at the tomb

A reflection for Holy Saturday…

The day of waiting is upon us. Let us not rush into celebration. Yes, resurrection is coming, but it is not here yet. There has been death and for that we must grieve. In the mangled body of the lifeless Jesus we see the ultimate, sad conclusion of our sinful ways. We see the destruction that we are capable of when we let evil dig its claws into us and have its way.

And for that we weep. Our hearts should be full of sorrow, our face wet with tears. What have we done?! Look at the result of our wickedness! Look at the ugliness that has poured out of our hearts, how we have stomped our dirty feet over Goodness, beaten it until unrecognizable, and hung it on a cross to die a shameful death. Look at what we have done to the most perfect, blameless man that has ever walked the earth. 

Take a look at ourselves. Look at our brokenness. With our own two hands we murdered the one who created them. It wasn’t God, it was we who killed the author of life (Acts 3:15).

Today is when we sit with our sin, staring it in the face. Lifting it up and feeling the utter weight of it on our shoulders. This is when we see the ugliness in our hearts and beg for it to be taken from us. This is when we cry out for a Saviour. When the only words on our lips should be “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” 

Before there is new life, there must be pain. Anyone who has experienced childbirth knows this. Yes there are ways we can numb some of this pain, but birth is full of groaning. It is loud and it is messy and often agonizing. 

Today we sit in the discomfort of death as we hungrily wait for new life.

Does my life reflect this truth? Do I live as if the pain of the cross was necessary? Or do I live as if I would have been just fine without it? 

Am I aware of my depravity, my deep need for a Redeemer?

Every fibre of my being should be groaning today as I realize the depth of my sin and brokenness. At the tomb I should be found on my knees in desperation, crying out for forgiveness. Completely humbled and utterly wrecked by the greatest act of love that has ever been shown in all of history. 

For the cross is full of ugliness but in Christ it is also beautiful. It is where we threw on God all of our sin and he, in turn, poured out on us all of his love.