on Saturday, the day between Jesus’ death and resurrection?  The gospels don’t reveal too much.  Matthew’s gospel tells us that Pilate posted guards at the tomb on Saturday to prevent grave robbers from stealing the body.  In addition to this, we can assume that the disciples were wrecked; the world, as they knew it, had come apart.  They likely went into hiding, locked their doors, to see if there would be further arrests and executions of Jesus’ followers.  Their dreams of their King had come crashing down.  What good is a dead king?  It’s obvious that they did not understand and, thus, did not expect Jesus to rise from the dead.

Reflection:

Paul tells us that without the resurrection, our faith is in vain. This is what we see in the disciples. They might have believed that God could raise the dead, in theory, but not when it came to Jesus. They didn’t understand the absolute necessity of Jesus’ death. Sometimes, I think we live like “Saturday Christians. ”We know that Jesus died for our sins, but we live like he’s still dead, rotting away in a grave. We forget that he will rise again, he will ascend to heaven, he will be seated at God’s right hand, and will rule the cosmos with justice and love. So, we live a powerless Christian life, enslaved to sin, and unmotivated to serve Jesus. Like the disciples, we cower in our locked rooms, so to speak. Peak forward to the book of Acts. These cowering disciples became the boldest men to have ever lived. What made the difference? It was the risen Christ. Don’t live like a Saturday Christian. Live, knowing that Jesus has risen and reigns in heaven.