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Every year, on the day between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday (Easter) my thoughts and emotions are in a peculiar state. My prayers reflect that as well.

I know the cross represents our joy, because of what was accomplished at the cross. But remembering the cross yesterday is always a celebration tinged with sadness. What Jesus had to go through provokes me to sadness.

Tomorrow, the Resurrection marks the victory over death. That's an occasion for pure joy.

But what about today? What was Jesus doing on the Saturday between death and resurrection? It was a day of repose. Was He reposing? Or was there some other work for Him? Should I be reposing in some way? Or should I be moving forward in the works God has prepared for me?

What about you? What does this Saturday mean to you?

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Not all those who wander are lost.

That's a good question. The Bible doesn't say specifically what Christ did on this day. Ephesians tells us He descended into the lower parts of the earth. Eph 4:9-13 (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." NIV

Personally on these Saturdays before Easter I use them for preparing for Easter. This could be studying for a lesson or sermon, culinary treats, decorations and such.

i have had this Q in the past but i allowed life to get in the way

right now i'm grieving the loss of my beloved dog -- maybe his passing yesterday will help me feel better about tomorrow -- i do not know

Paco, I am sorry about your dog passing. My wife and I had a dog for 16 years and we, because of her poor health, had her put to sleep. We both cried. It is almost like losing a child. I am truly sorry for your loss.

There was a discussion in Christianity Today on whether or not pets would be in heaven.

We do know that through Christ, due to His resurrection, a better day will be coming.

1 Peter 3:19 offers suggestions as well. It is hard to grasp what the Lord did on Saturday. He saved the souls caught in paradise, the old testament righteous who were looking forward to his covering.

He was always commited to His Father's work. I like to think he was working in a spiritual dimension on Saturday.

It is real hard for me to grasp this concept of God dying. I mean, it's easy to understand the word of the Lord becoming manifest in the flesh and taking up residence among us. And I can understand his fleshly death on the cross. But I can't take away his immortality, He has the power to give life.


What scriptures, if any, reference Christ dying a "spiritual" death?

Wow. I've spent decades trying to wrap my head around the mystery of the incarnation.

I have a verse that i have always thought interesting:

John 20:17

and Haggai 2:10-13

And then the Book of Hebrews, chapter 8, and around there. It leads me to believe Christ was very active in the spiritual world on saturday, and easter Sunday.


HAPPY EASTER!

May you expound more about how the word incarnated? Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

Thank you.

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How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Isaiah 52:7

What is interesting in this two verse and how do you relate it both?

Thanks.

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How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Isaiah 52:7

What I meant is that I can comprehend how the Word of God becomes physical. God spoke, and the heavens and earth were created. Jesus is the Word of God. I can see the power, action, force, of God being executed through His Word. Kind of like, before time, and space, and matter, God said "I Am", and He existed as Jesus in the dimension of time, and space, and matter- the existence He created. It's easy to comprehend because it is the actions of God.

What I have a hard time grappling with is how one can "kill" God. Isn't God beyond that dimension of life? I can't comrehend Jesus as being spiritually dead. I see him very alive spiritually, even without his mortal body.

And on Jesus saying "touch me not" to Mary, and the Prophet Haggai asking about the ritual purity laws, and Hebrews 8; I figure Jesus said that to Mary because no man born of Adam was spiritually pure to touch the sacrifice and enter into the most holy place of the heavenly realm.
Mary was a sinner, without an atonement sacrifice, without the blood of Christ sprinkeld ont he altar in heaven as a covering for her sin. She was not ritually pure, not capable of serving as a High Priest to carry the sacrifice to the Most Holy Place in Heaven's tabernacle. Christ was ritually pure, able to serve as the High Priest, and able to serve as the sacrifice, and enter the most holy place in Heaven to sprinkle his blood on the alter to make atonement for sin.

Hebrews 9:11-12

Strider

I came across a very interesting little article about that Saturday ... and if I can find it again, will post the link.

Basically the thought was, that Saturday was the day of waiting ......

We tend to want God to do things instantly .... I know that when I am in pain and I cry out to God for relief - I want that relief now (if not sooner!) .....

But so often I have to wait for God's good timing .... and so here ....

remember what they threw at Jesus on the Cross ..."IF you are the Christ, come down NOW from the cross"..... but Jesus did not (although He could have c/w Matt.26:53) ....

Think how comforting for those who loved Him for the resurrection to occur immediately, or even on Saturday morning ... but no

For me it was a lesson on waiting for God's perfect timing .... a lesson in trust ... a lesson in abandoning myself and those I love into the hands of the God Who is called Good, and Who loves us ... even to the extent of the cross.

There are other theological arguments no doubt ... but that was my meditation.

blessings

Dinah

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Dinah -- i like that thought

am unfortunately an impatient 1 but do appreciate my need for patience -- thank you for the reminder

Jeff,
The notion that Jesus was somehow not wanting to be defiled by Mary laying hold of him misses what Jesus is getting at...i.e., that she desired to hold onto him, but he had other intentions. It was not really a matter of touch, but of clinging.

I am left to wonder about your understanding of the incarnation if in fact only one sides seems so difficult for you to comprehend. It suggests to me you have given an undo precedence to Christ Jesus' deity that actually dehumanizes him. Or at least that is my reading of your several comments in this thread. I find myself undone at times in my contemplation of the person and work of Jesus the Christ. This one who is God become man. This man who was (and is) Very Man. I am called again and again to meditation on who he is and, thus, to the revelation of God and Man. If you have somehow actually discerned one particular aspect and find it comprehensible...then blessings to you brother, but I have not found such enlightenment (even as I am overcome in the continuing revelation of Christ Jesus).

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"touch me not, for I have not yet ascended to my Father".

I think Christ was in the process of passing through the heavenly tabernacle, to sprinkle his blood on the altar in Heaven, to make atonement for our souls. Christ was the sacrifice, a holy thing. He could not come into contact with a sinner, or an unclean thing, because it would defile the sacrifice, as described in Haggai.

When we see him in the Gospels again, he's telling Thomas to stick his hand in his side! Something was going on there in that time. I think it pertains to Christ's work in the heavenly realm.


It's easy for me to understand God becoming a man, because it is caused by the power of God. What is impossible for God to do? It's easy for me to understand the creation of our existence, because it is the power of God that causes it.
What is difficult for me to grasp is man having the power to kill God. Yes, I believe Jesus really died on the cross, I believe his spirit had left the body, he was dead. But they didn't kill God. I believe Christ was very active in the spiritual world.

It kind of reminds me of the reformers' belief that all that we saw in Christ in his earthly ministry, isn't all of Christ. There's more to Christ that we haven't seen yet.