Read Luke 23:50-24:12
Good Friday began with the Sanhedrin—the religious council—pressing for Jesus’ death. But now we meet Joseph. He too was a member of that same council, yet he had not consented to their decision. Luke tells us he was “looking for the kingdom of God.”
Now, on this Day of Preparation, Joseph tends to the lifeless body of the One who ushers in that very kingdom. He wraps Him in linen and lays Him in a tomb where no one had yet been laid.
The crucifixion had drawn a crowd. Many left beating their breasts in grief and confusion. But the women who had followed Jesus from Galilee remain near. They see the tomb. They see how His body is laid. Then they return home to prepare spices and ointments, planning to complete the burial after the Sabbath rest.
They are making preparations.
But all along, it is God who is preparing.
When the women return at dawn, they do not find a body in need of spices. The tomb is empty. The kingdom Joseph had been waiting for has broken in—not through political power or public triumph, but through death defeated and life restored.
On this Holy Saturday, there is silence. There is waiting. There is rest. Yet even in the stillness of the tomb, God is at work. The grave cannot hold the King.
Prayer: Holy Father, as the crucified body of Your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, grant that I too may wait in confident hope. Having been buried with Christ in my baptism, assure me that I am also raised with Him to newness of life. Amen.