Canyon Ministries

Passion Week Meditations — Day 7: Saturday

Birds sing among the garden’s trees. Its green space lies outside a tomb with a round stone rolled across its entrance. Close by stands a cruel, empty cross (John 19:41). Dawn breaks halfway through this Sabbath that began at 6:00 PM last night. Blood still stains the ground beneath the cross. How surreal the stillness at Golgotha and the tomb, compared to yesterday’s awful execution and dramatic events accompanying it. There, Jesus’ body lies inside that tomb.

Despite the Sabbath, the chief priests and Pharisees rush to gain an audience with Pilate. They request he order the tomb to be sealed (Matthew 27:62–66). They break the Sabbath to continue their attack on “the lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28) — the One whom they repeatedly accused of breaking the Sabbath (John 5:16; 9:16). What hypocrisy!

Pilate refuses to become involved. He tells them to set their own guard and to seal the tomb themselves. They fear the disciples will remove Jesus’ body in an attempt to fulfill His promise to rise from the dead after three days. The chief priest and Pharisees are trying to prevent the fulfilling of a promise that they considered to be a lie.

Indeed, the enemies of Jesus were listening to what He was saying about His resurrection. Why are they so fearful? They do not want a single prophetic pronouncement by Jesus to come to pass. If He rises from the dead, it means the end of their false religion. If He rises from the dead, the miracle will be greater than His raising of Lazarus. Jesus has to be kept inside that tomb!

Meanwhile, it’s the Sabbath. But, while the chief priests and Pharisees violate the day of rest in an attempt to prevent Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples rest “according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56 ESV). Some people seek to destroy or lock away anything that might demonstrate their false religion’s falsehoods. However, true believers rest in their faith and focus on worshipping the true God in spirit and in truth (John 4:23).

How might the disciples spend this Sabbath? Knowing that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus placed Jesus’ body in the new tomb for a rich man, they might think about Isaiah’s prophecy, “And they made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death” (Isaiah 53:9). Are they reading Psalm 22, which Jesus quoted four times during His final three hours on the cross? Perhaps, like Jesus, they are praying for forgiveness for those who crucified their Master (Mark 11:25; Luke 23:34)?

How are you spending this day? How are you observing the Sabbath rest Jesus offers to you (Hebrews 4:1–11)? How are you remembering Jesus and His death on that cruel cross? Be encouraged by the detailed fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies — read Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. Forgive Jesus’ enemies — forgive your enemies. Forgive those who have merely offended you. Take a quiet walk in a garden, a park, or the countryside. Meditate on Jesus’ death, even as you await Resurrection Sunday.

When rafting in Grand Canyon, we normally make a stop at Blacktail Canyon. We walk into this side canyon, find a place to sit where we can look at the Great Unconformity up close, and we talk about the death of Christ — how the Father crushed Him with the burdensome penalty He bore for our sins. After praying and singing a hymn, we walk in silence to the nearby boxed end of Blacktail. As we walk, we meditate on Jesus and the redemption price He paid for us. It is a powerful spiritual exercise; it leaves a lasting impression on one’s life. Where is your Blacktail Canyon today? Where is your garden for meditating on the cross and the tomb?

— Dr. Bill Barrick