“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NIV)
Few churches have much of an Easter Saturday service. Good Friday usually merits a special service or two. Often these have extra elements to help them stand out as uniquely memorable services. And Easter Sunday usually gets the special celebration treatment with sunrise services and special things the rest of the day. We barely acknowledge anything special about Easter Saturday.
The bulk of commentaries treat the affirmation in 1 Corinthians in a similar way. “Christ died for our sins” on Good Friday, and the commentators have lots to say about that. Christ “was raised on the third day” on Easter Sunday, and, again, the commentators have lots to say about that. But “he was buried” does not get much attention. Just like Easter Saturday.
The crisis of Good Friday was past. The dramatic events were becoming part of their memory. Reality now was a quiet tomb site, a stone rolled across the opening. Guards ensured the security of the sealed tomb.
It was the Sabbath, the day of rest and contemplation. So no distracting themselves in the ordinary tasks of life. They had to face their grief and their loss. On this day of contemplation, they had much to think about. For all those years they had travelled with Jesus. They had learned and seen so much. They had hoped he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. (Luke 24:21)
But now what? In the living Jesus, they saw power and hope. He had made some promises about the future that were hard to understand, but what sense did that make now? He was crucified, dead, and buried. And life now seemed to be a godforsaken mystery. How do we go on now?
Almost every commentary on First Corinthians slips right from the death on the cross to the resurrection on the third day. I can appreciate that. I’d rather live with the fact of the resurrection than the promise of the resurrection. I’d rather live in the fact of joy than rely on the promise of joy to get through grief and loss.
And yet, in a sense Easter Saturday is where most of us live today. We’re somewhere between the events of the Bible and the fulfilment of the promise. We know the fact of the teaching and the promise of the joy of eternity. But just what that teaching means now is sometimes a little fuzzy. And on some days, it sure would be nice if the promise of resurrection could be the reality of the resurrection.
Some churches recognize Easter Saturday with a midnight vigil. That service in the midst of darkness often begins with the lighting of a candle. One candle in the night can make a big difference.
His word of promise, his word of direction, his word is a light for our path. It helps us keep going until the promise that gives us hope becomes a glorious reality.
He had been crucified. He was buried. But he promised his disciples even death could not keep him from being with them. That half-understood promise was a tantalizing hope through that long, quiet Saturday. And it can keep us going now as we wait for the day when hope becomes sight and the promise will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory.
Glory be to God!
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