Thought for Today
Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (NKJ)
Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
Luke 23:55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56 Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
John 20:19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."
The Jewish Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday and lasts until sundown on Saturday. In the 1st century and in the 21st century, Saturday was and is the Sabbath. “Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. . . 10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work “
The Crucifixion occurred on Friday. On that Saturday 2020+ years ago, the disciples and all those who believed in Jesus were compelled to rest, to even refrain from preparing Jesus’ body for a proper burial. John tells us that even later, after hearing of the empty tomb, “the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews.”
Jesus’ disciples huddled in fear, waiting for that ‘knock on the door.’ If you have ever read about or seen a movie about WWII, you know about that ‘knock on the door.’ As far back as there have been doors, there has been the fear and dread of that ‘knock on the door.’ Fear of the Gestapo, the NKVD, the Tonton Macoute or some other brutal, repressive group operating in secret. “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—/Because I was not a socialist./Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—/Because I was not a trade unionist/Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—/Because I was not a Jew./Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.” [the poetic form of a 1946 post-war confessional prose by the German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984), from Wikipedia]
Jesus’ followers, like so many others over the centuries, were huddled in fear, fear of “their” coming for those disciples. Fear of being persecuted and/or killed for their belief and faith in Jesus as the Christ.
I do not like the word ‘fear’ in the Bible. It is a frequently encountered word, appearing around 350 times, depending on the translation. The Greek word is φόβος (phobos); and, it does mean fear as we understand it. It can also, however, mean respect, reverence or awe. In the case of the events of Holy Week, the more common understanding would be fear. And, on this day 2020+ years ago, the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews.”
Tomorrow, throughout Christendom, followers of the Way will celebrate the Empty Tomb. For us, tomorrow is a glorious day, for many the most holy day of each year. Like those early disciples, we have heard that ‘crazy story’ about an empty tomb. We live today in the afterglow of the Empty Tomb. We know of the brave faith of those women who rested on the Sabbath, but who then returned on the next day to prepare Jesus’ body for its final entombment.
We today know of those wonderful words spoken by that young man sitting in the empty tomb, “Mark 16:6 Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you."
Tomorrow is God’s affirmation of Jesus. The disciples had heard and we have heard God’s words, “Matthew 17:5 "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!"“ We know that they did listen and we have listened. They and we now know fear as awe, respect and reverence.
Stay safe, listen to the Risen Lord, trust God,
Pastor Ray