The following is an excerpt from Seasons of Worship: A Spiritual Calendar for the Church Today.
Holy Week concludes with the Easter Vigil, which traditionally began late on Easter Saturday and ended in the early morning of Easter Sunday.
There are many theological speculations concerning what Jesus did on this day; mainly because Scripture does not tell us. Now, you may be asking, what do you mean, “what Jesus did on this day”? Wasn’t he dead? Well yes . . . and no.
If you are a Christian, you must become accustomed to paradox. Throughout Scripture, we are told not to fear and to fear the Lord. We are told to be bold and to be humble. And then there’s Jesus . . . another paradox. Jesus was 100 percent man and 100 percent Divine. So, on this Saturday following his crucifixion and the day before his resurrection, the 100 percent God–man was dead, but the 100 percent God–Divine was very much still alive. And I do not believe that Jesus, the Divine, just sat in the tomb twiddling his thumbs, waiting for Sunday.
One temptation on this day is to jump right to Easter and the Resurrection—to celebrate our risen Savior. But this day before Easter Sunday is critically important to our spiritual growth. It is a day of waiting. As Christians, we need to better learn how to wait. Although it may seem like God is silent, he is actively at work behind the scenes. Don’t you think Jesus could have raised from the dead on Saturday . . . or within a couple hours after his crucifixion? Yes, of course he could have. But he waited . . . and he made his disciples wait . . . and sometimes, he makes us wait. Oftentimes, the waiting period is a time to see if we truly trust in God and his sovereignty.
This day is also a day of mourning, a time to grieve the loss of a loved one and to stand vigil at their graveside. We must permit ourselves to grieve the death of Jesus, but we do so with hope and anticipation for what lies ahead. It is vital not to overlook the significance of this day.
©2024 Steven D. Brooks, Wipf and Stock Publishers
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If you would like to read more about the Easter Vigil and the Christian year, and it’s spiritual impact upon the lives of worshipers, you can find more in Seasons of Worship: A Spiritual Calendar for the Church Today by Dr. Steven D. Brooks.