Silent Saturday: Rest and Have Patience, for the Lord is Coming.
Scripture
Jesus Is Buried, Luke 23:50-56
Jesus Is Buried, Luke 23:50-56
Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.
The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath, they rested according to the commandment.
Anticipation has been felt by everyone over the age of 2, and it's a powerful feeling. Albert Einstein had to wait years until the scientific community recognized the value of his general theory of relativity; Mahatma Gandhi fasted for twenty-one days at a time to end the British stranglehold on his homeland; and Nelson Mandela sat in prison for 27 years, waiting for South African Apartheid to end once and for all. This feeling, I suspect, was prevalent among the loyal disciples of Jesus of Nazareth on the day after his death.
The day is aptly named, for there has never been a quieter day than there was during the death of Christ. If we look for what the Bible says about what Jesus' flock was doing during this day, we find that there isn't much material to go off of. This is crucial: the day, apparently, was uneventful. That isn't to say it wasn't important! There simply was nothing happening on this day, sandwiched between two monumental days. The followers of Jesus obeyed the Sabbath and rested on that Saturday, as did Jesus himself.
This, we feel, is one of the greatest lessons we can learn from Holy Week. Not a second of time will pass faster if you will it so. So rest. No, we mean it - take a moment now to rest for one minute. It doesn't matter where you are. Set a timer on your phone, then put it down. Close your eyes. Don't focus on the time or anything else in the future. Take a deep breath, and focus on your surroundings. I'll wait for you to finish.
If you did it right, that minute was peaceful. I hope it was quiet, and I hope you spent it in contemplation. That feeling of serenity is anticipation's antidote. That feeling of being present with yourself is crucial not only to a healthy mind but, according to scripture, a healthy soul, too. So from this, we take away a vital piece of advice, or perhaps a command: rest and have patience, for the Lord is coming.
Artwork
Poetry
"The House Was Quiet and the World Was Calm" by Wallace Stevens
This poem echoes the tranquility and contemplation we should have on Silent Saturday. The house is completely quiet, and the world is entirely still. To an outside observer, the reader, at peace in his home with a book he enjoys, seems almost languid: he doesn't move from his chair for hours, engrossed in his book. On the contrary, the reader in the poem is practicing the essential, sacred duty of resting.
The poem is set on a summer's night. However, one could easily imagine it taking place on Saturday, April 4th, 33 CE: the reader in the poem has witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus Christ the previous day, and, as per the commandments of the Mosaic law, he stays home and rests on the Sabbath. The Savior has died, and the world is still, quiet, at rest.
He could spend the day mourning the loss of Jesus, but he knows that won't make him return any sooner. On the other hand, the reader could spend the day anxiously awaiting the time passing, but he also knows that would be breaking the spirit of the Sabbath law: both when creating the world and redeeming it, the Lord rested on this day, and as such, we should rest on this day as well. So the reader does just that: in a silent world and home, he rests, patiently waiting for the return of Christ.
Music
Apple Blossom by Peter Garland
"Apple Blossom" is an extended piece for the marimba written by Peter Garland in 2008. On its surface, it seems like a straightforward composition - it consists of one continuous roll, interspersed with notes, for ten minutes. However, "Apple Blossom" is meant to be played on three marimbas with at least four skilled players. When listening to it, one feels almost suspenseful, eagerly awaiting the point at which the piece becomes more sophisticated; this moment never comes - the composition ends as gently as it began. After a few minutes of listening, that feeling of anticipation remains, but it is shrouded by a sense of calm, relaxing the listener with soothing, euphonious notes.
We should feel the same sensation of rest during Silent Saturday. Until Jesus returns, we rest and wait, and only in that order.
Devotion
Hitched breath. Tense muscles. Your heart is beating out of control and a kaleidoscope of butterflies is making themselves at home in your stomach. Something's coming; you know it for sure, and you want it desperately, but it's just not quite here yet. That feeling of anticipation, the sense of longing for time to simply defy its routine to save you the agonizing wait. Time, unfazed, disregards your eagerness and proceeds at a torturously slow pace as if to spite you.
Anticipation has been felt by everyone over the age of 2, and it's a powerful feeling. Albert Einstein had to wait years until the scientific community recognized the value of his general theory of relativity; Mahatma Gandhi fasted for twenty-one days at a time to end the British stranglehold on his homeland; and Nelson Mandela sat in prison for 27 years, waiting for South African Apartheid to end once and for all. This feeling, I suspect, was prevalent among the loyal disciples of Jesus of Nazareth on the day after his death.
Christ had said he would return, that his work was not finished, so those few who remained faithful waited. They sanctified his tomb, and on Silent Saturday, a Sabbath day, they rested. Could you imagine? You witnessed the most horrific tragedy in human history just the day before, and tomorrow will bring the greatest triumph. And you're stuck in between, still reeling from the former and waiting with bated breath for the arrival of the latter. This time of waiting can seem excruciating, but it shouldn't.
