The cross was down as the sun came up on that Sabbath. I’m guessing many has a sleepless night after the crucifixion and probably fell asleep from exhaustion. A well needed rest for the restless.

Sabbaths were made for man . . . and a special one for the Son of Man. How to you make time? My wife occasionally asks if I’ve made time for her. I get it. Put aside every distraction and focus on her . . . the love of my life. We don’t have to DO anything. We just have to BE as one.

Those that have a neat lists of do’s and don’t can be critical of wasting time sleeping on Sabbath but, it’s a day of rest. Rest from labors, rest from doing ordinary things so we can remember special things: free to think and heal, free to worship, free to love and, yes, free to cuddle and sleep in the assurance of victory as Jesus did on this special day.

After healing the crippled at the pool of Bethesda, Jesus was condemned for doing it on the Sabbath. He replied that he and his Father were still working. The keeper of Israel never sleeps or slumbers. I propose that this Sabbath in the grave was the one time Jesus completely rested, from his work as a human and from bearing the weight of our disobedience. God was in charge that day.

We use human words and illustrations to try and understand God and spirituality. They are woefully inadequate, but we must try. We must look with searching eyes. We see through an obscure glass, but when he returns we will see more clearly and hear those things which which we are not ready for now.

It is now clear that Jesus was born as the God-man, lived as we live and died at Golgotha as we must die on earth, so we can live as he lives . . . forever. We are blessed with interludes of restful sleep and the assurance of being resurrected. Let’s put all of our weight on the grounding Jesus, and be at peace. We will rise again . . . as he did! Oh Happy Sabbath!

—Larry Smith