A REFLECTION

What were Jesus' disciples up to on the day after His death? Scripture doesn't reveal this, but we can speculate. They are undoubtedly locked in a room. They are frightened & depressed. Will they be the next ones to be arrested, found guilty, & crucified? Why depressed? The Messiah, whom they were counting on to establish an earthly kingdom, was murdered. Some had stood at the foot of the cross & watched Him die in humiliation, reviled by the very people who had cheered His entry into Jerusalem just days before.

Perhaps John is feeling overwhelmed. From the cross, Jesus had commissioned him to take Jesus' mother into his home. Mary, the mother of the Savior, is now to be John's mother; John is now to be her son. What an awesome responsibility!

And the there's Peter. Perhaps he was overwhelmed with guilt. After swearing that he would defend Jesus to the death, instead, he had sworn that he didn't know the Galilean. Talk about guilt!

Jesus had give His followers many warnings about the fate awaiting Him in Jerusalem. Yet they either couldn't or wouldn't accept His warnings about His own suffering & death.

Jesus had also promised that He would rise from the dead on the third day. Even as they forgot His prophecies, even as they wondered whether they would ever see their Master again, & even as they feared that they would suffer the same fate, an Easter miracle is about to unfold, & life for them would never be the same.

HIS SACRIFICE ON THE CROSS

"In Jesus the kingdom comes & in His life, death & resurrection, the Father's will was perfectly carried out on earth. Jesus is Himself our daily bread, the Bread of life, who nourishes & sustains us in Word & Sacrament. Only through His sacrifice on the cross are our sins forgiven, forgiveness that, through the power of His Spirit, is ours to share. For us Jesus was led into temptation, overcoming it on our behalf. He has delivered us from every evil that would threaten to separate us from His love," The Lord's Mercy Endures forever: 40 Daily Devotions of God's Comfort

A READING FOR HOLY SATURDAY

"Christ entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. He is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance. He provided redemption for His people; He ordained His covenant forever." (Heb. 9:12b, 15a; Ps. 111:9a) Gradual for Good Friday,Lutheran Worship

A PRAYER FOR HOLY SATURDAY

"Heavenly Father, I am silenced at the grave of Your Son, who knew no sin, yet was made sin for us. You permitted Him to die, exchanging His innocence for our guilt. In love He came to us, but He was rejected by hate. He taught us obedience, but men rebelled against Him.

"I confess that a great mystery confronts me at this tomb of sin & death. He was buried behind the great seal of my sin & my death. By faith I know also that He who died is the One who unlocked the great secret of Your love. His tomb is my tomb. He carried with Him to the grave my sin & my death, that He might break their hold on me.

"Trusting in the Lord's promise that He would rise again on the third day, I come not to mourn Him but to confess the sin that He would leave buried, Have mercy on me, O God! Have mercy on me. Amen," Lutheran Book of Prayer

A HYMN FOR HOLY SATURDAY

We Sing the Praise of Him Who Died (LW #118, Sts. 1, 5)

We sing the praise of Him who died, Of Him who died upon the cross. The sinner's hope let all deride; For this we count the world but loss.

The balm of life, the cure of woe, The measure & the pledge of love, The sinner's refuge here below, The angels' theme in heav'n above.