Holy Saturday

“God is dead,” wrote German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in 1882. “God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers?”

Far from being a triumphal declaration of victory, Nietzsche’s words are tinged with grief. In his estimation, the Enlightenment undid the necessity (or even possibility) of the Christian God that he felt was devoid of meaningful connection to this world, focusing all attention on the Heavenly world.

It’s hard to argue with Nietzsche. As a society, we rarely memorialize the words of unintelligent men. But, I think he misses the mark because (dare I say?) he’s missing the point. Ironically, I think it’s because in a very real sense, Nietzsche was correct.

For over 2,000 years, the central reason for the Christian movement has been the Resurrection of Jesus – an actual, real event in human history. As the Apostle Paul noted, “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (1 Corinthians 15:13–14)

At the center of human history, from a Christian perspective, one finds the Triduum, three days from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. At the center of those three days, bookended by Crucifixion and Resurrection, we find this day, Holy Saturday. The Gospel writers are remarkably quiet about this Sabbath. But if we know nothing else about that day, we know this: God is dead.

It feels almost blasphemous to write. It’s not that the Trinity ceases to exist, but if we look at Jesus on Holy Saturday, we see rigor mortis not redemption. “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father,” he said. So, what does it mean for us to see God in the Grave?

It’s here, precisely, where I find Nietzsche’s argument breaks down. For what god who cares little about this world and actual people would do this? The Word was silenced. The Light was extinguished. The Life was terminated.

But why? Because God’s uninterested in the mundane of human existence? Or is it rather that this is the way God displays his character which is unvarnished Love? By identifying with human beings even to the point of Death, Jesus dignifies Humanity far more than we could ever deserve. And in doing so, Jesus makes the existential death of God an impossibility as well.

On this Holy Saturday, where we are invited to see God in the Grave, consider these words from Jesus: “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” (Revelation 1:18)

This post first appeared in the print edition of the Kingsport Times News on Saturday, April 3, 2021.