Silent Saturday

Where were His Disciples?

The disciples were silent. Nothing is mentioned about what they were doing during this Sabbath.

For three years, Jesus had taught the disciples, especially the twelve. They had watched Him do many miracles and even raise the dead. Then, he gave them the power to perform miracles and sent them out into the towns and villages two by two.

They had seen Him walk on water. How could they fall away so fast?

Matthew records that when the crowd came to arrest Jesus, ‘then all the disciples deserted him and fled.’ Matthew 26:56b NKJV

Scripture tells us very little about where they were hiding. However, it is for sure that they were not making noise or rioting in the streets because of the injustice of Jesus’ death.

What about us?

It is easy to sit here and judge these men. How about you? Do you feel that if you had walked the Holy Land with our Lord, you would never have deserted Him?

What about you? Are you proclaiming Him and His Word before all those you meet? Are you silent?

Personally, I have often been silent about what the Lord teaches and about my faith in Him. Therefore, it is very easy to judge the disciples for hiding when they see their lives threatened.

As always, we should look at ourselves first. What would we have done in the same circumstances? I dare say that we may have done the same thing.

Had He not told them?

We might say, had he not told them what was to happen?

Yes, He did, but they did not believe that this man from God, who they thought was the Messiah, could be killed. They thought He would be king over Israel and drive the Romans out. So the only scriptures they were concerned with were those that told of His coming kingdom.

He told them

Yes, He told them that He had to suffer and die at the hands of wicked men. What could they have thought that Jesus meant?

Jesus was very clear when He said to them in Matthew 17:22b-23a NKJV , “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, ²³and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.”

It is like us when we read the commands Jesus gave and decide that He did not really mean what He told us to do. We think, surely, that we are not expected to do what He told us to do or to love those who don’t love us. Jesus just said that as a suggestion. Right?

Would we be any different?

Probably not!

We would probably be silent if we were there too.

As Easter week plays out in our memories, we have a lot to consider. Every year, we consider what happened at this point in human history.

Each year we thank God for all that took place. Then after our days of thinking of Him, we tend to return to our old ways. For many, this is the only time they even attend church.

However, many of us are faithfully seeking God’s will in our lives, and I hope we are different. If we are, we have the accounts that the Apostles left us of their experience. It should help us be more faithful.