While he was still alive, that “deceiver”—Jesus, said, “After 3 days I will rise from the dead.” So seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than ever. Matt. 27:62-64
Lord Jesus, as the sun rose the Saturday after your crucifixion, no one realized the most undeserved death imaginable would yield the greatest return calculable. In some ways Saturday was a quiet day, but it was surely a momentous day. The temple veil had been ripped, our failures were annulled, and the powers of darkness were crushed (Col.2:14-15). You descended to the place of the dead—killing death itself, and took the thief to paradise (Lk.23:43). Our judgment was exhausted, the fear of dying was conquered, and heaven became our inheritance … and there is SO much more, all because of your now empty cross.
Indeed, no one realized your cruel death would bring us eternal life. They didn’t imagine your fatal wounding would secure our total healing. Though they had the verses, they had no clue. Precisely because you were crushed under God’s judgment we are now cherished by the God of all grace (Isa. 53:5).
Yet they did remember your promise of resurrection. They weren’t saddened by your death, they were terrified of your life. Having failed to keep a resurrected Lazarus dead (John 12:10), they weren’t about to indulge a resurrected Jesus—even a faked-resurrected Jesus.
O silly, sick, sinful men—they’d sooner hold back the rising of the sun than the rising of the Son of God. Resurrection Sunday was coming, and there was absolutely nothing they could do about it. The silence of Saturday would soon be shattered with the shouts of Sunday: “The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed!” Hallelujah, everything was about to change. Hallelujah, and So Very Amen.