#DailyDevotion On The Seventh Day Jesus Rested From All His Work
Holy Saturday
Matt. 27:59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.
Yesterday we celebrated our Lord Jesus Christ being crucified on our behalf. It was his great work which merited for us eternal salvation. Now our Lord suffers the grave. Having died, he goes to rest with his fathers who all died before him. It is written, Gen 2:2 “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.” So now, the Lord Jesus rest again on the Sabbath from all the work he did in bringing us salvation.
Jesus must suffer the grave because we sinful men must suffer the grave. Now in his death, Jesus sanctifies all the graves of his people that they may not suffer it anymore. Jesus having been dead and buried suffered that for us that the pangs of death may no longer be suffered by those who die in faith in him. Heaven’s doors are open wide. The sanctuary in the throne room of God is made open to us. Eternal life has been won.
Even as Jesus has now rested from his works, we too get to rest from our works. When we came to faith in Christ, we rested from our works. St. Peter has written, 1 Pet. 4:1 “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.” Our rest is living in the will of God. We no longer have to obey sins desires and demand. The devil is no longer our taskmaster, though he may try to fool us into thinking he is. Nor do we have to be about doing good in order to please God and earn salvation. The Spirit dwells within us. While we may at times have to compel the flesh, Jesus himself dwells within us and moves us to do the good we ought to do. He has freed our minds and made them new. We do what God wants spontaneously and freely because he have given a new mind, new thoughts, new desires and affections that in accord with God will. That is our rest in Christ.
Heavenly Father, as Jesus rested in the tomb suffering our death, grant us to rest from our wicked works to live in the rest Jesus won for us to do you will and to live his life in ours. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.