Holy Week

Holy Saturday – The Selah of God

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Many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah Psalm 3:2 ESV

WE find the curious word “Selah” sprinkled here and there among the Psalms. Most scholars believe its meaning is similar to that of a rest in a musical composition. At a “Selah” moment, we are to pause and reflect on the melody that came before it and then prepare for what is to follow. In the same way, between the death of Christ on Friday and His resurrection on Sunday morning, is the Selah of Saturday when Jesus rested in the grave. No important activities, no miracles, or signs are mentioned in any of the gospels during those twenty-four hours. While the enemies of Christ were busy posting a guard, sealing the tomb, and worrying about His prophecy of rising from the dead, His followers simply went home and rested on the Sabbath. If, like those early disciples, you have been rocked by events beyond your control, and you are hiding behind closed doors, maybe it is God’s invitation to rest. Maybe He is offering this “Selah” moment, to look back and remember, not just the immediate difficulty, but also the many blessings that God has given in the past. He has given us life, and in Jesus we have hope and a home in Heaven. We have received God’s promises, His presence, and His precious Holy Spirit to comfort us. We have His mercy to forgive our sins and His grace to strengthen us in weakness. And on this quiet Holy Saturday, between the cross and resurrection morning we have this Selah of Saturday, when by faith we put all our hope in God and rest in His arms while we wait for the stone to roll away!

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On Saturday He Rested

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From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised  Matthew 16:21 ESV

We all know what happened on that first day, that terrible and blessed day on the cross. On the third day it is very clear that Jesus rose from the dead. But in spite of many ideas and even elaborate tales no one truly knows just what occurred on Holy Saturday. So can we ask the question, “What if Jesus simply rested? What if when Jesus said, “It is finished!” and gave His spirit into his father’s hands He just rested – without sorrow, suffering or demands of any kind for that day. What if after three and a half years of ministry in which it was said that he had nowhere to lay his head and scarcely time to eat that Jesus chose to rest in His Father’s ability to do all that needed to be done for the day.

close up photo of sleeping baby

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What if Jesus rested because it was the Sabbath? What if the same day on which the creation of the heavens was completed Jesus just paused to see everything that was good in the new creation now begun? What if there are times in our own lives when there is nothing more holy to do than nothing? What if on this Holy Saturday we could quietly reflect and rest in the completed work of Jesus Christ. What would our lives be like if for even one day we simply trusted God to do all?

 

Holy Week – Day 3

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And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.  Mark 14:3 ESV

Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.           John 12:3 NKJV

Though this is Holy Wednesday and the last day of Lent; I wanted to take a glance back to this banquet held in Jesus’ honor the week before. I had long been puzzled by the differences in the stories of the anointing of Jesus at Bethany; till I began to re-imagine the scene at the banquet. I saw Lazarus seated next to Jesus, with Martha serving the tables as the people slowly filled the room. Then Mary appeared in the doorway, holding her alabaster jar of perfumed oil. Silently she slipped through to where Jesus reclined and she breaks the seal on her jar pouring some on the head of Jesus. The power of the fragrance immediately filled the room. A momentary silence ensued as the guests stopped and turned to see what had happened. But then just as quickly, the air was filled with complaints about such a waste of resources being made. Mary kneels unashamed looking up to Jesus’ face and seeing His acceptance of her gift, she pours the rest of the perfumed oil on His feet and wipes them clean with her hair. No matter how she looked to others Mary was focused on only one thing. She still had more for Jesus! As we are traveling together towards the Passion of Christ this week, we should also ask; “Am I still all too worried about what everyone else will say?”, or can I say with Mary, “Master there’s still more!”