Nougat 30

Technically, Today’s Holy Nougat was part of a deep conversation *prior* to Jesus’ death; but it has so much value for this liminal, in-between day.

““Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.” ‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬ ‭NRSV‬‬

Holy Saturday

I don’t know that the disciples remembered this admonition from Jesus. They were most likely in a space of shell shock, probably mixed with a little guilt, hurt and anger.

Guilt, because not one of them stood by Him

Anger, at system that permitted people to demand the death of One Who’d done no wrong. (And perhaps a little bit at Jesus for not trying to save Himself. Whether angry or not, I suspect they forgot Isaiah’s prophecy:

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“He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭3‬, ‭7‬ ‭NRSV‬‬.)

For, had they remembered, they might also remember that He’d come again, or that He’d planned to prepare a space for them (see John 14:3,2 in that order).

As for the hurt, the day following a burial is rough; more so, after everyone has left, and the new normal has to be established. For the disciples, there might have been the acute sense of loss; both in the death of their leader, beloved by most of his followers, and the loss of identity as followers of Jesus.

When pain has no outlet, it sometimes manifests as anger. And they had ample sources to direct their anger.

At the people who shouted ‘Crucify Him’, having been in the celebratory throng earlier, saying, ‘Hosanna’.

At the religious leaders of the day who’d been plotting Jesus’ Death for some time, and had finally succeeded.

At the Roman government and Pax Romana, the system that allowed such a cruel death penalty

At themselves, and the fact that they each failed to save Jesus.

At Judas: for actually taking the bribe (who knows, they had probably all been approached individually to betray Jesus); and following through with that Kiss of Death.

At God, for forsaking Jesus and all creation, and leaving them behind to face the hurt and guilt.

Each of those are legitimate points of their potential anger. They might not have reached to that point in their grief. In fact, they might still have been scared. For if those folks had conspired to kill Jesus, who’d to say they wouldn’t also kill then outrightly? Wasn’t that why Peter denied Jesus.

It was the Sabbath.

I don’t think they were at rest. They most likely refrained from work, but their grief was still new, palpable.

God understood their grief.

And God had a brighter day in store. But not yet.

The Seed of God was splitting, transforming the soil from gravesite to nourishment. Taking Death captive; removing its sting.

This was not visible to Jesus’ survivors.

What they saw and experienced was a sealed tomb, privately owned.

In Life’s disappointments, how do we feel, what do we experience, Who/who do we see?

God is still at work!

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May all we seek be found in Christ