Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the
morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the
spices which they had prepared, and certain others
came with them. And they found the stone rolled
away from the sepulcher. And they entered in, and
found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came
to pass, as they were much perplexed about this,
behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces
to the ground, they said unto them, Why seek you
the living among the dead? He is not here, but is
risen: remember how he spoke unto you when he
was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must
be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and
be crucified, and the third day rise again. And
they remembered his words. (Luke 24:1-8)
It was Saturday- the day after the Friday when Jesus was crucified. Picture that scene in your mind: Jesus had been arrested, faced a mockery of a trial, been cruelly
tortured and killed.
The disciples had left everything to follow Him. They expected Him to finally throw off the chains of the Roman government and establish His kingdom.
Instead, they were now scattered and hiding; all their wonderful plans
had fallen short, everything had gone wrong, and they might even be arrested themselves. They are confused, scared, and depressed.
They had not only failed to follow Jesus, they denied even knowing Him. They were at the lowest
point of their lives. All hope was gone, buried with Jesus in a borrowed tomb. It seems like God Himself has deserted them.....
But the wonderful message of Saturday is this: It’s not over yet. Sunday’s coming. A new day, and a glorious hope. Death couldn't keep Jesus, and the grave couldn't hold Him.
We have a Savior, one who has risen up from the grave, and holds the keys to death in His nail-pierced hand. A Savior who laid down His life for us, that we may have eternal life. A Savior who conquered every enemy, even death and the
grave. A Savior who rose from the dead, one who lives forever, who loves forever, and who intercedes for you and me. A Savior who fixes our failures, and calms our fears.
A Savior bigger than all our doubts, fears, and confusions. A Savior who gives us forgiveness for yesterday, strength for today, and hope for tomoroow.
Life gets messy sometimes. We all go through tough times. People desert us and let us down. Our own plans and best intentions come to nothing.
We try so hard and fail. We may be lied about, misunderstood, and mistreated, as Jesus was. Circumstances overwhelm us, leaving us in a state of shock and grief.
But don't despair, my friends: Sunday's coming!
When you are at your lowest point, and life's got you feeling beaten down; when you’re feeling depressed, lost, alone, hopeless, and confused, when you’ve failed,
when you’ve fallen, when you feel like God Himself has forgotten all about you and your problems, remember, it's is only Saturday. It’s not over. Sunday’s coming!
THANK YOU, JESUS!!!
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