Silent Saturday

“The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.”
{‭‭Luke‬ ‭23:55-56‬ ‭NIV‬‬}
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In the midst of deep sadness and grief, those who were closest to Jesus chose obedience rather than comfort. It’s common to feel like there are many things that need to be done after someone dies in order to feel at peace about it. Different cultures have different traditions regarding what should be done when putting a body to rest, and the Jews were no different. However, Jesus died only hours before the Sabbath began, which meant they could only do so much before the day of rest that God had commanded to them. In order to be obedient, they had to put their desires on hold.
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In a world that moves so quickly it’s difficult to take time to slow down and rest. The itself idea can make us anxious. But it’s in these moments of silence and stillness that we find that true rest and comfort come from God alone. Those women weren’t able to check off the box of what they thought needed to be done, but in their obedience they found what they needed most. Although the day was silent, God was there.
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So in the midst of the crazy world today, take some time to slow down. Allow yourself to feel what needs to be felt and dwell in the weight of the sacrifice that Jesus made. It’s easy to move quickly from Good Friday to Easter Sunday when we see the story from this perspective, but this also makes it easy for us to ignore the weight of our sin and lose the fullness of Jesus’ sacrifice.
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Today I remember that it was my sin that put Jesus on the cross. He suffered for my sin. He died for my sin. And I thank Him for that with obedience and faith.
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{HPZ 4.03.2021}