I remember the day clearly. It was just a few days after. Family and friends gathered in the  parking lot, each exiting their vehicles. Some wore dresses, others suits. The sun was shining  and the breeze was gentle, but that day was heavy. Why were we all gathering? I wished it  were for any other reason, but there was no going back. My grandfather, my sweet Papa Don,  had died suddenly after a very brief and abrupt battle with cancer. We were here for his  memorial service, and for each other in this grief. Papa Don was a Christ-follower, so my heart  rested that he was with Jesus from the moment he left this earth. His eternity was secure. What  my heart could not reconcile was the glaring reality that for those still living, we would live out  the rest of our days without Papa Don again. Death is so final and permanently impacts the  living day-to-day. At the time, I was just eighteen years old; with literally a lifetime ahead  without my beloved grandfather, just breathing steadily felt insurmountable in these days  immediately following his death. 

Sometimes I wonder what those who were present at Jesus’ death were experiencing on that  next day too, after Jesus’ death on the cross, on that Holy Saturday. This day after now  marked by complete silence, sadness, grief. One can certainly attempt to empathize with the  people who knew and loved Jesus present on that Holy Saturday, as Jesus was laid to rest in  that grave (John 19:39-40). Oh, what they must’ve been feeling and experiencing. Deep gut wrenching lament, perhaps anger, and uncertainty of what was going to happen now. Their  beloved friend and Savior has brutally died at the hands of man. Perhaps they too struggled  with wondering how would they live life without their beloved friend on this earth, and in their  understanding, separated forever. And what’s more, many of them had witnessed Jesus’  murder; awful images seared in their minds forever.  

Of course, we know that the story doesn’t end on that Saturday. We know Sunday is coming  and Jesus would conquer death by rising back to life, making a way for us to be right with  God, and for His Spirit to indwell in us. Through this, His Holy Spirit given to us, and His  promise of never leaving us or forsaking us being sealed true for eternity forward. But for those  present on that Holy Saturday, the day after Jesus’ crucifixion, hope may have been hard to  find, and understanding the why of it all felt so uncertain and muddy. Although Jesus had been  telling His disciples and people for some time that this all would come to pass, most did not  understand what He was getting at (Luke 18:34). Easter Sunday would bring more clarity, but  Holy Saturday was heavy. Jesus’ death felt so final for those living on.  

Today we know that tomorrow is coming. Jesus can’t be held down by death. Reflecting on  Holy Saturday offers encouragement and hope that even suffering and silence itself can be  used by God to accomplish His purposes. Holy Saturday also shows us that while we do not  grieve like those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13), we are given space to grieve what  death means for the living as they go on. Thank You, Jesus, that through Your sacrificial death,  we know we never have to be without You, that You are always with us and we have been  redeemed from our brokenness (Matthew 28:20, Psalm 130: 7-8). And because of Jesus’ death  and resurrection, we will see our loved ones in Christ again. Imagine the hope that filled those  who knew Jesus when it became overwhelmingly evident they would not have to life live  without Him after all! May we never forget the heaviness of Holy Saturday that made the  wondrous victory of Easter Sunday possible.