Holy Saturday

Dead and buried, or so everyone believed. Buried yes; dead yes, but…

Holy Saturday, the day after Jesus’ crucifixion, had to be one of the most difficult days that followers of Christ have ever faced. Can you imagine what it would have been like to be one of the disciples? Leaderless, hopeless, grieving their master, wracked with guilt for abandoning him and hiding for fear of the authorities.

It was obvious that the Jesus movement was over and done. And just to make sure, the powers that be sealed his tomb and set a watch.

The next day…the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away…” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone. – Matthew 27

That should have been that. However, as we know, Jesus cannot be contained.

In many church traditions, most notably among those of the Orthodox faith, Holy Saturday is notable for one specific event: the Harrowing of Hell. We confess in the Creeds that Jesus descended to the dead (or into hell), and 1 Peter says that while he was there Jesus “made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits.” Since the earliest days of the church this was interpreted to mean that Jesus was able to liberate some of the souls in hell.

Of course, not everyone agrees with this interpretation. It doesn’t matter. Whatever did happen in hell, this episode demonstrates that even while Jesus’ body was rendered lifeless his spirit continued to bring good news (glad tidings in some translations) to those who needed it. Jesus will never stop in his mission of reconciliation because no one is beyond God’s love.

That means he is still at work today. While there may be people we give up on, God will never stop trying to bring them into relationship. Keep praying for them and keep sharing your Easter faith. It cannot be contained.