Easter week can bring a great variety of emotions with it. For me, it’s a combination of heart-wrenching moments of reflection on what Jesus achieved for us on the Cross, mixed in with glorious praise for His Resurrection on Easter Sunday! There’s a lot of focus placed on Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday for obvious reasons but this got me thinking about the day in between those two very important days. I’ve heard some people refer to this day as, “Silent Saturday.”
I started thinking about that first “Silent Saturday” and how the Disciples must have felt. The day after the noise, chaos, pain and horror of Crucifixion Day. A day with nothing but the pain of silence and the absence of God. A day when all goodness, light, hope and joy had seemingly departed. The only day in history when everyone on Earth believed that Jesus Christ was dead. In honesty, it pains me to even say or think those words but this was the horrifying truth for Christ’s Disciples the day after His Crucifixion.
Of course, knowing what we know now as to how things unfolded the following day on the Sunday, it can be quite easy to overlook the importance of the Saturday in between. A day that was foreshadowed during the Jewish feast of Unleavened bread and also the feast of Passover. Both of these feasts had a huge amount of spiritual meaning and Messianic significance in relation to Christ’s death, burial and Resurrection. This is of course, a whole study in itself which I won’t go into here but much can be researched and read online in regards to the spiritual, Messianic symbols found within the Jewish feasts.
For the Christian however, Silent Saturday is certainly a day of great significance too. One where we can contemplate with quiet reverence, everything that Christ achieved for us and all that He endured in order to save our souls. It’s also a day when we can wait in hopeful anticipation for the joy yet to come.
Dwelling on these thoughts, I found myself feeling inspired to write a poem that focused on Silent Saturday. Thinking of the despair the Disciples must have felt on that day, I almost wished I could send a message back in time to encourage them and remind them to just wait a little longer! To remember the promises Jesus gave them during His ministry and to keep their eyes fixed on that stone as they await the completion of this particular part of the story.
Of course I know in reality, these words can’t reach the hearts of any of the Disciples but I hope my poem called, “Just Wait” can encourage our hearts this Easter. May we take some quiet time on Silent Saturday to meditate once again on the incredible journey of Christ’s death and Resurrection.
The chaos has subsided, the crowds have gone away. I started thinking about that first “Silent Saturday” and how the Disciples must have felt. The day after the noise, chaos, pain and horror of Crucifixion Day. A day with nothing but the pain of silence and the absence of God. A day when all goodness, light, hope and joy had seemingly departed. The only day in history when everyone on Earth believed that Jesus Christ was dead. In honesty, it pains me to even say or think those words but this was the horrifying truth for Christ’s Disciples the day after His Crucifixion.
Of course, knowing what we know now as to how things unfolded the following day on the Sunday, it can be quite easy to overlook the importance of the Saturday in between. A day that was foreshadowed during the Jewish feast of Unleavened bread and also the feast of Passover. Both of these feasts had a huge amount of spiritual meaning and Messianic significance in relation to Christ’s death, burial and Resurrection. This is of course, a whole study in itself which I won’t go into here but much can be researched and read online in regards to the spiritual, Messianic symbols found within the Jewish feasts.
For the Christian however, Silent Saturday is certainly a day of great significance too. One where we can contemplate with quiet reverence, everything that Christ achieved for us and all that He endured in order to save our souls. It’s also a day when we can wait in hopeful anticipation for the joy yet to come.
Dwelling on these thoughts, I found myself feeling inspired to write a poem that focused on Silent Saturday. Thinking of the despair the Disciples must have felt on that day, I almost wished I could send a message back in time to encourage them and remind them to just wait a little longer! To remember the promises Jesus gave them during His ministry and to keep their eyes fixed on that stone as they await the completion of this particular part of the story.
Of course I know in reality, these words can’t reach the hearts of any of the Disciples but I hope my poem called, “Just Wait” can encourage our hearts this Easter. May we take some quiet time on Silent Saturday to meditate once again on the incredible journey of Christ’s death and Resurrection.
A deathly quiet settles over all the land today.
Haunted by a stillness, the streets are stained with red.
The city lies in silence and Jesus Christ is dead.
His followers are scattered, they’re broken and alone.
They thought that their Messiah had come to conquer Rome.
Left with the unthinkable, that evil has prevailed
While trying to ignore the thought that maybe Jesus failed.
This wasn’t what they pictured, their Saviour crucified.
He filled their hearts with hope but now the dream has truly died.
Overwhelmed with heartache, they thought He’d come to save,
How can He now lie entombed and silent in the grave?
But wait a little longer and do not mourn His death.
Find a peace within your soul as Heaven holds it’s breath.
Remember what He told you for this is not the end,
Although the Temple be destroyed, it will rise up again!
Rest within your spirit for now the work is done,
Trust as you anticipate fulfilment yet to come.
Death, perhaps has won the day but hasn’t won the glory;
Tomorrow’s dawn will tell the world a very different story!
Spend this day in reverence and quiet contemplation,
For Christ has won the victory for every tribe and nation!
Just wait a little longer, just wait but one day more.
The tomb will soon be empty and you’ll hear the Heavens roar!
Although you do not understand, hold fast and don’t give in.
Keep your eyes upon the stone as you await your King!
Remember what He promised, be still and dry your eyes.
Just wait a little longer. Just wait, the Son will rise!
John 2:19
“Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.””
Matthew 20:18-19
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.”
Mark 15:46
“Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.”
Matthew 28:6
“He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”
John 20:29
“Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.””
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