March 26, 2016 (Saturday)
April 15, 2017 (Saturday)
March 31, 2018 (Saturday)
Indirectly defining the gospel, Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians (Chapter 15), reminding them of the message he had shared with them, that everything Christ had accomplished was “according to the Scriptures:”
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures..
Paul was careful to include the phrase “he was buried.” Why would this be important for us to emphasize? It states that Jesus really died. When they took his body from the cross, he was dead–really dead. Some were saying that Jesus never really died. But he did. On Saturday, the Sabbath, Jesus’ body lay in the cold, dark tomb that was donated by Joseph of Aramethea–a tomb that had been intended for use by Joseph and his family. Make no mistake about it: Jesus actually died.
The hymn we have chosen for this day speaks of his being in the grave, but we believers find it difficult to stop there and the song goes on to shout, “Up from the grave he arose!” Nevertheless, on Saturday, day 7 of Holy Week, Jesus lay still and lifeless in a borrowed tomb. He was dead. The resurrection, which took place on Sunday, was a real miracle!
