Significant Saturday

We celebrate Resurrection Sunday and revere Crucifixion Friday. But most often we just ignore Saturday, the in between day. And why should we pay attention to it? Is there any significance to this day, or is it just a pause or dash between the days of action. The Final Four tournament plays the semifinal games on Saturday and the finals on Monday. The “in between day” is just a time for sports fans to rest up for the big event. Ironically, the “in between day” is Easter this year. But I digress.

Saturday was basically a time to wait. Luke 26:56 reports the activities of the women who followed Jesus:
Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
For Christ’s followers, the Sabbath, though a day for worship traditionally, seemed to just be a day of waiting. Notice that the “commandment” was to rest.

Charles Swindoll suggested some ideas about “Saturday activities.” I am copying some of his ideas.

The first thing that the Bible mentions as Saturday activities was the chief priests and the Pharisees gathering with Pilate. (Matthew 27:62) Have you ever thought of that? The CP and P were engaging in activity on the SABBATH! And look at the activity.

First, they met with the Roman ruler of Jerusalem. I am not sure if the “commandment” addressed that activity, but I would be pretty sure, based on the Sabbath regulations that had been promulgated over the years, that they somehow violated the the sacred day. And notice their appeal to Pilate. (Matthew 27:63)
“Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’”

Is it not significant that they recalled, and believed what Jesus said? The disciples and other followers seemed to be oblivious of this promise/prediction. Either they forgot or disregarded the promise. And here comes the Sabbath activity of the CP and P. (Matthew 27:64)
“Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”

Well, had they merely limited their Sabbath activity to this request, it is possible that they would have been “in compliance.” But look at their subsequent activity. (V. 66)
And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.
Notice who is conducting the “work.”

Well, the observation of the Sabbath seems to be limited to when Jesus was doing things that they opposed–like healing sick people. But I digress. Dr. Swindoll added a perspective that I had not previously considered.

The guard that they set to insure that no one took the body out most assuredly became eye-witnesses of the resurrection. You know that they did not “sleep.” The penalty for such dereliction of duty was summary execution. They were wide awake, but they probably feared that they were dreaming or having a vision. They might even have thought it was a hallucination.

But as the Risen Christ walked through the stone walls, I would imagine that, being a courteous Jew, Jesus hailed them, “Hi, guys! Wonderful day for a resurrection, isn’t it?” They witnessed this astounding event. They also saw the angel roll the stone away. (28:2-4)
And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.
Here is where they were “asleep.”

Later on, (v. 11-15) they reported to the chief priests and Pharisees what had happened. Now how could they have told the CP and P what happened if they had not seen it? There were four witnesses to the resurrection that are never appealed to by apologists.

Incidentally, they were given the excuse that they “fell asleep” and the disciples stole the body. First, how could they know it really was the disciples if they were asleep? As Swindoll said, “Sleeping witnesses do not produce believable testimony.”

But the CP and P did offer a significant benefit to the fledgling Church. There were at least four witnesses to this resurrection. Swindoll further speculates that perhaps one of the four were in the guard detail which accompanied Saul to Damascus for his fateful encounter with the same risen Lord. Proof could be in verse 7 of Acts 9.
The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.

The Sunday events may have returned to his or their minds. This was just a few years later.

Why would Matthew include such seemingly mundane details? First, to explain how the CP and P were able to generate the fiction of body piracy. Without the soldiers in place, they would have had no evidence to support that. Ironically, the “evidence” most probably confirmed the resurrection and perhaps even contributed to Saul/Paul’s conversion.

Saturday is significant, even when it is just a day of waiting. HE is risen!

In case you do not get to hear this song this Easter, here is an extra bonus.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=he%27s+alive&view=detail&mid=8BDCDACA24298934F9668BDCDACA24298934F966&FORM=VIRE

He is risen, indeed! Amen! Hallelujah!