The Day Between, The Day Before
Biblically Informed Imagination and Resurrection Hope
That Passover Sabbath day nearly 2,000 years ago, what must it have felt like? Among the powers of this world — the religious leaders and Roman authorities — was there more smugness or unease? The plot against the troublesome itinerant rabbi from Galilee, by all appearances, had succeeded. Jesus’ body was secured in a garden tomb.
But how did they reckon with the breathtaking scene at the Friday crucifixion? From the 27th chapter of Matthew’s gospel:
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split…. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
Three hours of apocalyptic darkness in the middle of the day? An ominously timed earthquake? And those may have been the least disturbing and confounding phenomena recorded in Scripture, at least compared to the divine rending of the veil constructed to wall off sinful man from the holy presence of YHWH. How many scribes, priests, and Levites gathered an inkling of the symbolic meaning of this act but couldn’t wrestle with the cognitive dissonance of it all?
Then there’s the military commander who had the front-row seat to the hillside event of utmost cosmic significance, the Roman centurion. Depending on the Gospel rendering, the awestruck pagan occupier concluded that the Man on the center cross was righteous and upright, even Deity — certainly undeserving of brutal execution.
One day later, how was the centurion processing what he had witnessed? Had he heard that this same man had raised Lazarus from the dead? Could he even have conceived what was coming next?
What of the fickle Jewish crowds, who had quickly turned from singing Hosannas to calling for crucifixion? Luke 23:48 tells us that they walked away Friday evening beating their breasts, a sign of great sorrow. Given all they had seen and heard, what did they make of Jesus’ death? How many endured restless nights of Sabbath sleep? Oh, how dark the world must have looked to many of them.
Not to be overlooked are the women (so many Marys!) who followed Jesus from Galilee, mentioned in the next verse. They would play such an important role in the dramatic events the following morning. On that dark Saturday, they were no doubt preoccupied with plans to anoint the corpse of their Beloved, in accordance with Jewish mourning rituals. But what specifically of Jesus’ mother? What things might she have been pondering in her heart, as she had done after she had birthed the Messiah more than 30 years earlier (Luke 2:20)?
Did that entail a poignant memory of her crucified son entrusting her care to John the apostle? Time does not permit me to delve into the reactions of the eleven disciples closest to Jesus, most of whom had abandoned their Lord and Savior during His hour of greatest need? Especially Peter, bitterly wept out after denying his friend and master, as predicted, but not yet the bold, Spirit-filled preacher of Pentecost (Acts 2). How dark that Saturday must have been for him, for his brother Andrew and the others!
God did not see fit to record for us what happened on that dark, dreadful Saturday in any detail. I’m thankful that experience was short-lived and that we who are in Christ by faith do not need to dwell there.
I’m also thankful for the gift of a Biblically informed imagination, one that has been enriched by The Chosen TV series. As I assemble this post, the writers for that show have already scripted their own take on this silent day’s events, presumably as part of the next season. (Yes, I just finished watching Season 5 and am resigning myself to wait patiently for the next set of episodes to be filmed and produced.)
While there may be some edification or enlightenment to be gained from this imaginative exercise, ultimately it pales before the Glorious Day of Resurrection that has transformed the world and the trajectory of our lives, giving us the true and lasting hope of new life, everlasting life.
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
1 Corinthians 15:20-26 (KJV)
But now is Christ risen. And He must reign. Praise the Lord, Sunday’s coming!