When Sabbath was Over
When Sabbath was Over
Words of Faith 4-26-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Mark 16
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. [2] Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb [3] and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"
[4] But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. [5] As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
[6] "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. [7] But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "
[8] Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
There is a remarkable newness that arrives at the end of the Sabbath. If you spend a Shabbat (Sabbath) in Israel or a predominantly Jewish area, the week concludes with preparations for this special day. There is a certain excitement as the sun sets: candles are lit, prayers of thanksgiving are recited, and a day of rest begins. A Jewish family will reflect upon the goodness of God and His provision of all that is needed in six days of work. At the end of the Shabbat, there is a fresh sense of a new beginning as businesses reopen and life resumes its cycle of labor and rest. It is a new day.
The Shabbat that began on the Saturday after Jesus died was remarkably different. After Jesus said, "It is finished," there was a profound rest. Just as the God Almighty had rested on the seventh day from the labor of creation, the Son of God rested from the labor of redemption, reconciliation, and re-creation. All creation rested and waited on this remarkable day.
As the evening came on that Shabbat, businesses would have reopened "as usual." Little did the shopkeepers know that nothing would ever be "usual" again. Nothing would ever be the same again. The women who had followed Jesus went to a business in the market and purchased some spices commonly used in burial. These spices were not for embalming as this was not a Jewish practice. The spices were mixed with oil and applied to the wrapped body of a loved one to counteract the smell of decay and allow loved ones to visit the body.
Visitation after death typically occurs during seven days of intense mourning called Shiva (meaning seven). This was normally followed by a Shloshim (thirty) 30-day period of lesser mourning and then by one year of more moderate mourning called Aveilut. The women were doing a great act of love as they came to the tomb of Jesus expecting to deal with the stench of death, but instead, they found only life. It was a new day. There would be no Shiva. No Shloshim. No Aveilut. No mourning. No death. No pain. Nothing would ever be the same.
The conclusion of the Shabbat began not just a new week but a whole new creation and a new life. As Paul put it, "Those who are in Christ are in the new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Cor. 5:17)
Sadly, some continue to dwell somewhere else in Holy Week. In an un-reconciled place, they attempt to work for their own salvation. Rather than rejoice in the finished work of Christ and receive His free offer of grace, they labor on. Rather than rejoice in life, they prepare to sit a Shiva of mourning. Rather than begin a new life, they dwell upon death.
Good News! The day of labor is over, and Christ has won salvation. Good News! Shabbat is concluded, and the age of Resurrection is here! Good News! He is alive.
Thank You, Lord, for Your free gift of new life. I choose to be in You. The old has passed away, and the new has come. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.