Read Zechariah 12:10-11 and John 19:31-37
“…they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son” (Zechariah 12:10b)
My son was six month old when he died after open-heart surgery. Instead of a lifetime of memories, I have only a few mental snapshots. I remember his drunken-sideways smile when my face came into view. His marathon 2 am tube feedings. His muffled whines when he accidentally flipped from back to tummy. But, this side of heaven, I will never know his favorite color. I won’t know if he liked sports or music, or how he would do in school. The loss of a child is the loss of what might have been.
So, when Zechariah prophesies that people would look on the pierced Jesus and mourn for him “as one mourns for an only child” or “a first-born son,” we understand that it is a deep loss, indeed. Zechariah compares this mourning to an incident in the plain of Megiddo—the 39-year old King Josiah slain in battle (see 2 Chronicles 35:22-25). It was the loss of what might have been, had Josiah lived longer.
In John’s gospel, we see Zechariah’s words carried out precisely. Just as a Passover Lamb, Jesus’ bones were not broken, instead He is pierced. But another part of Zechariah’s prophecy matters, too. Zechariah prophesied an outpouring of a “spirit of grace and supplication.” In other words, when people would look on Jesus, they would realize the undeserved grace of His death on their behalf, and would respond with repentance.
At this lonely scene of crucifixion, who is left to “look on” Jesus? The following verses describe how Joseph of Arimathea, together with Jesus’ secret follower Nicodemus, took His body from the Cross and gave it a dignified burial. What must these two have been discussing? These two men with wealth, prestige, but until now, limited commitment to Jesus? Were they grieving lost opportunity?
What about us, who on this Holy Saturday, know full well the resurrection to come? Do we look on Jesus and mourn for our might-have-been? Instead, let’s dwell in that spirit of grace, with deep gratitude for undeserved mercy, and respond to Jesus with repentance and love.
DIG DEEPER:
- What do you think it would have been like to be one of Jesus’ disci- ples on the Saturday between the crucifixion and resurrection?
- Which of their hopes or uncertainties do you think they had that you share?
written by Laure Herlinger
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