The Saturday between Good Friday and Easter morning was a day of silence of sorts. The Gospels are silent about the day for the most part. Some have perhaps made more than is warranted of other passages in the Bible (Isaiah 42, 61, Ephesians 4 and 1 Peter 3) as they might relate in part to the time between Good Friday and Easter. Those passages concern themselves with things far much bigger than a day’s worth of activity.
That Saturday between Good Friday and Easter would have naturally been a day of silence. That is common on days following the press of an angry, rioting, raucous, mobbing crowd. After all, the frenetic activity of Wednesday through Friday in that year was to get the trouble and troublemaker out of the way before sunset- especially the sunset welcoming Passover. The purpose was specifically for the worshipful repose of Friday night and Saturday- the Sabbath. In other words, people would have naturally been weary following a confusing, busy and panicked day. And, it would have been a day committed to rest itself. So, one might easily assume that this would have been a particularly quiet day. After all, there was not supposed to be much going on that day other than the religious expressions of remembering God’s deliverance more than 1,300 year prior. This time the need for rest would have been fused together with a day committed to rest. It was a day for silent remembering and a day of exhausted silence.
But, think about another kind of remembering that would have been going on for Jesus’ disciples, mother and relatives on Saturday. It would have been a troubling reflection. It would be a time to remember the previous, confusing week in Jerusalem. It would have been a time to remember the previous, spectacular three years with Jesus. This was their first full day without Jesus’ presence, leadership and guidance. They would also have the full day to sadly remember their cowardly behavior of the previous days. It may have been a day of relative or complete silence. The Gospels don’t report much because not much was likely said by those closest to Jesus. In fact, we don’t know if a word was spoken by those closest to Jesus. He was not present for their conversation. They may have still been scattered and perhaps not even together with one another to visit with on that day. They were likely too ashamed to do it if they have been together.
It might have been a day of silence. But, I guarantee you it was not a silent day. God was very much active and at work. The disciples minds were whirring as well. The powerful purpose of death- this death- had some time to steep in the minds of the disciples. The same day afforded the Pharisees and religious teachers a short period of triumphant back patting and self congratulations for managing to rid the earth of this heretic- blasphemously (in their eyes) claiming unity with God. In fact, I would venture a guess that this was perhaps the most active of all Passovers for those living at that time- disciples and teachers alike. Added to the Passover rituals themselves, there was the elation of ridding the world of an adversary and the simultaneous and overwhelming sadness among others that a friend, the most noble of all friends, had died.
It was not a silent day. It should not be today either. But, for us, it should be a day for worship, reverence, awe and gratitude. The day between Good Friday and the Greatest Sunday should itself be considered somewhere between Good and Great. Perhaps one of the best days of all to reflect back at the pain and look forward to the victory is tomorrow. I would call that Saturday and this Saturday very good days suitable for mixing our humble need and God’s great supply. Don’t let Saturday be silent. Let us allow the pause and silence to loudly speak into our lives.