Audio By Carbonatix

Saturday, April 19, 2025

The Silence of the Tomb

“And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:17 NLT)

The day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday is known as Silent Saturday. Silent because the Bible has little to say about it, aside from a passage in Matthew 27 in which the leading priests and Pharisees ask Pilate to post guards at Jesus’ tomb to keep His disciples from stealing His body and claiming that He rose from the dead.

Silent because Jesus’ lifeless corpse had been sealed in a tomb.

Silent because it seemed there was nothing left to say. Death, it appeared, had gotten the final word.

Think about where Jesus’ disciples were on Silent Saturday—not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well. Judas Iscariot was dead. After he learned that Jesus was going to be put to death, he tried to return the thirty pieces of silver he’d been paid to betray Him. And then, unable to live with his guilt, he hanged himself.

Peter was disgraced and demoralized. After all his bold talk, he had hidden in the shadows while Jesus faced His accusers. Three times people had recognized him as one of Jesus’ disciples. And three times had Peter denied knowing Him.

John was taking care of Mary, as per Jesus’ instructions on the cross. The other disciples were scattered, hiding out in their safe houses. They were dumbfounded, terrified, and wondering whether they had wasted the previous three years of their lives.

Think about where the rest of the world was on Silent Saturday. The religious leaders and Roman authorities were congratulating themselves for taking care of their Jesus problem once and for all. No doubt they were looking forward to a return to normalcy. The people of Israel were looking for the next would-be messiah they could celebrate and then abandon.

The world was a place with no hope. A place where sin and death still reigned supreme. A place where Jesus, His teachings, and His miracles would soon fade from memory and be lost to history.

The apostle Paul wrote, “And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world” (1 Corinthians 15:17-19 NLT).

If the cross was the end for Jesus, we would have no hope for reconciling with God, no hope for eternal life, and nothing to look forward to beyond our brief time in this world. And the people to be pitied on Silent Saturday are the ones who understood those implications.

Silent Saturday was a dark day. And they say it’s always darkest before the dawn. Nowhere was it darker than inside Jesus’ tomb. But as the first lights appeared in the sky on Sunday morning, there was a stirring in that tomb, a rustling of grave clothes, as the promise of eternal life became a glorious reality.

Reflection question: In the silence of this Saturday before Easter, what is on your heart?

Copyright © 2025 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/doulos

For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com and weekly podcast on LifeAudio.com.

Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.

In thanks for your gift, you can receive a copy of The Jesus Discoveries by Jeremiah Johnston

Did Jesus really exist? Can we trust the Gospels? What does archaeology say about the resurrection? In The Jesus Discoveries, apologist and scholar Dr. Jeremiah Johnston unpacks 10 remarkable findings that support the New Testament and strengthen our understanding of who Jesus is. It’s accessible, engaging, and perfect for believers who want to be better equipped to answer tough questions with truth and compassion. Request your copy this month with your gift to Harvest Ministries.

Click here to find out more!

Audio By Carbonatix

Saturday, April 19, 2025

The Silence of the Tomb

“And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:17 NLT)

The day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday is known as Silent Saturday. Silent because the Bible has little to say about it, aside from a passage in Matthew 27 in which the leading priests and Pharisees ask Pilate to post guards at Jesus’ tomb to keep His disciples from stealing His body and claiming that He rose from the dead.

Silent because Jesus’ lifeless corpse had been sealed in a tomb.

Silent because it seemed there was nothing left to say. Death, it appeared, had gotten the final word.

Think about where Jesus’ disciples were on Silent Saturday—not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well. Judas Iscariot was dead. After he learned that Jesus was going to be put to death, he tried to return the thirty pieces of silver he’d been paid to betray Him. And then, unable to live with his guilt, he hanged himself.

Peter was disgraced and demoralized. After all his bold talk, he had hidden in the shadows while Jesus faced His accusers. Three times people had recognized him as one of Jesus’ disciples. And three times had Peter denied knowing Him.

John was taking care of Mary, as per Jesus’ instructions on the cross. The other disciples were scattered, hiding out in their safe houses. They were dumbfounded, terrified, and wondering whether they had wasted the previous three years of their lives.

Think about where the rest of the world was on Silent Saturday. The religious leaders and Roman authorities were congratulating themselves for taking care of their Jesus problem once and for all. No doubt they were looking forward to a return to normalcy. The people of Israel were looking for the next would-be messiah they could celebrate and then abandon.

The world was a place with no hope. A place where sin and death still reigned supreme. A place where Jesus, His teachings, and His miracles would soon fade from memory and be lost to history.

The apostle Paul wrote, “And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world” (1 Corinthians 15:17-19 NLT).

If the cross was the end for Jesus, we would have no hope for reconciling with God, no hope for eternal life, and nothing to look forward to beyond our brief time in this world. And the people to be pitied on Silent Saturday are the ones who understood those implications.

Silent Saturday was a dark day. And they say it’s always darkest before the dawn. Nowhere was it darker than inside Jesus’ tomb. But as the first lights appeared in the sky on Sunday morning, there was a stirring in that tomb, a rustling of grave clothes, as the promise of eternal life became a glorious reality.

Reflection question: In the silence of this Saturday before Easter, what is on your heart?

Copyright © 2025 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/doulos

For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com and weekly podcast on LifeAudio.com.

Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.

In thanks for your gift, you can receive a copy of The Jesus Discoveries by Jeremiah Johnston

Did Jesus really exist? Can we trust the Gospels? What does archaeology say about the resurrection? In The Jesus Discoveries, apologist and scholar Dr. Jeremiah Johnston unpacks 10 remarkable findings that support the New Testament and strengthen our understanding of who Jesus is. It’s accessible, engaging, and perfect for believers who want to be better equipped to answer tough questions with truth and compassion. Request your copy this month with your gift to Harvest Ministries.

Click here to find out more!