Day 9: Sabbath

Dogwood Series:  No. 9

Day 9:  The Sabbath – In the Tomb

Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man who had not consented to their decision and actions.  He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he was waiting for the kingdom of God.  Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body.  Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth, and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid.  It was the Preparation Day and the Sabbath was about to begin.  The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how His body was laid in it.  Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes.  But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

Luke 23:56

Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb before 6:00pm Friday night, when the Sabbath began and all work ceased.  Though filled with unimaginable grief, the women and the disciples went to their homes to observe the Sabbath “…according to the commandment.” 

Across the silence of Jerusalem on that Saturday, there were three sets of individuals for whom this day would not be a respite. Their minds were filled with confusion, grief, guilt, anxiety, and a nervous uneasiness that robbed their peace and ate at their souls.

Pilate and His wife:  One can only imagine the conversation that took place in the bedroom of Pilate’s palace on Friday evening and Saturday morning.  The day before, Pilate’s wife had taken the extraordinary step of sending a message to her husband at court, saying, “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of Him.”  He had buckled under the political pressure, and now both of them were left staring at the ceiling, contemplating the ramifications of his actions.

The Religious Leaders:  Matthew records that the religious leaders broke every Sabbath law in their own books, symbolically defiling them in the process, by going to Pilate on Sabbath morning, requesting that the tomb be sealed and guards posted.  They told the prefect that they feared the disciples would steal the body and then proclaim that Jesus had risen.  In point of fact, they were terrified that Jesus would fulfill His own prophecy that “…after three days, I will rise again” [Matthew 16:21].  Pilate complied with their request.

Peter:  The Scripture does not give any details about Peter’s location after he fled the courtyard of the High Priest, or where he spent the hours of the Sabbath. One can only imagine the grief, guilt, and remorse that filled those lonely hours.  He had denied his Lord, his best friend, the One who he believed was the Messiah. Jesus had forewarned him of that very thing, but his proud nature ignored the counsel. Now his Lord was dead, and he could never take back the words or beg Jesus' forgiveness.  Whatever happened during those long hours on Saturday, when Peter emerged on Sunday morning, he was a changed man.

The activities that occurred on the Sabbath are recorded in Matthew 27:62-66 and Luke 23:56.