On Holy Saturday, hope lies dead.
For some of them.
The disciples in confusion. Sad. Missing their rabbi. Despairing at the death of their messiah. What were they to do? The person they have been following is gone, and they have nothing left now. But for thousands of others, their lives are no different. The world continues. Taxes are paid, babies are born, pancakes are eaten and wars are fought.
It can feel like this sometimes, that one experiences such deep loss but the rest of the world just doesn’t seem to care. They should, or at least you want them to, but you know deep down they really have no reason to. I wonder if this is how Jesus’ earliest followers felt. Their world had been turned upside down, but for everyone else, well they hadn’t been following him particularly seriously, so why should theirs? In any case, it was an interesting three years, but clearly this Jesus fella wasn’t really who he claimed to be. He is dead!
I wonder how many churchgoing Christians experience this on Holy Saturday? Caught between knowing the importance of this weekend for them but as they look at their non-Christian neighbours just enjoying a long bank holiday, feeling that they really have no reason to care; why would they, they don’t believe in Jesus.
Is this right?
Is this what we should think?
Do Facebook posts saying ‘He is risen!’ on Easter Sunday demonstrate a genuine desire to see friends, family, and neighbours meet Jesus, or do they merely fulfil some internal church social obligation?
In my last post I wrote about the death of Jesus as the death of hope itself.
I believe that Holy Saturday represents the death of the church in the worst sense. When the followers of Jesus don’t know what to do, when they are stuck looking into themselves, scared of what is happening to them and how they’re going to carry on, they have a choice. Do they sigh and, allowing the world to continue walking past outside, hug each other and wait for death?
If that’s what you want to do, I understand. I think the disciples would understand on Holy Saturday.
But what comes next should change absolutely everything.
Of Blood And Bones 