What Happened Between Good Friday And Resurrection Sunday?

“On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.” Matthew 27:62-66 NKJ

As the stone was rolled in front of the tomb I can only imagine what the atmosphere of that town was like as everyone waited to see what would transpire over the next 48 hours. And as the morning sun rose on the second day, can you imagine what that day was like for the people who had witnessed His persecution and crucifixion? For those who loved Him and followed Him all the way to the Cross; it was a day of deep mourning and prayer. They were waiting with hopeful expectation that He would be raised from the dead on the third day.

For those who loved Him, followed Him, and abandoned Him; it was a day of deep mourning and regret. They knew they had turned their backs on Him and they were living that day riddled with guilt. And for those who hated Him and crucified Him; it was a day of terror because Jesus had proclaimed that on the third day He would be raised from the dead. They were running in fear trying to ensure that no one could steal His body and make a claim that He did rise from the dead.

We often think of these three scenarios but how often do we think about what the day after was like for Jesus? What was He doing and how was He feeling? For Him it was not a day of mourning, it was a day of rejoicing; for He was on His way to the lower parts of the earth to destroy the devil’s power over death, once and for all! For him it was a day of victory because His father’s plan was being completed. This plan would ensure His children, who believe in Him, would never be separated from Him again!

It was a day of ministering to the dead who were in spiritual prison, so they could be judged according to men in the flesh. It was a day of great elation because in accepting His Father’s commission to become sin on the Cross, He made a way for us to become righteous in Him! It was a day of reconciliation because on that day He led captivity captive, releasing us from being slaves to sin, and making us able to be slaves to righteousness, held captive by his love forever!

For Jesus the day after crucifixion was the prelude to a New Covenant with His people! It was the introduction of new life for all who believe in Him. It was the lead up act of love that would fill all things with Himself once He returned to the Father’s side! The day after the crucifixion was not a day of rest for Jesus! It was a day of labor for our salvation, restoration, and reconciliation from the sin that Adam and Eve committed in the Garden of Eden!

This one day in history, that often gets overlooked, was one of the most crucial details of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that is worthy of our meditation and reflection! It was liberation day for all who believe; for on this day satan’s power over death was stripped from Him and the gates of hell can no longer prevail over us because of what Jesus did on the day after His crucifixion!

Jesus holds the keys of death and Hades and we do not have to fear either one any longer. They have no hold on us and cannot consume us because we have been made alive in Christ and we have become partakers with Him as we hold our confidence through our faith in Him.

Prayer: As we get prepared to celebrate Resurrection Day tomorrow let us join together as fellow believers in Jesus Christ and pray for those who do not know Him. Let us also pray for those who know Him but have abandoned Him like the disciples did on the day of His crucifixion. And let us pray for one another as we wait with hopeful expectation for the day of His return.