Some of us have been working with the ministry of Slipstream this weekend. You can find a link to Slipstream on the side of my blog and you can find a list of fellow blogs participating on the blog post I made Thursday. Last night, I blogged on the crucifixion and how we call it “Good Friday.” Tonight, I’d like for us to think a bit about what that Saturday with Jesus in the tomb must have been like.
There are all these apostles and they had believed that Jesus was the Messiah. Their dreams had just been dashed to the ground. They may not have known much about the Messiah, but they surely knew that a Messiah would not be crucified. To be crucified was to be under the curse of God. Jesus had been making some unique claims. It would seem that those claims were false due to the treatment that he had.
But now they must be on the run somehow. It was bad enough that their Messiah had been crucified. They were the ones who had followed him. If the priests were looking for others who would be a threat after the movement Jesus had started in his 33 years, the apostles would have been next on the list.
They had left everything to follow him, so what did they have? Pretty much nothing. They would have been shamed by all their family and friends for being duped by a false Messiah. Not only that, all their hopes and dreams of Israel being freed from Roman power were gone as well. Their great light had died. He had spoken so well and worked so many miracles, that it would be a wonder to know exactly what was going on in their minds on that Sabbath Saturday.
Let’s not forget the women also. The women had been the financial contributors often of the ministry of Jesus and had been there for him. They were followers in many ways just as the men were, which was quite revolutionary in the time of Christ. Jesus had treated them the way no teacher ever had.
Yet they had watched him on the cross. They had seen his skin ripped off of him. His internal organs would have been exposed. They had seen him as the nails were driven into his wrists and his feet. They had watched him die on that cross. They had been there when he was buried. They were watching and seeing the stone be sealed shut on that tomb.
And seeing it be sealed shut on their hopes of him being the Messiah. The stone was as strong a “no” as you could possibly want.
What were they doing that day? It was a day of rest, so they wouldn’t be doing much. Where the apostles looking out the windows constantly behind locked doors wondering if Caiaphas would be coming by soon seeking to put to death the followers? Were the women being scolded by their husbands for being duped by a charlatan and giving so much of the money they had to him?
What about the leading Jews on the Sanhedrin? Were they celebrating their victory? They had managed to not only put to death that wicked deceiver, but they had done so with the help of the crowd. Truly, they had been the saviors of Israel. Because of the action of crucifying a blasphemer, they had avoided bringing God’s judgment on their nation. Their future ancestors would look back and be thankful.
What about Pilate? He had heard and seen a number of things? There’s a legend that there’s a lake where one can see the spirit of Pilate still trying to wash his hands of the crime he committed. What was he thinking? Had he sold himself out to the Jews? What about his wife? She had told him to do nothing to that righteous man. What if he was a righteous man? What if he had put to death a righteous man?
We don’t know about that day. Nothing was written, but it is something worth speculating about. When we think of how dark that day must have been, we can see how wonderful things were when that day was reversed.
And that is our topic for tomorrow.
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