Silent Saturday | Calm before the storm

On Holy Saturday, we reflect on the days between the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus died a day earlier on Good Friday. Tomorrow is Sunday: Easter. We are in a kind of vacuum between death and life. Holy Saturday is a day of reflection. A day to reflect on sadness, despair and loneliness.

A brief flashback. Together with a group of twelve friends (called apostles or disciples), Jesus travels around Israel. For three years, Jesus performs miracles and tells special stories. He often holds up a mirror to the religious leaders. Jesus is radical in his statements about humility and love.

At that time, the country is being reacted to by the Romans. The Jews are being oppressed. In their holy books, a savior has been predicted for centuries. A liberator, also called the Messiah, who will redeem the Jews once and for all. Could Jesus be this Messiah? On Palm Sunday, Jesus was welcomed as king. Just a few days ago. To the great dissatisfaction of the Jewish leaders. They want nothing to do with this so-called savior.

In the meantime, it is Passover. A national Jewish festival in which the Jewish people commemorate how God freed them from slavery in Egypt. Jesus also celebrates this festival. On Maundy Thursday, he eats his Last Supper with his friends. He is betrayed by one of his friends. Jesus is arrested, interrogated, tortured and eventually sentenced to death. On Good Friday, Jesus dies on a wooden cross.

There is actually no story about Holy Saturday. The Bible doesn't say much about what exactly happens on this day. Physically speaking, anyway. Saturday is the official day of rest for the Jews, so they weren't allowed to do anything else. His friends and followers didn't write down what they did that day either. But perhaps you can imagine it. How would they have felt? Mary, the mother of Jesus. His friends. Were they sad, confused or angry? Maybe they were scared.

Guarding

One thing is striking. The Jewish leaders go back to Pontius Pilate, the Roman leader who sentenced Jesus to death. They are afraid. Imagine if his friends steal the body and tell everyone that Jesus is alive again?! Jesus had claimed that he would rise after three days. The leaders ask Pilate for soldiers to secure Jesus' tomb so that the body could not be stolen. This is to prevent Jesus' followers from staging a story about the resurrection. Pilate agrees and deploys a number of soldiers to guard the tomb. This story is only described in the book of Matthew. Read chapter 27 from verse 62 to 66.

Would this have given his friends hope? They had heard Jesus himself say that he would rise after three days. Could they still hope for that or did all hope seem lost in this silence?

Silent Saturday is – of course – every year on a Saturday, and therefore falls on a different date every year. Every year it is the day before Easter. We know these dates because Jesus was crucified during the Passover festival. An annual holiday that the Jews still celebrate.

The answer may sound very simple: by being quiet. Do you remember the last time you were truly quiet? No phone, no stimuli, no music or Netflix?

Take the time on Holy Saturday to be completely silent. Turn off your power button for a moment. Think about the following questions:

What am I hopeful about?

What makes me sad?

What role does Jesus play in my hope and my sorrow?

The church services on Holy Saturday are very sober. The content varies per church, but all services are modest. No decorations and music. Not even the church bells ring. Experience a moment of silence together. On Holy Saturday, the Catholic Lent also ends and there is an Easter Vigil in the night from Holy Saturday to Easter Sunday. Visitors sometimes stay in the church until it gets light outside. A new day. A new beginning.

Why should Christians dwell on Jesus’ death, if they are convinced that he will come back to life? Then you could just as well skip this day and just celebrate Easter? But it is good not to fast forward right away. Because Jesus was really dead. He really lay in the grave. Jesus had fought, suffered immense pain and ultimately died. The sadness and loss for his friends and family was real.

Have you ever experienced real loss in your life? The loss can be overwhelming. On this day there is plenty of room to be sad. And perhaps you also recognize that if you have experienced real sadness, you also experience joyful moments more intensely. Today there is sadness, but tomorrow there will be joy. Holy Saturday is actually a kind of calm before the storm.