WATCHWORD:
62 The next day—at the close of the first day of the Passover ceremonies—the chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate, 63 and told him, “Sir, that liar once said, ‘After three days I will come back to life again.’ 64 So we request an order from you sealing the tomb until the third day, to prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he came back to life! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.” 65 “Use your own Temple police,” Pilate told them. “They can guard it safely enough.” 66 So they sealed the stone and posted guards to protect it from intrusion. Matthew 27:62-66
4 Oh, sing to him you saints of his; give thanks to his holy name. 5 His anger lasts a moment; his favor lasts for life! Weeping may go on all night, but in the morning there is joy. Palm 30:4-5
Meditation:
Saturday in Jerusalem
The sounds of crying, wailing, wrenching expressions of heart-break, grief and loss, could be heard along the side streets, throughout Jerusalem. In an upper room, site of Jesus’ Last Supper, just four days before, followers of Jesus huddled, a mixture of sadness, anger and fear.
The disciples seemed to be lost in prayer and grief. Peter sat with his head down, still reeling from his own words of denial. John struggled, trying to recall what else Jesus had said to them beyond that phrase, “On the third day” that echoed in his mind. What does it now mean? He is dead! Barnabas, the elder, reached out to all with calming words of encouragement, that even he had a hard time feeling. Yes, they were lost and knew not what to do.
In a far corner, a group of women sat with Mary, mother of their fallen master. There was Joanna, wife of Chuza, manager of Herod’s household; Anne, believed to be the maternal grandmother of Jesus; Mary the mother of young John-Mark; Mary Magdalene, and others.
One of the women commented, “We need to return to the tomb, and properly prepare His body.” There was agreement that it should be done, but then… “How do we do that? The tomb is sealed and a guard has been posted.” With that realization, sobs of grief returned. “Tomorrow, we will go,” spoken by Mary Magdalene
Barabbas At the Tomb
Barabbas had awakened with the first pink light of dawn touching the garden. His back was stiff and sore where he slept against the tree. At first, he wasn’t sure where he was. Then, all the events of yesterday came back to him. He was free, and yet, that thought didn’t bring him any happiness.
He couldn’t help but ask himself what had really happened there at the cross, and why had it happened to him? That look that Jesus had given him, had moved him so. Was it really intended for him? If it was, what did it mean? Why would it mean anything? Jesus was dead. Yes, of course, he was. That guard forced his spear into his chest. He could not have survived.
He rose, stretched, and looked around. This is such a sad and desolate place. He looked toward the tomb, all seemed as it was, the stone that sealed the entrance, untouched. The. guard sound asleep, laying nearby. Then, a measure of uncertainty filled his mind; he did not know what he should do, nor did he know where he should go. He then started back toward the copse of trees where he had spent the previous night, when a voice stopped him, “Who are you? What are you doing?”
The stranger repeated in a calm voice, “I need to know who you are and what you are doing. If you are the Barabbas that people feared, and the Romans wanted dead, you need to tell me more about why you are here, by this tomb.”
“I am Barabbas. As for why I’m here, I don’t know. There was something about the way Jesus looked at me from the cross…it was a look of…I don’t know. I just know that something happened to me, right then.
The stranger simply continued, “Barabbas, I must leave now. I have things to do and some people that I must meet. If what you say is true, then stay here and think about all that has happened to you. You have met Jesus, and that is what brought you here. In time, you will know who you are and what is the right thing for you to do. Now, there are those who would do harm to anyone who is a follower of Jesus, so, be safe. Be very careful.”
“But, I’m not a follower of Jesus,” Barabbas declared, without conviction. “Hey, what do you mean I met Jesus? When? Where? Here? Wait. Don’t go.”
“Goodbye, Barabbas,” was all the stranger said as he walked away, and then he was gone.
(An excerpt from Stan Escott’s novel A Life for Barabbas, based on Biblical facts and a general understanding of human nature.)
If You Missed a Day:
Here are the earlier Watchwords for Holy Week:
Palm Sunday – https://bosworth30.com/watchword/palm-sunday/
Holy Week Monday – https://bosworth30.com/watchword/holy-week-monday/
Holy Week Tuesday – https://bosworth30.com/watchword/holy-week-tuesday/
Holy Week Wednesday – https://bosworth30.com/watchword/holy-wednesday/
Holy Week Thursday – https://bosworth30.com/watchword/maundy-thursday/
Holy Week Friday – https://bosworth30.com/watchword/holy-week-friday/
Your Turn:
Consider had you been there in that Upper Room, on this fateful Saturday, sitting with those followers of Jesus, now dead and lying in the tomb. You loved him deeply, and had invested your life in following Him. Now he was dead! Can you imagine their grief, their sense of loss?
Think about Mary, she gave birth to baby Jesus and for 30 years she raised Him, through childhood, adolescence, and as he became an adult. She encouraged him to first use his power there at the wedding in Cana, and watched his ministry unfold. Would that knowledge and experience have given her a different perspective on what has happened? Maybe she is seeing through eyes of faith and trust, not shared, for a moment, with all those in that room. Tomorrow? Yes, things will change. The Risen Jesus will not be the same as the Incarnate Jesus they knew so well. And so it begins.
Yes, Sunday is coming, and so is the Resurrection, the foundation of our Faith. We have lived through all of Lent. We have heard the voices of doubt, recrimination, torture, death, grief, loss, but the one fact that overrides everything is the Resurrection. Joy comes in the morning, and we call it Easter.
Prayer of Hope:
O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
