"And there were also some women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome. And when He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister to Him; and there were many other women who had come up with Him to Jerusalem.
And when evening had already come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, a man who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. And Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether he was already dead. And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. And Joseph bought a linen sheet, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen sheet, and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking to see where He was laid.
And when the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, brought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. And very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they were saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?’ And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, ‘Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, "He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you.’" And they went out ant fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid."
(Mark 15:40-16:8)
Do you ever feel boxed in by the circumstances surrounding your life? Are there seemingly immovable boundaries which serve as obstacles? Are you frustrated by failure, either on your part or on the part of others? What is it that discourages you and drags you down? Is it your own feeling of inadequacy? Is it the negative attitudes of others? Is it the circumstances over which you have so very little control?
All of us are faced by frustrations. Sometimes, we despair of things ever changing. The hopes and dreams we once had, at times, seem impaled upon the horns of the dilemmas we face.
Jesus’ disciples surely must have felt some of these emotions they endured the dark night of their soul when Jesus was crucified. No doubt, the hopes that they had were dashed to the ground by His swift and sudden execution. What would they do now? How would they face tomorrow? Was the last three years all for nothing? The crucifixion left their heads spinning.
Sometimes our heads are left spinning as well. Dealing with the complexities and problems of life is no easy task. Feeling overwhelmed by circumstances which are impossible for us to control is a powerless feeling. Like the disciples, we may wonder whether there really is any hope. That is what our text today is all about. As we travel with the disciples through the experiences of each day, we will learn a great deal about hope. Along with faith and love, hope is desperately needed in our world today. We need to hope. But in order to hope, we must know that we have a reason to hope.
Let’s turn to the events of the days surrounding Jesus’ death. As we look at each day’s experiences, perhaps we will come to the eventual conclusion that there is hope for a new day.
Friday had been a most horrible day. It was on that day Jesus was crucified. Friday was a day of agony – certainly for Jesus. But also for those who loved Him. The fact that His disciples had fled in terror did not indicate they did not care. They certainly feared for their own lives, but they also ached in their hearts for Jesus.
John, the beloved disciple, had made it to the foot of the Cross, along with Jesus’ mother, Mary. There were others standing there as well. Our text indicates that Mary Magdalene was there; also, Mary the mother of James. Salome was also there. Perhaps Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had stood at the foot of the Cross and gazed at the tortured form of the Savior. The agony, to them I’m sure, was very real.
But one did not have to be at the site of the crucifixion to feel the pain. Those who had walked with Jesus for three years surely felt it keenly. They knew what was happening. They were all too familiar with execution by crucifixion. Their hearts ached. Their souls were wrenched with agony. The One they had followed, the One they had loved, the One they believed to be the Messiah, the One they were committed to with all their heart, was being brutally killed. And they were helpless. How they must have felt their own impotence.
We have all felt it as well. Sometimes we feel like our lives are out of control. The force of circumstances pressing in on us from every side, circumstances about which we can do nothing, bring us face to face with our own impotence. All of us like to feel in control. We all like to feel we have the power to direct our own lives. But the truth is, sometimes we cannot control either the events or the people around us. Sometimes, instead of taking charge, we are taken charge of. The fact is, we are not always in charge.
The disciples felt Friday’s agony, and they could do nothing about it. Jesus was on the Cross. He was dying there, a death He did not deserve. He was wrongly accused, illegally tried, unjustly convicted, and now was being killed. How could it have happened? How could they have let it happen? How could Jesus have willingly allowed it to happen? They could not figure it all out. Life is like that sometimes.
Friday’s agony gives way to Saturday’s despair. On Friday, after the crucifixion had caused Jesus to breathe His last, "Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. And Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. And Joseph bought a linen sheet, took Hi down, wrapped Him in the linen sheet, and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was laid." (vv. 43-47)
Joseph had suddenly become more than a secret disciple. It took a great deal of courage to do what he did. He was a member of the prominent Sanhedrin. He did not agree with their decision to condemn Jesus, but he had not done anything publicly to try to stop it. He literally took his life in his hands by going to Pilate and asking for the body. Pilate was already upset with the Sanhedrin He could have easily accused Joseph of being an insurrectionist. Joseph also risked the opposition of the other members of the Council. In addition to all of this, it was the Day of Preparation. To touch a dead body would mean Joseph would become ceremonially unclean. But watching Jesus die had undoubtedly done something to the man. He boldly asked for and received from Pilate permission to bury the body of Jesus. He bought a linen shroud and wrapped Jesus’ body in it. Then he placed Jesus in his own new tomb. A massive stone was rolled against the mouth of the tomb, a seal placed on it, and it was put under Roman guard. Jesus was dead. Now, He was buried.
Thus ended Friday’s events. Now Saturday, or the Sabbath, was upon them. Nothing could be done on that day. What a long day it must have been. There were those of the women who wanted to anoint the body of Jesus, but they could not do so on Saturday. It was the Sabbath. About the only thing anyone could do on Saturday was sit and think. And for those who loved Jesus, what was there to think about? All the joy was gone. Only a few days ago they had enjoyed the presence and spontaneity of Jesus. Now He was gone, dead, and buried. Before on the Sabbath, they had no doubt engaged in holy worship, handing on his every word. During times around the table, they had, no doubt, laughed with One who knew what the living of life was all about. Now, apparently it was over.
Friday’s agony had given way to Saturday’s despair. Jesus, on Friday, had been on the Cross. Today, He was in the tomb. There was nothing left to do but despair. Where would they go from here?
