Holy Week: A Journey With MatthewSampl

Saturday | The Sabbath

Matthew is mystified by the silence

After the intense activity of the week culminating in the devastating sadness of Friday, this Sabbath would have felt quite different. A quiet day usually set aside for worship and devotion would this day be shaded by a hollow grief. After three years of following Jesus so closely, recording what He said and notating His actions, both miraculous and mundane, Matthew would have been wondering “does it all just end here”?

Matthew doesn’t tell us anything of what happened on this Saturday, so we are left to imagine. Maybe he went back and re-read his notes? Jesus did say He would be betrayed and crucified. He did tell us that He would be “delivered into the hands of men” but, wait! Did He not also say, “on the third day he will be raised to life”? What did he mean by that? Do I dare to hope? It would have felt very confusing.

As Fleming Rutledge noted,“What was going on in the life of God between Good Friday and Easter? We are not permitted to look into this mystery. Our responses to it will be more in the realm of poetry than of science”.*

A follower’s response: Pause

Along with Matthew, there are times where we must just pause and sit in the mystery of the silence. We now know that for Matthew, the story continues into the joyous resurrection of Sunday, but in the moment all he would have felt is confusion and uncertainty. The discipline of Sabbath gives us opportunity to pause, worship, and reflect on what God has said to us through His Word. We can ultimately trust Him in our moments of confusion and uncertainty. There is hope – Sunday is on the way!

Prayer

God of Hope, thank you that in times where I am uncertain, confused, disappointed, or experiencing grief and loss, you are with me. Help me in moments like these to pause, taking time to worship and reflect on your Word that brings hope, even when it is hard to see the way forward.

* Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2015. P.418