Read John’s description of what happened immediately after Jesus’ death in John 19:38-42. Several people who followed Jesus secretly helped with the work that needed to be done after his death by giving financially so that he could be put to rest in a tomb. All of this had to be done before the Sabbath on Saturday.
Verses 41 and 42 say this:
“The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before. And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.”
Saturday in Holy Week is easy to overlook. It was a day of rest, without activity, and Jesus’ loved ones and disciples were likely terrified and traumatized from what had just occurred. All they could do was grieve and wait.
Esau McCaulley says it this way: “Holy Saturday reminds us—as the Sabbath itself does—that for all our activity, our hope is not in the things we accomplish.”
Is there an area of your life or a situation where you are waiting right now? Do you find it hard to hold onto hope? Talk to God honestly about those things.
How can you rest today, trusting that God is worthy of your hope?
Pray using the words from Lamentations 3:19-24:
The thought of my suffering and homelessness
is bitter beyond words.
I will never forget this awful time,
as I grieve over my loss.
Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:
The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!”
Please join us for worship this weekend! There is a service at 4PM today (Saturday, March 30) – join us online or in person. All the info you’ll need for Easter at West Side can be found at
wschurch.org/easter.