A. There’s an old saying that goes “It’s always darkest before the dawn.”
1. The saying is meant to suggest that things always seem to get worse before they get better.
2. And the saying also suggests that the dawn will come, that we need to persevere through hard times, because things will get better, “there is a light at the end of the tunnel,” and it isn’t an oncoming train!
3. The main point I want to get across today is that even in the worst of circumstances, there is hope, and so we must not give up, but we must dare to hang on for one more day.
B. I found a hymn with the title “It’s Always Darkest Before the Dawn.”
1. It was written by Jim Patterson and never became widely popular, but the words are a good launching point for today’s sermon.
2. Verse 1: Are you discouraged and are you blue, Are clouds obscuring the sun from view?
Keep trusting Jesus, though storms assail, You have His promise He will not fail.
Verse 2: He knows your heartache, He understands, Just put your problems in His great hands,
No trouble meets you but in His will, He's not forgotten, He loves you still.
Chorus: It's always darkest before the dawn, Don't be discouraged but carry on,
He'll not forsake you, the sun will break through, It’s always darkest before the dawn.
C. Today, as we continue our sermon series “Final Week, Eternal Lessons” about the last week in the earthly life of Jesus, we come to that Saturday that fell between crucifixion Friday and resurrection Sunday.
1. Let’s be reminded again of the events of the last week in the earthly life of Jesus.
2. The week began that Sunday with the triumphal entry and the crowds singing, “Hosanna!”
3. On that Monday, Jesus cursed the fig tree and cleansed the temple.
4. On that Tuesday, Jesus spent the day teaching trying to open closed minds and penetrate hard hearts.
5. On that Wednesday, the story focused on an extravagant giver (Mary) and a ruthless taker (Judas).
6. On that Thursday, there was the evening of surprises as Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, predicted His betrayal, denial, and abandonment, and then was arrested in the garden.
7. Then, on that Friday, Jesus was condemned, crucified, and buried in a tomb.
D. Luke concludes the activities of that Friday with these words: 55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed along and observed the tomb and how his body was placed. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. (Lk. 23:55-56)
1. There you have the complete biblical record of the activity of the disciples on that Saturday, the Sabbath day: “And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.”
2. I want to spend the bulk of our time this morning focusing on what the disciples of Jesus must have been thinking and feeling on that Saturday.
3. But before we focus on them, I want to mention two other things that occurred in relation to that Saturday.
E. We didn’t have time in last week’s sermon to address what happened to Judas on that Friday when Jesus was crucified, so let’s spend a minute on what the Bible reports about Judas.
1. Matthew reports: 3 Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned, was full of remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. 4 “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said.
“What’s that to us?” they said. “See to it yourself!” 5 So he threw the silver into the temple and departed. Then he went and hanged himself.
6 The chief priests took the silver and said, “It’s not permitted to put it into the temple treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 They conferred together and bought the potter’s field with it as a burial place for foreigners. 8 Therefore that field has been called “Field of Blood” to this day. 9 Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him whose price was set by the Israelites, 10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me. (Mt. 27:3-10)
2. I don’t know what Judas thought would happen to Jesus after the betrayal led to his arrest.
a. Perhaps Judas thought Jesus would be punished and released, but not condemned and crucified.
b. Nevertheless, when Judas realized that Jesus was going to be killed, he was filled with remorse, he returned the bribe money, and then went and took his own life.
c. A truly tragic end to the life of an apostle who had walked with Jesus for three years.
3. I am bringing this up in today’s sermon, because as we consider the thoughts and feelings of the disciples on that Saturday, they must have been trying to come to grips with the death of Jesus, but they must also have been reeling at the news that Judas had committed suicide.
4. They had been with Judas only two days earlier and sat around the table in that upper room as Jesus washed their feet, but they had also been with Judas in the garden when he betrayed Jesus with a kiss.
5. What a mix of thoughts and emotions Judas’ betrayal and suicide must have brought to them.
F. The other thing that I want to mention that took place on that Saturday has to do with securing the tomb.
1. And again we turn to Matthew’s account: 62 The next day, which followed the preparation day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember that while this deceiver was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give orders that the tomb be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come, steal him, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 “Take guards,” Pilate told them. “Go and make it as secure as you know how.” 66 They went and secured the tomb by setting a seal on the stone and placing the guards. (Mt. 27:62-66)
2. I think it’s ironic that the Jewish leaders who broke the law to get Jesus crucified, were now breaking the Sabbath law by traveling and working on the Sabbath to ensure that Jesus’ body remained securely in the tomb.
3. I also find it fascinating that the Jewish leadership approached Pilate to tell him about the prediction that Jesus made about rising again after three days.
4. We know that Jesus repeatedly told His own disciples that He would rise again on the 3rd day.
5. We know that at other times, Jesus made similar statements to the Jewish leaders and the crowds.
a. When the scribes and Pharisees had asked Jesus for a sign, Jesus had said that the only sign they would receive was the sign of Jonah – just as Jonah had spent three days and nights in the belly of the fish, Jesus would be in the earth for that length of time (Mt. 12:40).
b. And speaking of His body, Jesus said, “destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up” (Jn. 2:19) – they understood He had been referring to His own body being raised from the dead.
