No sound comes out of graves.
But on a Saturday some 2000 years ago,
that silence was deafeningly loud at the tomb of Jesus.
Have you ever had one of your dreams dashed…to the point that it left you speechless? I can’t imagine seeing Jesus crucified on Friday and to have all my hopes as a disciple dashed and destroyed. How could He die? What will I do now? The silence screaming back at me from my dark questions would have been deafening.
It was a dark day in history. There have been other dark days. But I love what Ravi Zacharias has to say about the dark days of history – including the dark spots that stand as blemishes on the history of Christianity:
“As discomforting as it is to admit, much of what the church has had to face by way of criticism has been deserved. Much wrong has been perpetrated in history by people supposedly acting in the name of Christ. In many parts of the world today the church has a poor name, and a look back at her track record in those settings often reveals valid reasons for that contempt. But… the deviants often get more attention than do the normal.”
“But I point you not to them or to any man; rather, I point you to the person of Jesus Christ. Look at who He is and who He claims to be.”
“Do yourself a favor and get your eyes off of the shortcomings of institutions and people and history’s dark spots. Level your scrutiny at the person of Christ, and you will see the One who wears His Father’s coat very well.”
“Pilate said of Him, “I find no fault in this man. The thief on the cross said, “We receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Jesus looked at His fiercest opponents and said, “Which of you convinces me of any sin?” That last challenge could not have been made by any other religious leader, founder, or prophet. The sinfulness of each one of them is readily visible and undeniable.”
“Jesus alone stands without moral blemish.”
“Fairy tales are merely fantastic; Jesus Christ is fantastically true.”
The silence of Saturday was deafening, but the resurrection of Sunday was on its way!
Jesus is fantastically true, and so was His resurrection!
— brian rushing