Many people have already posted their thoughts on Good Friday and even Easter. Malott's Blog and Another Think each have excellent perspectives on Good Friday and what it means to us today. Another Think and La Shawn Barber have great posts on Easter.
But people don't often write about that Saturday in between.
I've been one of the Bread Bakers for ten years, and back in 2002 (long before we started posting our Breads on the internet), I wrote a Bread for Christmas that touched on Good Friday and God's silence on Saturday. I offer it to you for today.
Luke 2:34 - 35 "Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, 'This child will be rejected by many in Israel, and it will be their undoing. But he will be the greatest joy to many others. Thus, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.'"
Mary and Joseph had brought Jesus to the temple to be dedicated after his birth. When Simeon, then Anna, saw Jesus, there was much rejoicing and blessing and prophesying. But there's that jarring statement at the end: "And a sword will pierce your very soul." It predicts the pain Mary would later know as she watched her son be misunderstood, mistreated and killed.
There's a famous statue, the "Pieta," that shows Mary holding the lifeless body of her son after he was taken down from the cross, her sorrow preserved in marble. In England, in a tiny church outside of Dover, I saw a not-so-famous "Pieta" that I would take any day over the famous one. This one captured Mary as she lifted her son's limp arm and rested her cheek gently against the back of his hand. Her tenderness, mingled with her sorrow, moved me to tears.
Life is not always an easy road. It holds pain beyond measure and sorrow without end. Do you suppose, at this moment after her son was killed, that Mary wondered if it was really worth it? Do you suppose she asked God why He chose HER to suffer this much pain? Do you suppose she didn't even care that God would somehow be glorified through the hurt she was feeling?
Amid the rejoicing and glory of Christmas, so many of us feel the piercing of our soul. Families are torn apart, loved ones have left an empty place, children have gone astray. Sorrow doesn't take a break for Christmas.
Our God doesn't take a break, either. He knew, that Friday after the cross, that there was purpose, meaning, salvation, and abundant life still to come. But He kept silent. He didn't answer Mary's questions. He gave her time to mourn, to grieve, to question the "why" of it all. That "greatest joy to many others," including to Mary herself, would come later.
If you're not suffering this Christmas, let the joy of Christ overflow in you! But if your tears have been your food day and night, know that our Loving God understands. While He may not supply the answer to your every question, He WILL supply your every need.
Our Savior has been born! Our Redeemer lives! Blessed be the name of the Lord!
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