The Day of Silence
Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 37:1-14
I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley… He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
Ezekiel 37:2-3
On the one full day between his crucifixion and resurrection, there were no words from Jesus. He was dead and buried in a tomb. His voice was silent.
For his disciples, the silence was deafening. They had sacrificed everything to follow Jesus for the three years of his public ministry. And they had all grown to believe that he was the Christ— “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16; see 14:33). Their expectations had peaked when Jesus had ridden into Jerusalem with the crowds shouting, cheering, and proclaiming him King (Matthew 21:6-11).
And now, less than a week later, it was all over. The disciples had seen Jesus arrested and hauled away by Roman soldiers. They had seen him sentenced to be crucified, and they had seen his grisly death. Then Mary his mother and some others had seen his lifeless body placed in a tomb.
All their hopes and dreams now seemed no more than a valley of dry bones. Could hope ever rise again in the midst of their despair?
Jesus’ friends would soon discover that God alone has the power to resurrect new life in the face of death.
But, for now, all was silent.
Father God, there are days where you seem silent and we feel that we will never know hope again. Show us that you have the power to bring new life where all we can see is despair. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
About the author — Shawn Brix
Rev. Shawn Brix has served as pastor in several Ontario churches. He and his wife, Jenny, have three children.
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