Traditionally Jesus death has been accepted and observed on a Friday, also a day known as the day of preparation on which the Jews made preparation for the Sabbath on Saturday the 7th day of the week. The Sabbath was to be a day of rest consecrated to Yahweh after all, following six days of creation He rested as well. You always wonder though, just how much rest the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem had on this Sabbath day. In reading the Gospels you get the sense that they were pretty uptight with the continuing saga of this Jesus they just had crucified the day before. They were also active in trying to make sure the disciples of Jesus could not carry out any deceptive plot about a resurrection.
Isn’t it interesting, that on the day after they were able to get Jesus crucified and see Him die they had no peace, they had no satisfaction, they had no assurance of doing what was right? There was that underlying possibility that they were wrong. And all of this on the day after.
The disciples had their own issues, it was supposed to be a Sabbath for them as well. However, they were scattered and hiding in fear just trying to make sense of all that happened. If Jesus was the Messiah, and they believed He was, then why was He crucified, and why was He dead? In their minds this was not the way it was supposed to take place. What would be next? Had they misunderstood their Master and teacher? This Saturday, this Sabbath, this day in between was causing quite the unrest.
We sometimes find ourselves in the day after with our world in upheaval trying to make sense of all that is happening. We have expectations for life to go a certain way then all of a sudden out of nowhere comes a powerful storm or a corona virus that creates chaos, uncertainty, and all other types of negative emotional responses. It can be a scary time, just ask the Jewish leaders, or ask the disciples about Jesus death and what they felt on the day after it happened.
We have the blessing at looking back on their circumstances realizing it wasn’t just the day after it was the day before! The Jewish leaders would discover Jesus was changing everything by His resurrection, and the disciples would begin to understand the Kingdom that Jesus brought to them, as it was confirmed through the Master’s resurrection. For the Jewish leaders they would see a continuing threat to their way of relating to God through the Law, attempting to crush what was truly God’s work. The disciples empowered by the Holy Spirit carried the Good News of a risen Savior and the promise of everlasting life to all who would believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord.
But on the day after and the day before it was confusing and unsettled, but God was in control and already had tomorrow well in hand. Be encouraged friends, it may be a Saturday for you as you struggle through all that is taking place in life right now, but remember it actually is the day before and God has it well under control.
“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.
You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous!
I have conquered the world.”
–Jesus in John 16:33