The despair and hopelessness symbolized by that dark Saturday is present in our society today. Ray Stedman has said, "Someone has called our present generation Saturday’s children’ and it is an apt term. Our great American cities are, for the most part, teeming pools of human misery where people live out their days in a kind of ritual dance toward death without hope or illusion. In the midst of an increasingly godless world, despair grips people’s hearts everywhere. Hopelessness and meaninglessness come crushing in on us from every side. Not even the most optimistic of the prophets and seers of today, either secular or sacred, looking into the future, see any hope in the affairs of men as they are. We are indeed ‘ Saturday’s children.’"
The mood of many in our society today could be characterized by the inscription found on certain tombstones in ancient Roman slogan, "Non fui, fui, non sum, non curo." When translated into English it read, "I was not; I was; I am not; I do not care. This is not only the way some felt about life, it is the way some feel today. Do you feel that way? This is the way "Saturday’s children" feel.
And when you think of it, without the Lord, it is really the logical conclusion of an honest look at life. It can be summed up in the words of a moto of Edinburgh – "Nisi Dominus frustra" – which, roughly translated, says, "Without the Lord, everything fails." The truth is that life without the Lord is one of frustration and despair. I’m not sure how people bear up without a strong and secure faith in Jesus. After all, what is life all about, without the belief that life continues on after death? Life is extremely short as it is. How quickly the days turn into weeks, the weeks into months, the months into years. It was only yesterday that we were children. Now we’re adults, and time is passing quickly. Life can be hard, at time, difficult. Someone has said, "The more we try to get ahead, the behinder we get." And to think that when you die, it’s all over. The only attitude that can produce is one of despair. Life without God, thoroughly analyzed, thoroughly considered, can only lead to despair. We only have the power to be Saturday’s children if that is where it ends.
But thank God that is not where it ends. Friday’s agony gave way to Saturday’s despair. But thank God Saturday’s despair gives way to Sunday’s hope. It is summed up in the opening sentence of chapter 16, "And when the Sabbath was over. . ." Friday’s agony had come, but it had passed. Saturday’s despair had come as well, but it, too, was over. Now, a new day was upon them. The Sabbath was over. Sunday had come. And with Sunday, hope had come as well.
Early on that day, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices to the tomb where they thought they would anoint Jesus’ body. Just as soon as the sun was up, they had made their way to the tomb. They were concerned, being three women, as to who would roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb. It must have weighed close to a thousand pounds. It would take many large men to move such an obstacle. But when the arrived, they found something amazing indeed.
Although the stone was extremely large, it had already been rolled away. They entered the tomb, and there they saw a young man wearing a white robe. What they saw was an angel of God. In verse 6 it says, "And he said to them, ‘Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He is risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.’" This must have been the most incredible experience of their lives. Could this be true? They could hardly believe their eyes; yet, there they were, standing in the tomb. The other gospels record that the shroud of Jesus was lying there in the same form it had been when Jesus was wrapped in it. There was no doubt this was the place; and yet, Jesus was not there. He had risen.
The angel went on, in verse 7, "But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you.’" They had heard Jesus speak about being raised from the dead. Was it true? Could it really have happened? Somewhere down deep in their heart, they knew it must be true. He had never lied to them before. They had wanted to believe. There was always a glimmer of hope. But could it have really happened? Yes! It must be true!
When the rust of this amazing event had settled fully up them, it says in verse 8, "And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped the; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid." I cannot imagine the thrill of being the first eyes to behold the empty tomb. After experiencing Friday’s agony and Saturday’s despair, what an exhilarating experience this must have been. Like stepping off the hot sands of the beach and pulling the cord on an icy cold shower, this event must have heightened every sense they had. They were thrilled and afraid. They were terrified and in ecstasy. There was no time to talk. They must get back and tell the others.
This is what the resurrection is all about. The resurrection of Christ reveals to us that the Lord is in charge. The resurrection reveals to us that past the dark night of our soul and the circumstances which we cannot control, there is hope for a new day of resurrection power for us. There is hope because God is in charge.
Do you have hope for tomorrow? Things may look bleak today. You may have experienced or be experiencing a dark night of your soul. You may feel overwhelmed by circumstances which are out of control. You may feel like there is no hope for tomorrow. But wait. Perhaps God is in control after all. Perhaps there is hope for tomorrow.
The resurrection teaches us that out of death can come life. Jesus, who died for our sins, was raised to live again. Friday’s agony brought Jesus’ death. Saturday’s despair was symbolized by Jesus in the tomb. But Sunday brought hope because Jesus came alive. And the One who came alive on that first Easter Sunday is still alive, and He lives today to bring life to us.
And the life which Jesus give to us is not simply the hope that one day we shall live forever with Him. The life which he gives is not merely eternal life – it is life for today. It is the abundant life which we can experience through Him living in and through us. In Jesus, we can have real life. Through Jesus, we can have hope for tomorrow. Because of Jesus, we can experience a new day. We can be brought from Saturday’s despair into Sunday’s victory because God is in control.
Because He lives I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives all fear is gone,
Because I know, I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living, just because He lives.
Copyright © 1997 J. David Hoke. This data file is the sole property of the copyright holder and may be copied only in its entirety for circulation freely without charge. All copies of this data file must contain the above copyright notice.
This data file may not be copied in part (except for small quotations used with citation of source), edited, revised, copied for resale or incorporated in any commercial publications, recordings, broadcasts, performances, displays or other products offered for sale, without the written permission of the copyright holder. Requests for permission should be made in writing and e-mailed to J. David Hoke, at David@JDavidHoke.com.