“When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!’”
Matthew 27:54
The day between Good Friday and Easter is widely known as a day of anticipation. It is a very silent Saturday. One we wait with joy during, while others 2000 years ago, with confusion and great grief.
As I focused on remembering the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for us this week, and what that truly means for us, the word “realize” kept coming up. Sometimes in my mind during prayer, reading the Bible, and during conversations with others.
The drastic difference of how Jesus was treated on Palm Sunday to Good Friday was one that angered me. I couldn’t understand how people could change their view of Him that much in just a few days, especially having seen and heard all He’s done right before their very eyes.
But during that trial, amidst the beatings, and on that cross, they simply did not realize who Christ truly was. So they rejected Him in hopes to save themselves.
As much as I wish I could change the way people treated Jesus that day, looking from the perspective I have from 2000 years ahead of them, I understand why He had to do what He did. Yet sometimes, if I am honest, I find myself still coming to realize the reality of a life with Christ as my Lord and my savior.
It is as though a new infatuation with who He is and how His heart is towards us arises again and again despite having known about what He did for me on the cross since middle school.
This brought me to tears the other day as I sat, reading the crucifixion account in Matthew after having just finished Judges 10.
Despite the repetitive rebellion of the Israelites, we see the deep love God has for His people in verse 16 as it reads, “Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer.”
My heart is overwhelmed with feelings I cannot describe besides gratitude and simultaneous grief. How hard must it have been, for our God, who couldn’t bare to watch us in misery even as sinful as we were, to then refrain from intervening in the brutal beating of His Son?
God’s goodness is revealed all throughout every page in Scripture, and many of us have heard or personally experienced an expression of grace from the Lord…and yet we still walk through days, months, and even years content without the realization of the love God expressed on the cross for us.
I am sitting on a plane back to my hometown as I write this. And in front of me, a young boy sits with total awe of this experience. I have flown more times than I can count, and all that runs in my mind every flight is, “Don’t cry. Turbulence is just air pockets….or something like that”.
So as I was praying God spare us from a tragic crash during take off, I hear total amazement come from the child in front of me.
“wow! look at that! we’re so high! we’re so much bigger than those houses!….”
I could not help but smile and think, how often do I fly and not even realize this beautiful view of God’s creation from a perspective I could never attain on my own.
I fear we walk through life so blind to the reality of what a life with unity in Christ means. We may feel obligated to go to church, or to obstain from the things scripture tells us is a sinful lifestyle, but then we sit through days as though we are alone.
As someone who struggles with great anxiety and hopelessness so very often, I am so sad that most times, I fall into the hole of sorrow God already showed me He claimed victory over. Yet I make my bed among the dead because I do not realize the truth. I know it, but I do not believe it sometimes amidst my doubt.
Perhaps the roughness of this world has made our heart hardened to the idea of true joy. Of genuine awe regardless of our circumstances.
My dear friend, on this Silent Saturday, as we stand in between the death and resurrection of Christ, would we not allow busyness, anxiety, hopelessness, pride, or a false idea of maturity to prevent us from realizing who our God is, what He has done, and what all that means for our life now.
I am still learning to realize this, but it has been the truth that makes me cry in awe: Yes, Jesus surrendered to the Father’s will by giving Himself up to pay our debt, but it was all driven by a longing to redeem us. It was the greatest form of love one could give to another. And the Perfect, Holy God chose us, broken and rebellious people to do it all for.
After the death of Jesus, the Centurian standing by finally came to realize whose death He was witnessing. His position and authority did not matter before the reality of who God was and what He had just done for his sake.
May we never be so prideful to consider ourselves outside the bounds of that love and grace.
Thoughts to Consider:
What do you allow to distract you from the new life God has offered you through surrendering to His love and grace?
When are the times in your life you notice you live without the realization of who your God is? Why do you think that is?
How can you adjust your schedule to dedicate time towards truly sitting in awe of the Lord and His ways?
Consider the way your thoughts, heart, and actions will be transformed as you become more aware of the presence of God in every second of your life.
“When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!’” – Matthew 27:54
The Grace Street Blog 
Leave a comment