The Grief of Saturday
Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, and the cross of Christ.
Talking allegories, so this is your spoiler warning.
I’ve been rewatching and rereading the Harry Potter saga (which is bringing back all sorts of fond teenage memories). One of the moments that I’ve hung on to the most is the profound grief that you feel alongside the characters when they believe Harry has died for good. It’s like the hope of any future joy or happiness utterly evaporates.
This is the same feeling of despair so prevalent in C.S. Lewis’ The Last Battle. Profound sorrow. A feeling things will never be set right again. A longing for the ending of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Or consider the darkness vividly felt through the conclusion of The Lord of the Rings. The excitement and sense of adventure felt in The Fellowship of the Ring is replaced by the heartache of most of The Return of the King.
These portrayals are all alike in their deep sense of grief and darkness. But if that was their only similar quality, I think our literary hearts would be too burdened to ever grow fond of characters or plots again. No - they also share in redemptive conclusions. Darkness is fought back, light wins. Grief and sorrow are overcome by fierce joy and triumph.
And so goes the story of Christ.
The crucifixion was brutal. Earth itself has never mourned the passing of any other human. But as horrifying as the Friday that Jesus died was, I can’t help but think of the grief of Saturday.
Those hoping for a Savior, for triumph over the sin that plagues, woke up to a Shabbat covered in grief. A day that was developed to encourage people to rest in God was a day where darkness started to envelop them. Can you imagine trying to rest in the goodness of God while feeling like any future and eternal hope were just snuffed out?
Thankfully we have the full story. Jesus overcame the sources of all our grief, death and sin, and rose to greet a Sunday morning. His sacrifice overcame grief and sorrow forevermore and is available to all who would turn to him. But Saturday still happened. And, for all the despair of the literature previously commented on, this was brutally real, the source of allegory. The darkest day in history.
Are you in a Saturday marked by grief? Even if you can’t turn the page and see your story redeemed, Sunday is still coming. Jesus went through history’s darkest Saturday so we would have confidence in the availability of joyful Sundays. All good stories point back to this truth. Even in your darkness, He is within arms reach. Take heart.
The Grief of Saturday
I needed this today.