In the beginning the Lord completed His creation work in 6 days and then set aside the 7th day to be a day of rest. He was teaching the people of Israel the importance of rest on the Sabbath.  Also a time of rest for the land every 7th year.

 The Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai: ² “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you, the land will observe a Sabbath to the Lord. ³ You may sow your field for six years, and you may prune your vineyard and gather its produce for six years. ⁴ But there will be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land in the seventh year, a Sabbath to the Lord: you are not to sow your field or prune your vineyard. ⁵ You are not to reap what grows by itself from your crop, or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. It must be a year of complete rest for the land. ⁶ Whatever the land produces during the Sabbath year can be food for you—for yourself, your male or female slave, and the hired hand or foreigner who stays with you. ⁷ All of its growth may serve as food for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. ⁸ “You are to count seven sabbatical years, seven times seven years, so that the time period of the seven sabbatical years amounts to 49. ⁹ Then you are to sound a trumpet loudly in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month; you will sound it throughout your land on the Day of Atonement. ¹⁰ You are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim freedom in the land for all its inhabitants. It will be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and each of you to his clan. ¹¹ The fiftieth year will be your Jubilee; you are not to sow, reap what grows by itself, or harvest its untended vines. ¹² It is to be holy to you because it is the Jubilee; you may only eat its produce directly from the field. ¹³ “In this Year of Jubilee, each of you will return to his property.            (Leviticus 25)

I got to thinking about the Sabbath between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  Jesus on that Sabbath was dead and buried in a tomb. Imagine with me the Silence of that Sabbath.  God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit knew what was coming on Sunday, but did the Angels?  The Bright Morning Star, The Lily of the Valley, The Son of God, The Bread of Life, The Living Water, The Word, The Hope of Heaven had been brutally killed on the Cross and now lay in the tomb.  Had death won? I think there was Silence in Heaven on this Sabbath.  What about Hell, did Satan hold his breath, waiting to see if the grave would hold Jesus?  Silence on this Sabbath for the religious leaders who had condemned Jesus out of their jealousness and greed.  Silence on this Sabbath for Pilate who sentenced Jesus to death.  Silence on this Sabbath for Judas who lay dead after betraying Jesus.  Silence on this Sabbath for Peter who had denied he even knew Jesus.  Silence on this Sabbath for the Disciples who all fled Jesus in His hour of need.  On that Sabbath the creation itself held it’s breath in Silence.

Oh but for Jesus it was a day of rest, because just like after the 49th year of Sabbath of Sabbaths, the 50th year would be the year of Jubilee, so the day after this Sabbath would be the ultimate year of Jubilee.  A trumpet of victory would sound as the stone was rolled back and Jesus arose from the dead!  Atonement had been made for our sins.  Freedom could be declared for all those who will believe in His name.  Jesus can now reclaim His property, that which was lost to sin can now be redeemed through the blood of Jesus!

Easter should be celebrated as a year of Jubilee. Freedom is declared to those who had been slaves to sin.  Sin, death and Satan have been defeated.  In Heaven, the Silence turned to shouting and singing. For Peter and the disciples their Silence and fear turned to Hope and Faith.  For the religious leaders and Pilate their Silence turned to surprise and fear.  For Hell the Silence remained and their defeat was declared.  The cat (Lion of Judah) had the Devil’s tongue.

On this Sabbath we remember the death and burial of Jesus.  But tomorrow we celebrate the year of Jubilee with shouting and singing because Jesus our Savior is Risen and He is Risen indeed!

Life is a journey, learn on the way! Till next time stay in the Scripture!

Pastor Jon