Passion: The Last Moments of Jesus' LifeНамуна

Imagine the last sliver of light dropping behind the backdrop of Golgotha.

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus urgently but carefully carried Jesus’ body to the new tomb as the Sabbath hours were just upon them. They had until 6pm to wrap His body with linens and spices before the law forbade them from doing any more work. As they rushed around to prepare His body, they kept wishing they had more time to give such a sacrificial king a more dignified burial. But as dusk gave way to the darkness, so did the last sight of inside the tomb as they rolled the stone to seal the entrance (and exit) of the tomb.

Saturday dawned.

As the disciple, John, awoke from his restless sleep, he had trouble distinguishing nightmare from reality. On the night Jesus was crucified, every disciple abandoned Jesus except him, for fear of what the chief priests and Pharisees would do if they found them. They were infamously associated with Jesus, the man who claimed to be the Son of God. The one who repeatedly said that He would be back in three days. But all these claims seemed to mix with a bitter reality of failed expectations.

Did this really happen?

Has he left me for good?

What am I supposed to do now?

These questions might have plagued John’s mind as he sat, hidden and confused.

Saturday was quiet. Since it was the Sabbath, no physical work could be performed by any Jewish person. Each disciple found himself hidden safely behind bolted doors. Foggy-brained and confused, they wondered what Jesus meant when He said He was coming back. When? Didn’t He say something about sending someone to help, or did they just imagine that? What kind of help did He mean? Saturday was so lifeless and dark that it felt as if Jesus was the one who escaped and everyone else was in a tomb.

Hopelessness is a powerful emotion. Have you ever experienced hopelessness? The kind that just knocks the wind out of you. Hopelessness can come from a combination of unwanted life events mixed with negative thought patterns with an added dash of self-blame and topped off by a dollop of seeing no way out of your current circumstances. There had to be a dense fog of hopelessness hovering over the town of Jerusalem following that gruesome night.

Out of fear, the Pharisees asked for the tomb to be sealed until day three. Pilate obliged the Pharisees, gave the order for the tomb to be guarded, and then God used those guards as official witnesses to the resurrection.God used those fears of the leading priests and Pharisees for good.

Only God can intervene so masterfully.

Just when you give your last ounce of hope over to hopelessness, God is working in the background. The disciples questioned how Jesus’ death was going to play out, but God was setting His followers up for the next revelation: His resurrection. More often than not, our next revelation of God is birthed out of the unknown. Pain and suffering, loneliness, darkness, doubt, disillusionment, and despair—these are our tombs.

On that day of waiting, Silent Saturday, God was not sleeping. God was not dead. On that day, He was transforming. In your darkness, in your silence and loneliness, and in your waiting – God is not sleeping. He is surely transforming. God promises to see you through your light and momentary troubles. Despite how heavy they feel, the truth is that your troubles are dramatically dwarfed compared to what is on the other side of your troubles. The lessons you learn in your pain build your perseverance. The patience forged out of your waiting gives you character. The peace you gain despite brokenness gives you hope. Having perseverance, character, and hope will never disappoint us. But to get to these things, we must undergo a transformation process. Transformation is uncomfortable. No one likes to accept pain, the unknown, or despair as their lot. But what if we must embrace these things in order to realize a new revelation?

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” - Isaiah 43:19 NIV

“It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.” - Isaiah 55:11 NIV

Just like the prophet Isaiah announced about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, so are these verses announcing life over you. Is there any coincidence that Silent Saturday fell on the Jewish Sabbath? Is it any coincidence that the transformative work is out of your control, something that you cannot do for yourself, but have done to you in your waiting? Part of the tomb-work resides in the stillness and willingness of you inviting God to transform you. Are you okay with the silence? Are you okay with the suffering so a greater work can be done in you?Your invitation to sit in the tomb with Jesus is here.

REFLECTION QUESTION

In what ways do you try to control the “unknowns” in your life?