6. When the Jewish leaders said to Pilate that “the last deception would be worse than the first,” they meant that the first deception was Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah, and the second deception would be making it look like He was raised from the dead.
a. It should be noted that the chief priests were from the Sadducees who didn’t believe in the resurrection, so they were only concerned with a faked resurrection, not a real one.
b. But in reality, the Jewish leaders’ concern about the disciples plotting some way to steal Jesus’ body was unwarranted, because at that point the disciples were not expecting a resurrection and were hidden away somewhere in their fear and confusion.
c. This reality was reinforced when the disciples didn’t even believe in the resurrection after Mary Magdalene reported on that Sunday morning that Jesus had been raised (we will explore that next week, Lord willing).
7. Pilate wanted to avoid any additional controversy, so he gave the command to secure the tomb.
a. So they posted Roman guards at the tomb and they set a seal across the tomb.
b. The seal probably consisted of a cord or rope that was stretched across the stone and attached to the wall on both sides.
c. Either wax or clay would have been placed on the cord, which was stamped by a ring which bore an official Roman insignia.
d. Such a seal carried with it the threat of repercussions for anyone who might tamper with the grave.
e. Little did Pilate or the Jewish leaders know that no guard and no securing of the tomb could keep Jesus from being raised from the dead.
f. Praise God that the securing of the tomb actually served to authenticate the truth of the resurrection.
G. Now let’s turn our attention to the powerful and helpful lessons that we can learn from that Saturday in the last week of Jesus’ life.
1. The crucifixion on Friday and the resurrection on Sunday get all of the attention most of the time and rightly so.
2. But I think there many powerful things that we can learn from what many have called “Holy Saturday” – we might call it “silent Saturday,” or “sad and sobering Saturday.”
3. We have a natural tendency to want to move very quickly from crucifixion Friday to resurrection Sunday.
4. We don’t want to stay too long in the darkness, the confusion, the agony or the numbness of the aftermath of the crucifixion because its too scary and painful, and because we know what happened on Sunday.
5. But those first disciples couldn’t skip that Saturday, the day of darkness and hopelessness, and so we shouldn’t skip it either.
H. Let’s try to imagine the mindset and feelings of the disciples on that Saturday.
1. Jesus was dead and buried in a tomb and they wondered: could this really be the end of Him?
2. Try to imagine the weight of silence that was upon them – God didn’t send them an angel with a word of hope - God seemed so distant, and prayer must have felt empty.
3. They were mourning the deaths of their friend Judas, and their friend and teacher Jesus – you talk about grief and sorrow!
a. In their grief, they either forgot Jesus’ promise to rise from the dead, or they just didn’t believe it.
4. Surely they felt humiliated because they really believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Savior of the world, but now it seemed they had been so wrong.
a. It seemed that their hopes and dreams of the future were dashed and gone forever.
b. They had left everything to follow Him, and now what?
c. Surely they were feeling great disappointment and maybe even some resentment.
5. We get some insight into how the disciples felt through the incident that Luke recorded that took place on resurrection Sunday when Cleopas and another disciple were walking away from Jerusalem to go home, and Jesus came and walked with them, but they didn’t recognize Him.
a. Jesus played dumb about what had happened in Jerusalem during the Passover, and so they told Him about Jesus having been crucified, saying that they had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel – that had been their hope – not any more (Lk. 24:19-21).
6. And with the loss and absence of Jesus was also a loss of identity for them.
a. Who they thought He was, and who they thought they were because of Him, was gone.
b. They had dedicated their lives to Him and defined who they were as followers of Jesus, but if Jesus wasn’t who they thought He was, then following Him was of no value.
c. How’s that for a loss of identity and purpose?
7. I wonder if the disciples were also feeling some guilt for having abandoned Jesus.
a. I’m sure they were thinking of things they wished they had said and done, or things they wished they hadn’t said and done, but now it was too late to change any of that.
8. Another overwhelming thing the disciples must have been feeling was fear.
a. They were likely afraid that their association with Jesus would lead to their own punishment and death.
b. That’s why they all ran away when Jesus was arrested, and why Peter denied knowing him.
c. And so, they hid behind locked doors in fear.
I. We are likely to end up in the same kind of dark and hopeless place that the disciples found themselves in on that Saturday, when we go through some of life’s most difficult experiences.
1. It’s not hard to imagine life’s most difficult experiences – perhaps you’ve already been through some of them, or are going through one right now.
2. Life’s most difficult experiences include serious and chronic illnesses, the death of a loved one, marriage troubles and divorce, legal or spiritual problems with children, an addiction destroying you or someone you love, the loss of a job, or the dark clouds of depression, just to name a few.
3. When we find ourselves living in a dark and seemingly hopeless Saturday, caught in limbo between crisis and resolution, because of any of these things I just mentioned, what do we do? How do we get through?
4. Like the disciples who were living through that Saturday, it may seem like there’s no way things can get better, only worse and worse, and all we can think about is what we have lost.
