ReaD Matthew 27:57-66
“Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.” (Matthew 27:59-60)
On Good Friday we celebrate the real sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, remembering His suffering and the cost of our salvation. On Resurrection Sunday, we celebrate Jesus breaking forth from death into life, remembering that death is not the end and that Jesus’ resurrection is the first fruits of resurrection hope for all who have faith in Him.
But between the pain of crucifixion and the joy of resurrection comes the utter stillness of death. Jesus’ limp body is taken down from the Cross by His followers and laid carefully in a tomb nearby.
Jesus fought against the powers of darkness, and then His body lay still in death. Let us not rush by this too quickly. This is something all of us must face one day, even if for those of us with faith in Christ we know death is not the end. Still, we live each day in light of the end. We live with the hope of resurrection—that death is not the end—because Jesus first lay still in the grave and then rose again.
Holy Saturday is, on the one hand, an important time to pause and reflect upon our own mortality. We remember that God holds our years in His hands, that each one of them is a gift from Him, yet none is assured. On the other hand, Holy Saturday is an important time to pause and reflect on Jesus’ death and victory, considering the cost paid for our redemption.
Let me invite us to enter into the stillness of Holy Saturday. Let me invite us to reflect upon what it means to live holy now, wholly given over to the Lord in our daily life until the day our death does come. And let me also invite us to reflect upon the death of Christ, considering the significance of Jesus’ utter stillness after His sacrifice on the Cross.
Look at the tomb, now closed as the stone is rolled over the opening. May we consider Jesus who truly endured death for us.
For Reflection:
- Spend some time today in silence and in reflection on what it means to live holy now until our death comes, and to reflect upon the death of Christ.
By Pastor Matt Erickson
