HOLY SATURDAY
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After this, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus—but secretly because of his fear of the Jews—asked Pilate that he might remove Jesus’ body. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and took his body away.
Nicodemus (who had previously come to him at night) also came, bringing a mixture of about seventy-five pounds of myrrh and aloes. They took Jesus’s body and wrapped it in linen cloths with the fragrant spices, according to the burial custom of the Jews.
There was a garden in the place where he was crucified. A new tomb was in the garden; no one had yet been placed in it. They placed Jesus there because of the Jewish day of preparation and since the tomb was nearby.
John 19:38-42
[They] left after rolling a great stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were seated there, facing the tomb.
The next day, which followed the preparation day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember that while this deceiver was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give orders that the tomb be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come, steal him, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”
“You have a guard of soldiers,” Pilate told them. “Go and make it as secure as you know how.” They went and secured the tomb by setting a seal on the stone and placing the guard.
Matthew 27:60b-66
Who has believed what we have heard?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
…he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains;
but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities;
punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.
We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way;
and the Lord has punished him for the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth.
Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep silent before her shearers,
he did not open his mouth.
For he was cut off from the land of the living; he was struck because of my people’s rebellion. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, but he was with a rich man at his death, because he had done no violence and had not spoken deceitfully.
After his anguish, he will see light and be satisfied. By his knowledge, my righteous servant will justify many, and he will carry their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him the many as a portion, and he will receive the mighty as spoil,
because he willingly submitted to death, and was counted among the rebels;
yet he bore the sin of many and interceded for the rebels.
Isaiah 53:1; 4-7; 8b-9; 11-12
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PRAYER POINTS
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1) Thank Jesus for His faithfulness to endure death for our sake so that we may know His
resurrection life. (reference for further reading: Romans 6:4-11; 2 Corinthians 4:7-11; 5:15; Philippians 2:5-11; 3:10-11;
Revelations 5:8-14)
Lord, we grieve to think of Your body enduring the overwhelming amount pain and suffering for us, and Your blood spilled out for our redemption. While we were still in rebellion, still choosing our own way, You loved us and paid the ultimate price to reconcile us to You and to the Father. By Your selfless act of love you saved us from this present evil age and have brought us into the age to come, the kingdom of God and resurrection life. We respond to You, in repentance, from living life our own way, and we open our hearts and our lives to You and receive Your free gift of new life. May the Lamb of God that was slain receive the reward of His suffering.
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*Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible, Copyright (c) 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Christian Standard Bible and CSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.