Tomorrow is Coming!

Jesus was taken that Friday evening, his lifeless body entrusted to Joseph of Arimathea, one of the followers of the Lord. Joseph took the body and prepared it for burial, and placed it in his own tomb. This tells me the quality of Joseph.  He had worked hard and chiseled out a tomb where his own body would be buried some day. Instead, Joseph's love for Jesus is seen in his compassion when he buried Jesus in the tomb he had prepared for himself. 

Saturday morning came, and the "elite," the chief priests and Pharisees reminded Pilate that Jesus had told them when he was alive, that he would rise again.  They suggested guards be placed at the entrance of the tomb, so the followers of Jesus couldn't steal the body and claim he was raised from the dead. Their orders were exact. "Take a guard, go make the tomb as secure as you know how."  Now the tomb is guarded and a seal is on the stone covering the tomb entrance. 

The chief priests and Pharisees must have felt a great sense of accomplishment.  Jesus was dead and now his guarded tomb would insure that he remained there. The teacher from Galilee was silenced and would soon be forgotten.

What about his followers?  What was happening with them on that Saturday?  No doubt they were perplexed. These were the men who had left their jobs and families and followed after Jesus. His teachings had promised them so much. His miracles were the proof he was the Holy One of God? What were they to do now. Jesus is dead?

We know the power of the story continues on Sunday morning, but allow me to direct your thinking to where we are so often just like his bewildered followers.  We know his promises, we believe his miracles, we are acquainted with his teachings.  Then we allow ourselves to become so burdened with life and its cares, we become removed from even thinking about the Lord. Doubt enters our hearts and minds as we wonder where he could be during our disasters. Why did he let us get sick?  Why didn't he do something to keep my loved one from dying? On and on go the questions and doubt, while the events of Sunday morning seem to disappear from our hearts and minds.

We know the resurrection story. We can repeat most of the verses that tell of the angel rolling away the stone, and the living Lord emerging from the tomb looking as bright as lightning and his clothing white as snow.  Tomorrow we will see more about his resurrection. 

The good news today is that tomorrow is coming and Jesus will be claiming his victory over Satan and the grave.  The Easter story supplies the fulfillment of all the claims of Jesus.  That's the reason I like to call Saturday the "keep the faith" day. Hang on one more day.  Satan is going to take a whipping. Because of Jesus death, burial and resurrection, our allegiance to following him, loving him, obeying him and trusting him, guarantees the victory is our, too. 

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