Holy Week Devotional, Saturday, March 30, 2024
By Bobby Baskett, Youth Leader, Tree of Life Church
Holy Saturday—a day I hadn’t given a second thought to in my whole life. It’s not well covered in the Bible, just kind of passed by. These 3 scriptures are some of our only biblical eyewitness accounts of that Saturday.
Luke 23:50-56
50 There was a good and religious man named Joseph who was a member of the council. 51 But he had not agreed to the other leaders’ plans and actions against Jesus. He was from the town of Arimathea and was waiting for the kingdom of God to come. 52 Joseph went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus. 53 He took the body down from the cross, wrapped it in cloth, and put it in a tomb that was cut out of a wall of rock. This tomb had never been used before. 54 This was late on Preparation Day, and when the sun went down, the Sabbath day would begin.
55 The women who had come from Galilee with Jesus followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how Jesus’ body was laid. 56 Then the women left to prepare spices and perfumes.
On the Sabbath day they rested, as the law of Moses commanded.
John 19:38-42
38 Later, Joseph from Arimathea asked Pilate if he could take the body of Jesus. (Joseph was a secret follower of Jesus, because he was afraid of some of the leaders.) Pilate gave his permission, so Joseph came and took Jesus’ body away. 39 Nicodemus, who earlier had come to Jesus at night, went with Joseph. He brought about seventy-five pounds of myrrh and aloes. 40 These two men took Jesus’ body and wrapped it with the spices in pieces of linen cloth, which is how they bury the dead. 41 In the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb that had never been used before. 42 The men laid Jesus in that tomb because it was nearby, and they were preparing to start their Sabbath day.
Matthew 27:62-66
62 The next day, the day after Preparation Day, the leading priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 They said, “Sir, we remember that while that liar was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be guarded closely till the third day. Otherwise, his followers might come and steal the body and tell people that he has risen from the dead. That lie would be even worse than the first one.”
65 Pilate said, “Take some soldiers and go guard the tomb the best way you know.” 66 So they all went to the tomb and made it safe from thieves by sealing the stone in the entrance and putting soldiers there to guard it.
Pretty boring. But if I was hiding because of the rollercoaster the last 48 hours had been, I probably wouldn’t have much to talk about either. It’s really easy to get caught up in the disciples’ perspective. It got me thinking about other followers of Jesus and people who were looking for the Messiah that weren’t his direct disciples or not even necessarily Jews. People like the man casting out demons in Jesus’ name in Luke 9:49, people who knew the messiah had come to save the world. People like the woman at the well.
John 4:19-26
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
She was so excited at just knowing it was coming. I would love to know what her days following Jesus’ death were like. Imagine not being able to worship God where and when you want, to not have that constant connection to Him in a way that is special and intimate to you and Him. Some were hiding, but I would bet she worshipped every moment the rest of her days.
In John 14:6 Jesus says he is the only way to the father.
Romans 8:28
28 We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. They are the people he called, because that was his plan. 29 God knew them before he made the world, and he chose them to be like his Son so that Jesus would be the firstborn of many brothers and sisters. 30 God planned for them to be like his Son; and those he planned to be like his Son, he also called; and those he called, he also made right with him; and those he made right, he also glorified.
31 So what should we say about this? If God is for us, no one can defeat us. 32 He did not spare his own Son but gave him for us all. So with Jesus, God will surely give us all things. 33 Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one, because God is the One who makes them right. 34 Who can say God’s people are guilty? No one, because Christ Jesus died, but he was also raised from the dead, and now he is on God’s right side, appealing to God for us. 35 Can anything separate us from the love Christ has for us? Can troubles or problems or sufferings or hunger or nakedness or danger or violent death? 36 As it is written in the Scriptures:
“For you we are in danger of death all the time.
People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed.”
37 But in all these things we are completely victorious through God who showed his love for us. 38 Yes, I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor ruling spirits, nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, 39 nothing above us, nothing below us, nor anything else in the whole world will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
All of that to say this—
He died and the veil was torn. What he did those 3 days changed everything for everyone everywhere.
What is that thing that burns inside you, that thing between you and him, that He came to earth and died for so that he could reconnect to you? I pray that you pursue Him and he breathes life onto that flame.
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