“Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where He was laid.” (Mark 15:27 NIV)
“When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices so the they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”” (Mark 16:1-3 NIV)
There are no scriptures between the close of Mark 15 and the opening of Mark 16. The deep and profound experiences of those standing closest to Jesus in the desolation of His earthly departure are undocumented. Perhaps words could not describe what the disciples waded through in those dark hours between burial and resurrection? None of the gospel authors included Black Saturday in their passion week account. Still, the silence of that Sabbath is deafening.
Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about Black Saturday; the longest, darkest day in human history. I’ve tried to put myself in the sandals of any of the Marys, watching my Savior die and itching to tend to His earthly body. I would have spent the day making plans; silently of course, no physical preparations could happen without breaking Sabbath. But I would have busied myself internally, building a mental list. I would have been ready at sunrise, just as these ladies were, ready to meet death with the ancient equivalent of casseroles and hallmark cards. I would have done anything to avoid succumbing to the absolute grief that surely burgeoned just beneath the surface. And I would have wasted that precious Saturday on all the wrong things.
It seems, as a nation and maybe a world, that we are in the full-felt weight of our own Black Saturday. We can relate to the disciples and the Marys, sitting silent in the forced stillness, waiting to see what Sunday will bring.
Don’t despise this tension. Resist the temptation to waste it. Black Saturday is opportunity dressed in darkness. We have time to sit with the Spirit and examine our days up until this point. Have they been well-spent? Have we said and done the things that matter most? Have we lived in a way that assigns proper attention to eternity? Or have we simply kept busy? Entertained? Distracted? Deceived?
Sabbath allows us time to look back with gratitude and repentance. Sabbath invites us to realign with divine purpose. Sabbath grants us grace to look ahead with hope; to set our souls on something sturdier than this world and all it’s entrappings. Resist the urge to despise the inactivity of a dark Sabbath. Embrace it. Invite Jesus into it. Learn from this season and make plans to move into Sunday transformed by our experience.
Lord, we struggle with stillness. Our fallen nature thrives on activity, entertainment and distraction. The discomfort of our grief is loudest today, in the hours before Easter and the revelation of Your resurrection. Meet with us now. Speak to us about our situation and Your Kingdom agenda amidst the pandemic. Tend to our hearts and help us see Your plan despite this darkness. Amen.