When God created the world, he rested on the last day of the week, and ever since, that was his example for us to follow. When God rests on the seventh day, how does he spend it? Of course, we cannot know for sure, but we can be confident that he didn't spend it pacing his room, or fidgeting with his coat sleeves, or grumbling about how long the wait was. He relaxed: that's the very definition of resting. You can't exactly rest if you're constantly worrying about tomorrow.
When God created the world, he rested on the last day of the week, and ever since, that was his example for us to follow. When God rests on the seventh day, how does he spend it? Of course, we cannot know for sure, but we can be confident that he didn't spend it pacing his room, or fidgeting with his coat sleeves, or grumbling about how long the wait was. He relaxed: that's the very definition of resting. You can't exactly rest if you're constantly worrying about tomorrow.
The day is aptly named, for there has never been a quieter day than there was during the death of Christ. If we look for what the Bible says about what Jesus' flock was doing during this day, we find that there isn't much material to go off of. This is crucial: the day, apparently, was uneventful. That isn't to say it wasn't important! There simply was nothing happening on this day, sandwiched between two monumental days. The followers of Jesus obeyed the Sabbath and rested on that Saturday, as did Jesus himself.
This, we feel, is one of the greatest lessons we can learn from Holy Week. Not a second of time will pass faster if you will it so. So rest. No, we mean it - take a moment now to rest for one minute. It doesn't matter where you are. Set a timer on your phone, then put it down. Close your eyes. Don't focus on the time or anything else in the future. Take a deep breath, and focus on your surroundings. I'll wait for you to finish.
If you did it right, that minute was peaceful. I hope it was quiet, and I hope you spent it in contemplation. That feeling of serenity is anticipation's antidote. That feeling of being present with yourself is crucial not only to a healthy mind but, according to scripture, a healthy soul, too. So from this, we take away a vital piece of advice, or perhaps a command: rest and have patience, for the Lord is coming.
Artwork
"Let Him Rest" by Briton Rivière
This art piece portrays an obedient dog staying by a knight's side. The dog doesn't appear sad, only patient; it doesn't know that the knight has long since died.
We, however, have the luxury of knowing that our master will soon return. In this way, the painting shows the restful patience we Christians show on Silent Saturday, waiting for the inevitable return of our Savior on Easter Sunday.
On the first Silent Saturday, according to Luke 23:56, the women close to Jesus "returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath, they rested according to the commandment." Even after the most (no pun intended) earth-shaking day in human history, the women rested on Silent Saturday.
Poetry
"The House Was Quiet and the World Was Calm" by Wallace Stevens
The house was quiet and the world was calm.
The reader became the book; and summer night
The reader became the book; and summer night
Was like the conscious being of the book.
The house was quiet and the world was calm.
The house was quiet and the world was calm.
The words were spoken as if there was no book,
Except that the reader leaned above the page,
Except that the reader leaned above the page,
Wanted to lean, wanted much most to be
The scholar to whom his book is true, to whom
The scholar to whom his book is true, to whom
The summer night is like a perfection of thought.
The house was quiet because it had to be.
The house was quiet because it had to be.
The quiet was part of the meaning, part of the mind:
The access of perfection to the page.
The access of perfection to the page.
And the world was calm. The truth in a calm world,
In which there is no other meaning, itself
In which there is no other meaning, itself
Is calm, itself is summer and night, itself
Is the reader leaning late and reading there.
Is the reader leaning late and reading there.
This poem echoes the tranquility and contemplation we should have on Silent Saturday. The house is completely quiet, and the world is entirely still. To an outside observer, the reader, at peace in his home with a book he enjoys, seems almost languid: he doesn't move from his chair for hours, engrossed in his book. On the contrary, the reader in the poem is practicing the essential, sacred duty of resting.
The poem is set on a summer's night. However, one could easily imagine it taking place on Saturday, April 4th, 33 CE: the reader in the poem has witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus Christ the previous day, and, as per the commandments of the Mosaic law, he stays home and rests on the Sabbath. The Savior has died, and the world is still, quiet, at rest.
He could spend the day mourning the loss of Jesus, but he knows that won't make him return any sooner. On the other hand, the reader could spend the day anxiously awaiting the time passing, but he also knows that would be breaking the spirit of the Sabbath law: both when creating the world and redeeming it, the Lord rested on this day, and as such, we should rest on this day as well. So the reader does just that: in a silent world and home, he rests, patiently waiting for the return of Christ.
Music
Apple Blossom by Peter Garland
"Apple Blossom" is an extended piece for the marimba written by Peter Garland in 2008. On its surface, it seems like a straightforward composition - it consists of one continuous roll, interspersed with notes, for ten minutes. However, "Apple Blossom" is meant to be played on three marimbas with at least four skilled players. When listening to it, one feels almost suspenseful, eagerly awaiting the point at which the piece becomes more sophisticated; this moment never comes - the composition ends as gently as it began. After a few minutes of listening, that feeling of anticipation remains, but it is shrouded by a sense of calm, relaxing the listener with soothing, euphonious notes.
We should feel the same sensation of rest during Silent Saturday. Until Jesus returns, we rest and wait, and only in that order.
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