Sorrowful Saturday - March 26 Readings: Matthew 27:57-66, John 19:38-42, Jesus is Buried – His Death is REAL

The Story of the Bible from Creation to the Cross to Eternal Glory

In 72 daily readings, we will examine the overall story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, seeking to get the big picture of God's work through Jesus Christ in this sinful world.

Today's Reading:  Matthew 27:57-66, John 19:38-42

Through the Bible Readings: Deuteronomy 29-30, Luke 2:1–21, Psalm 38:9–15, Proverbs 9:10

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Context 

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 defines the Gospel that brings salvation to sinners very carefully. There are two truths that are defined as "of first importance" - truths that matter more than any other. Each truth is established by evidence as being historical and verified.

Christianity is not a faith of your feelings but rooted in facts. God created the world, chose a people for himself, worked through them to bless the world and to prepare for the birth of the Messiah, the baby born in Bethlehem. Jesus was born of a woman who had not been with a man, lived a sinless and perfect life, and then died on the cross. The Bible does not present this as "my reality" or "your truth" but as "THE truth." All of biblical theology is rooted in historical fact. The two key facts of the Gospel are rooted in history.

First, Jesus died on the Cross for my sins and yours. We read that story yesterday. Sometimes, we overlook the importance of the burial of Jesus, but it cannot be ignored. Jesus really died. He didn't swoon and then revive. He was dead - really, physically, completely dead. In a tomb. Jesus was, as Dickens said - dead as a doornail.

The burial of Jesus is real-world proof that he died on the Cross.

The second truth of the gospel, of course, is the resurrection, which we will read tomorrow, and 1 Corinthians 15 proves the resurrection of Jesus by his many appearances to people who were still alive at the time Paul wrote to the Corinthians.

Devotional: Sorrowful Saturday 

It was almost certainly the bleakest day in the lives of the disciples of Jesus Christ. They'd watched Jesus die on what we have come to call "Good Friday" and their hearts were broken. Jesus was buried by Nicodemus and Joseph and was sealed in a tomb. The women who were with the disciples were planning on going to the tomb (they'd followed Joseph and Nicodemus to find where it was) at first light after the Sabbath to minister to the body of Jesus Christ.

Despite all of Jesus' promises that he would rise again, not one of them seemed to have any hope at all. They were despondent and sorrowful because they believed that God was going to do nothing in their lives, that nothing good would happen, that God had forgotten them.

How often do we live in discouragement, fear, stress, and doubt because we refuse to believe the truths that God's word teaches us? Jesus said (not once, not twice, but repeatedly) that he would die and on the third day, he would rise again. Still, when the women went to the tomb on the third day it was not with hopes of the resurrection but to prepare Jesus' dead body - they had no expectation of the miraculous power of God!

God promises us that he will never leave us or abandon us, but we insist on living with the assumption that he might, or that he has! He tells us to rejoice in all things and to give thanks regardless of our circumstances, but we refuse. Surely, God cannot have meant that to apply to what I am going through, did he? He promises us the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to conform us to Christ and to give us the strength we need to face temptation and walk in victory over sin, yet we walk as if that power were not real. Like the disciples, we refuse to hear the promises of God's power and his glorious activity in our lives.

That Saturday must have been the low point of their lives. It looked like everything was lost, as though nothing good were ever going to happen again. When they closed their eyes on that horrible Saturday they did not realize that the next day was Resurrection Day! God was about to make it plain that Jesus had meant it when he said, "It is finished!"

It is a shame that we so often live on Saturday as if God had abandoned us and his power was not real. My friends, we live on Sunday! Jesus has risen from the dead and is Lord of all. You are not alone or abandoned and the power of Jesus Christ is real today. You have been redeemed, your sins washed away, you have been sealed by the Spirit of God and indwelled by his power, which is transforming you to be like Christ and empowering you to do what Christ commands. Do not live as if it is Saturday, no matter how badly this COVID-19 outbreak gets. We live on Sunday. Our Lord is risen! Do not allow the world or the enemy to lie to you and make you believe that all is hopeless. We serve a risen Savior!

Father, thank you for giving hope to me, and a future. When the world seems bleak and things are bad, help me to remember that you are real and that you are powerful. 

Think and Pray:

Are you more of a Saturday believer or a Sunday believer?

• Do you live as if God's promises didn't apply to you and God's power was not available to you? do you doubt God? 
• Do you rely on the promises of God even in hard times?