The Day After the Cross

Identity Found in God

The Redeemer and the Redeemed
The Redeemer
The Day Before the Cross
The Day of the Cross
The Day After the Cross
Living as the Redeemed

The Day After the Cross
 
The Silence
The only scripture that refers to this day is found in Matthew 27:62-66, “The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”  “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.”
 
The guards were nervous.  They didn’t want anything to get in the way – no shenanigans!  They did everything to secure the tomb.  If they only knew what was going to happen!
 
On this day there is no mention of what the followers of Jesus were doing or thinking.  I can only imagine the confusion, the sorrow, the fear.  Was there any expectation at all that they would see Him the next day?
 
A time of waiting.  Just as it was when the high priest entered the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement.  As the people waited in the temple, while the high priest was offering all their sins to God, I’m sure it was a time of reflection, conviction, examination.  There was a period of time when they waited to see if the high priest would come back to declare forgiveness, to proclaim God’s acceptance of the sacrifice.  This was such a day.  Our High Priest entered the real Most Holy Place, in the presence of God, as a sacrifice.  People were waiting, wondering what will happen next.
 
Take today and consider the freedom we have on this side of the cross.  Don’t take the forgiveness of our sins for granted.  Reflect.  Understand.  Be convicted.  Examine.  What has Jesus put before the Father for you?  Be humbled.  Be ever so grateful for this day of waiting when your High Priest took it all from you and stood before the Father on your behalf.