Holy Week - Sabbath & Still Saturday 

The Bible documents NOTHING of the disciples the day between Jesus' death and the day of his resurrection. I find this very odd. Yes, this was Saturday the Holy Sabbath, but I find it hard to comprehend what I read this morning. NOTHING. 

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - the only thing documented about something happening on the Sabbath was this:

“The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.” Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure it the best you can.” So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it.” - ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭27:62-66‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A drastic contrast to this is what the Bible tells us about the disciples: 

“Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to anoint his body. But by the time they were finished the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law.” - ‭‭Luke‬ ‭23:56‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So put yourself in the story. Choose a person to fill their shoes, and take yourself there. Years on a journey with Jesus, miracle after miracle, and prophecies fulfilled. Then, the last few days breaking bread together and then seeing Jesus taken beaten, tortured, Crucified and then buried. All of this, and Jesus has pulled off the cross and buried, all the chaos scrambling and now Jesus is dead and buried and everything shut down. There is NO documentation of on this day's strategic meeting happening about what do we do now. There was NOTHING, just space in the text of the Bible called the Sabbath.

I have a feeling, and possibly a conviction is rising about this. As I process this and place myself in this story, I realize this was the most pivotal and critical day in history. Can you imagine the questions the disciples had? We read some insight about this in Luke 24 after Jesus had risen and left the tomb. 

“That same day, two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. But God kept them from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?” They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.” “What things?” Jesus asked. “The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago.” - ‭‭Luke‬ ‭24:13-21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This was weighing on them, and for a full day, the Sabbath did not gather, discuss or deal with anything. If the disciples, dealing with all the weight of this situation, honored the Sabbath, why do we so easily dismiss it? I am not sure about you, but for me and what I see is we can get caught up in all the things to do, all the weight that we carry we find it impossible to stop for a day. How on earth can we take a day of rest with all the stuff needing our attention? So many “important” things to accomplish, surely it must get done. 

What would have been more critical than that of dealing with the death of Jesus? Are we dealing with anything at the level of that, I don’t think so.

Here is the conviction and what hit me this morning. We radically undervalue stillness and rest. The space between chaos and joy is stillness and often rest. This happens with sleep, a physical representation of stillness, and rest; we also tend to undervalue and take advantage of it. When there is craziness and so much to be done, most of us will reduce our sleep and trade rest for work and pay the price later. We often slaughter the sabbath, and we pay the price for it. 

Why? I think a significant challenge we face is recognizing the power of the stillness and rest. There is excellent work to be done in these moments and this space. Think about sleeping, and this is when we recover, the way our body is designed to replenish itself, heal itself, and bring us strength. Strength from stillness. Look at today's verse of the day.

Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” - ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭30:5‬b ‭NLT‬‬

I read this and recognize the space between night a morning. Weeping, and then joy. The space between just might be the critical space we forget about and undervalue, silence, stillness, and rest. Sabbath. 

Let us please recognize the power and work that happens in the silence, stillness, and rest of the Sabbath. Jesus fought his greatest fight on this Sabbath Saturday to offer us life and life to the fullest. A part of that full life includes the Sabbath and a day created and breathed into existence by our Creator God to breathe life back into us. Oh, I have so much work to do in this area of my life, maybe you do as well.

Lord, thank you for the Sabbath Saturday. A day that you fought and defeated death that leads to offering us eternal life. May we recognize the beauty in silence, stillness, and rest and allow them in our lives, and may we honor the Sabbath as you intended. Lord, help me embody Jesus' mindset to recognize it’s value. Amen.