THE UPPER ROOM 30 MARCH 2024 DEVOTIONAL, SATURDAY MESSAGE
TOPIC: Holy Saturday
TODAY’S READING
John 19:38-42
After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and removed his body. – John 19:38 (NRSVUE)
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Holy Saturday is a day of quiet, somber reflection. It’s an odd, in-between day after Jesus’ death but before his resurrection. I often think about what the day might have been like for the disciples and others who followed Jesus at the time — particularly
Joseph of Arimathea.
Joseph had a lot of influence and was an important Jewish leader. He would risk his reputation and standing in the community if his belief in Jesus became public. So he kept his belief quiet.
But on Good Friday, when Jesus died on the cross, Joseph of Arimathea proclaimed his faith publicly by going to Pilate and asking for Jesus’ body so he could bury it.
I imagine Joseph spending most of Saturday wondering if he had made the right choice. He took a great risk with this act. And on Saturday, Jesus was still dead in a tomb.
In a similar way, we take risks when we choose to follow Jesus publicly. Those risks can sometimes cause us to stay quiet or to keep our belief secret. However, while making our faith public may make for an uncomfortable Holy Saturday, it makes for a much more celebratory Easter Sunday.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Jesus, help us not to hide our faith but to follow you boldly. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
I will express my faith in Jesus openly today.
PRAYER FOCUS
Christians who are persecuted
The Upper Room is a daily devotional magazine published in more than 30 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing—both laity and clergy, published authors and new writers. The meditations are stories of real people working to live faithfully with the Bible as their touchstone. Every day, readers of The Upper Room around the world read the same story in many different languages and pray the same prayer together.
We appreciate you visiting our Christian Website today. To Help Us Run 5DailyDevotional.Com Effectively And Publish More Great Content, Support Us By Donating Below:
DONATE HERE