5. I want to encourage us to give ourselves time and space to be in that place and to acknowledge that we are in that place of a dark and hopeless Saturday.
6. We don’t have to hide the struggle or to move quickly to “I’m okay, you’re okay, it’s all okay.”
7. Even though in a sense it is true that in Christ “I’m okay, you’re okay, and everything is okay” because Jesus has won the victory and we know the end of the story, but we still need to allow time and space for the “silent, sad and sobering Saturday.”
8. We put a terrible burden on ourselves or others if we try to move out of that “Holy Saturday” too quickly, or faster than the situation warrants.
9. When we have to walk the very difficult road of a Holy Saturday or walk beside someone who is walking that very difficult road, let’s give space for that place of grief and pain, and let’s find God’s grace to help us while we are lost in that darkness and hopelessness.
10. One of the greatest gifts we can give to someone who is experiencing an extended Holy Saturday, is to create a safe space for them to honestly tell what it is like for them, their confusion, desolation, and lament, without moving too quickly to attempted solutions and reassurances.
J. Once we have made space for the Holy Saturday and have not tried to rush out of it, then we can begin to acknowledge that it isn’t a place where God wants us to stay for always and forever.
1. As we look at how those first disciples made it through their Holy Saturday, we notice that they did something important – they kept the Sabbath.
2. Their Holy Saturday happened to be the Sabbath which is a day and season to be faithful.
3. Even when they were feeling their most sadness and hopelessness, they were faithful to keep the Sabbath.
a. Maybe they kept the Sabbath on autopilot, totally numb and hardly knowing what they were doing.
b. Maybe they did it with hearts that were a mixture of faith, anger and resentment.
c. Maybe they did it because their was comfort in the routine, or because they knew it was the right thing to do or to avoid trouble if they didn’t.
4. But whatever the reasons why they did it, they were faithful and kept the Sabbath.
5. This is a good example for us when we are experiencing a Holy Saturday, even when we are hurting so much, and even when we don’t understand, or don’t see a way forward, there is still a call to be faithful – to live out the basics of our faith, like: worship, Bible reading and prayer.
6. To be faithful in the midst of the hardest of Holy Saturdays, means to reach out to God to find God’s strength and the Spirit’s assistance to walk on, putting one foot in front of the other, even when we can’t see very far down the road ahead.
K. Keeping the Sabbath for those disciples on that Holy Saturday also meant resting in the Lord.
1. Keeping the Sabbath was more than the command not to work, it was a call to rest, not just from physical labor, but to rest in the Lord by trusting in the Lord and by surrendering our illusions of control.
2. Those disciples were at the end of their rope – Jesus was dead and they were terrified, and everything seemed hopeless, and there was nothing they could do to change the situation.
3. In all their grief and fear and panic, because it was the Sabbath they had to wait on the Lord.
4. Part of what the Sabbath forced them to do was to take their focus off themselves and their situation and to focus on God – the creator and sustainer of all things, the One who sets His people free.
5. When we keep the “sabbath,” we look to the Lord and are reminded of His faithfulness, of the great things God’s has done, and of God’s steadfast love that is new every morning.
6. In the midst of our crisis and pain, God calls us to pause and refocus on who God is, on what God has done, both in the whole sweep of the biblical story, and in our own lives.
7. And when we are able to focus on God, we are reminded that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:38-39)
8. And that even if our Holy Saturday seems endless and things don’t improve and the cancer doesn’t go into remission, we must realize and acknowledge that our God is still God, and our God is still good.
L. One big difference that separates our Holy Saturday from the Holy Saturday of those first disciples is that we know what happened on that Easter Sunday.
1. We do know the ultimate outcome, not just for Jesus, but for all of us.
2. We know that injustice, suffering, and death are not the end, nor the victors.
3. Even while we make space for the darkness and pain of Holy Saturday, we are always going to encourage everyone to remember Easter Sunday.
4. The cross of Friday is not the end, and Holy Saturday does not last forever, because in the resurrection of Jesus we have the ultimate promise that sin and death will not have the last word, and we will put our trust and certain hope in our God who raised Jesus and will raise us.
5. God will not leave us alone with our struggles. His silence is not His absence, His inactivity is never apathy, and Holy Saturdays have their purpose.
6. James’ advice is helpful: “Therefore, brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord’s coming.” (James 5:7)
7. And let’s cling to Jesus’ promise: “So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy from you.” (Jn. 16:22)
8. Dare to hang on 1 more day, it’s always darkest before dawn, hold to God’s unchanging hand!
9. It was Holy Saturday, but Easter Sunday was coming!
10. It may be Saturday for you right now, but hold on, Sunday always comes.
Resources:
• Truth for Today Commentary, Matthew, Sellers Craine.
• Learning from Holy Saturday, by Suzanne McDonald, http://www.fellowshipreformed.org/sermons/2017/3/29/equipped-to-serve-learning-from-holy-saturday
• The Silence of Saturday, Max Lucado, https://maxlucado.com/the-silence-of-saturday/
