On Saturday

John 20:9 For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.

Have you ever considered what life must have been like for the disciples on the Saturday? Just the week before Jesus had triumphantly entered the city to celebrate the Feast of Passover. Within a few short days, the world around them would swirl out of control. The soldiers would come to take Jesus away. He would be beaten beyond recognition and put on trial before Pilot. Fiery Peter, afraid of nothing, would deny Jesus. Other than John, there is no record that any of them would have accompanied Him to the cross. The agony that befell them must have been beyond endurance as the women anointed Him for burial. This end, or so they thought, was not what they expected. They did not understand that He must rise again. They couldn’t possibly understand that in this moment of utter darkness for them, the greatest miracle of mankind had been completed. Sunday was about to rise in victorious splendor!!

We simply cannot meet Jesus in our understanding. We cannot find him in the most intense search for knowledge, nor in doctrines established by man. We can only meet Him through a quickening of Holy Spirit in truth. We meet Him at our point of our need by grace alone through faith alone. We must cling to our hope in Him during those moments in our own lives where utter darkness may prevent us from seeing the bigger picture of God’s glory.

Jesus is not an abstract “God idea”, He is a living Lord, who yearns to bring all mankind into fellowship with Him. He desires to dwell with you, to be your King. Do you know this Jesus in a personal and life changing way?

It is my absolute joy to be able to share my favorite Easter devotional with you . . . From Max Lucado . . .

ON SATURDAY . . .

John didn’t know on that Friday what you and I now know. He didn’t know that Friday’s tragedy would be Sunday’s triumph. John would later confess that he “did not yet understand from the Scriptures that Jesus must rise from the dead” That’s why what he did on Saturday is so important.

We don’t know anything about this day; we have no passage to read, no knowledge to share. All we know is this: When Sunday came, John was still present. When Mary Magdalene came looking for him, she found him.

Jesus was dead. The Master’s body was lifeless. John’s friend and future were buried. But John had not left. Why? Was he waiting for the resurrection? No. As far as he knew, the lips were forever silent and the hands forever still. He wasn’t expecting a Sunday surprise. Then why was he here?

You’d think he would have left. Who was to say that the men who crucified Christ wouldn’t come after him? The crowds were pleased with one crucifixion; the religious leaders might have called for more. Why didn’t John get out of town?

Perhaps the answer was pragmatic; perhaps he was taking care of Jesus’ mother. Or perhaps he didn’t have anywhere else to go. Could be he didn’t have any money or energy or direction … or all of the above. Or maybe he lingered because he loved Jesus.

To others, Jesus was a miracle worker. To others, Jesus was a master teacher. To others, Jesus was the hope of Israel. But to John, he was all of these and more. To John, Jesus was a friend. You don’t abandon a friend??? Not even when that friend is dead. John stayed close to Jesus.

He had a habit of doing this. He was close to Jesus in the upper room. He was close to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was at the foot of the cross at the crucifixion, and he was a quick walk from the tomb at the burial.

Did he understand Jesus? No. Was he glad Jesus did what he did? No. But did he leave Jesus? No.

What about you? When you’re in John’s position, what do you do? When it’s Saturday in your life, how do you react? When you are somewhere between yesterday’s tragedy and tomorrow’s triumph, what do you do? Do you leave God??? or do you linger near him? John chose to linger. And because he lingered on Saturday, he was around on Sunday to see the miracle.

[He Chose The Nails] Max Lucado
Copyright [Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000]
Used by permission