Holy Saturday: Jesus Is Dead
On Friday, the first day, He Died. He rose again on the third day. The second day emphasizes the good news that His resurrection brought to humanity.
For those of us who are Christians, it is hard to think about what happened on that Saturday between the death and burial of our Lord on Friday, and His glorious resurrection on Sunday. But there is one inescapable fact — He was dead on that day.
God did not raise His Son directly from the cross. Instead, there was the silence of the shabbat when Jesus was truly dead and buried. Jesus knew that this day would come, as He told the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 12:40 —
“for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
Matthew 12:40 NASB1995
This “heart of the earth” isn’t what we think of as the fiery Hell. In Hebrew, this disembodied state of existence is called Sheol, and in the Greek it is Hades. In Jonah, Scripture describes it as “under the deepest sea”, while the description in Deuteronomy is “in the heart of the earth”. Romans calls it “the abyss”, and it is referred to as “the pit” in Psalms.
Why so many descriptions for one place? These have to be written as allusions, simply because those of us who live can only speculate about our existence after death. Sheol or Hades is a place where one’s consciousness is isolated, cut off from the living world, and without hope of returning to life. It is Death.
The New Testament gives us hope, as we learn (it is stated thirty-five times) that Jesus was raised ek nekron, Greek for “out from dead”. He was released from the state of death. On Holy Saturday, Jesus was under the power of death, laying in the tomb provided by Joseph of Arimathea. His very human soul was truly in the realm of the dead.
So, what happened in that shadowy place? Did He simply sleep in a Sabbath rest? Was He in paradise (Luke 23:43)? Was He being tormented in Hell? Was He proclaiming his triumph over evil to the dead and angelic beings in Sheol/Hades? We simply don’t know, and it’s not our place to speculate on what we won’t know until we too pass from life into death.
On that Saturday, the disciples waited. They couldn’t tend to Jesus’ body on the Sabbath, so they probably felt shocked and dejected. Although Jesus had told them that He would rise on the third day, they either forgot the promise or didn’t believe it. In fear, they waited behind locked doors.
That Saturday emphasizes to us that Jesus entered death and remained dead. He entered the realm from which no human returns. He took on the loneliness of death as part of our redemption. His disciples? They thought He was gone forever.
His resurrection became the good news we need. Jesus descended into death on Holy Saturday, making that darkness His own. Turning the tables on death, Christ rose again and filled the darkness of death with His light. For those who trust and believe in Him, the darkness of death holds no sway.
Part of Psalm 139:18 perfectly describes His praise to the Father and Spirit who accompanied and sustained Him through death:
“When I awake, I am still with You.”
Psalms 139:18 NASB1995
After Holy Saturday, it is no wonder that we should celebrate Easter Sunday with happiness and joy!
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Jesus, on that Saturday many years ago all was silent. You had given Your life for our salvation, dying a horrible death, pouring out Your Mercy on all of us, and You rested in the tomb. Today, let me remember the sorrow and mourning of Your death, awaiting tomorrow’s celebration of Your resurrection and new life. Thank You for giving me the hope that I will share in the new life You won for humanity. Continue to transform me through Your example, creating strength from my weaknesses and teaching me to forgive others as You have forgiven my sin. I love You and dedicate my life to You. AMEN.