Following Jesus’ crucifixion, his body was laid to rest in a cave outside the city walls. Fearing that Jesus’ disciples might steal his body, the chief priests and Pharisees requested Pilate’s help in securing the tomb. They placed a massive stone over the entrance and stationed guards to keep watch. Despite the heavy barricade, the authorities’ fear of deception and paranoia of Jesus’ body being stolen led them to take additional measures of using a rope to fasten a seal to the stone for added security.
On this Sabbath day, Jesus’ bruised, and battered body laid lifeless, in a guarded, desolate tomb of stone.
Imagine the silence.
The stillness.
The Weight of Waiting
The disciples were left devastated after losing their friend, teacher, and the one they believed would be their savior. The weight of the abandonment and grief they experienced must have been overwhelming. Despite witnessing Jesus’ miracles and teachings firsthand, they failed to provide support when he needed it most. Instead, they fell asleep, betrayed him, and scattered like sheep as he endured the most excruciating pain and suffering known to humanity.
What would they have said to each other? What would they have said to God?
The disciples must have felt emotionally exhausted, afraid, and bewildered after Jesus’ death. Perhaps they turned to prayer, desperately in search of solace. Wrecked by guilt and denial, they most likely spent their time with heavy hearts and tear-soaked faces. Was it all for nothing? Can you imagine the overwhelming despair that comes with such a prolonged period of uncertainty? Can you fathom the crushing heaviness of that kind of waiting?
Unstoppable
In some ways, the struggles of the disciples are not unlike our own. We too experience darkness and uncertainty in our lives that can leave us feeling helpless, disoriented, and far from God. We may find ourselves angry at God, struggling to make sense of the hardships we encounter. And yet, just as the disciples were tested in their faith and patience, we too are called to trust God as we wait.
Even though the authorities tried numerous measures to prevent Jesus’ body from being stolen, they could not stop God. Each tactic they employed to make the tomb more secure ultimately became a way in which God’s power and the truth of the Resurrection was demonstrated and made evident. Even the most ardent efforts of Man would be unable to prevent the fulfillment of God’s will and divine plan and only add to the miracle of the Resurrection.
Finding Hope in God’s Promises
God was with the disciples, even in their deepest pain and sorrow. Though Jesus’ body lay in a tomb, he was working behind the scenes to bring about new life, not only for them, but for you, and for me.
But the uncertainty is hard. I’ll never forget rushing our two-month-old son to the hospital. He had stopped eating. The diagnosis: “failure to thrive.” Despite numerous tests, we had no answers. I doubled over with sadness and fear when our son needed a nasogastric (NG) tube to receive nutrients, and the doctors were worried he would never eat enough to avoid a permanent gastrostomy (G) tube. Despite the pump and tube, one specialist pushed our son to eat one ounce at a time, as we waited, prayed, and hoped. Each day, God met us in our hopelessness and performed small miracles. Against the odds, our prayers were answered, and our baby was released nine days later.
As we contemplate Holy Saturday, we should remember that even in our deepest despair, we can take comfort in God’s promises and know that our trials are not without purpose. In our waiting, we are never truly alone. God is always with us, guiding us, sustaining us, in endless love and grace. We need only to trust him in our waiting. Nothing is impossible for him.