He Is Risen · Stop 4

What happened on the Saturday between the cross and Easter?

Jesus' body was laid in a tomb, and a stone was rolled across the door. His friends went home and waited. They didn't know Easter was coming. Today you'll sit in that quiet day, and find out why the church doesn't skip it.

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Holy Saturday

After Jesus died, a man named Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for his body. He wrapped it in cloth and laid it in a tomb cut out of rock. The women who had followed Jesus watched where he was laid. Then they rested on the Sabbath.

The creed says Jesus “descended to the dead.” Christians explain this in different ways. Many say it means Jesus really died, the way people die. It also means there is no place, not even death, where God can't reach.

Holy Saturday is a day for grief. If you have lost someone, you know what the disciples felt: sad, confused, and waiting. It's okay to feel that. God doesn't rush us through it.

Late on Saturday night, many churches hold the Easter Vigil. It starts in the dark. A new fire is lit, and a tall candle is carried in. People tell the great stories of God's rescue, and some are baptized. Then the lights come on, and it's Easter.

Read it in your Bible

Luke 23:50–56. Joseph of Arimathea, a good man who had not agreed with the council's plan, asks Pilate for Jesus' body. He wraps it and lays it in a new tomb. The women see where Jesus is laid, prepare spices, and rest on the Sabbath.
Psalm 130:5–6. The psalm writer says, I wait for the Lord with my whole self, and I hope in God's word. I wait for the Lord more than night guards wait for the morning.

The Apostles' Creed, and Luther's Evening Blessing

He was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead.

I thank Thee, my Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Thy dear Son, that Thou hast graciously kept me this day, and I pray Thee to forgive me all my sins, where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Thy hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Thy holy angel be with me, that the Wicked Foe may have no power over me. Amen.

Words to know

Tomb. The room cut into rock where Jesus' body was laid. It was sealed with a stone. On Sunday it wasn't.
Joseph. The man from Arimathea who asked Pilate for Jesus' body. When the others hid, he showed up and did what love needed.
Grief. The deep sadness that comes after a loss. Jesus' friends grieved too. God is close to people who are sad.
Vigil. The service on Easter eve that begins in darkness with a new fire. A vigil means staying awake and watching. The light comes.
Morning. What the psalm writer waits for, more than night guards do. Waiting in the dark is real. So is the morning.