What is the point of Silent Saturday?

This was something I always struggled to understand. Why did God choose to wait one full day before raising Jesus from the grave? Why the silence? Why allow Jesus’ followers to sit in that place of confusion, grief and fear?

But as I traced the journey of Jesus from the Last Supper to the Ascension, I began to see something deeper: God often works through seasons.

There are seasons that are painful. Like autumn, when withering begins. Or winter, when the silence feels endless. But there are also seasons of promise. Like spring, when new life breaks through. Summer, when fruit ripens and harvest comes.

Jesus’ journey, especially in the last few days, shows us that every season is purposeful. Each one holds weight, and each one matters. As Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

Autumn: Jesus’ betrayal and arrest

In the Garden of Gethsemane, we see Jesus in His autumn — wrestling, weeping, surrendering.

Like a tree shedding its leaves, Jesus laid down His will. He allowed Himself to be betrayed, arrested and taken away, not because He was weak or powerless but because He was obedient.

Autumn is a season of letting go. It is where we learn to trust the Father even in the face of the trials that are to come.

Winter: Jesus’ crucifixion and death

Winter is brutal. It strips everything bare. And at the cross, Jesus was stripped of any dignity or comfort.

The cross He carried, the thorns on His head, the nails through His hands and feet… these were marks of deep pain and suffering. He even experienced the agony of being forsaken by the Father.

Yet, Jesus knew that His suffering had a purpose. With His final breath, He said, “It is finished.” This wasn’t just the end of His life. It marked the completion of the work that He was sent to do.

Winter is a season of apparent silence. But it is also a necessary season to make way for redemption.

Spring: Jesus’ resurrection

And then came the third morning.

Like the first green shoot breaking through frozen ground, Jesus rose. The stone was rolled away. New life had come. Death had been defeated.

Even in the darkest night and the most hopeless situation, God’s promises still stand. There will come a time when life and joy arise again.

Spring is where we find hope – a hope that is alive. With newfound faith, our love is reignited, and dreams are reawakened.

Summer: Jesus’ commission and ascension

Summer is a time of growth and fruitfulness. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples, restoring their faith and speaking peace into their fears.

Before ascending to heaven, He gave them a mission: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

We are now part of the story. We have been entrusted with the Great Commission. The Spirit has been poured out and the harvest is ready. 

Summer represents the season of living out our calling. Our lives bear fruits as we follow Jesus and do the will of the Father. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is now in us. The Holy Spirit empowers us and sends us out as witnesses with boldness and courage.

What season are you currently in?

As I look back at my life over the past few years, I can’t help but notice some parallels to the seasons that Jesus went through.

In 2023, I was asked to lay down my church ministry and step into a season of hiddenness. I knew it would be a time of wilderness, but nothing could have fully prepared me for what followed.

In the months that came after, I found myself sinking deeper into mental health struggles. The pain felt endless, and it began to affect how I related to others. Slowly, I started losing friends and community.

The isolation and loneliness deepened, and there were moments when even holding on to the will to live felt like a struggle. That was my darkest winter.

And yet, as in every God-authored story, winter was not the end.

Towards the end of last year, signs of spring began to break through. I found a new counsellor who was more compatible, and my new medication began to help in real ways. I found a new community where I could start afresh – where I could learn to love and be loved again.

I also felt God rekindling my convictions and calling me into missions. I was relearning what it meant to live for God, and I rededicated my life to Him. The pain of winter became stories of hope that God could use to minister to the last, the lost and the least.

Lately, I find myself in what seems like a summer. God has been stirring my heart to take bolder steps of faith for the sake of the Great Commission. There is a renewed sense of purpose, and I’m starting to see fruits — both in who I am and what I do.

All this to say: God is truly purposeful in every season of our lives. Whether He is pruning us in preparation for a coming winter or watering us to ready us for a fruitful summer, no season is ever wasted in His hands.

Today, even if you find yourself in a time of silence or waiting, take heart. After death comes resurrection. Mourning will turn into dancing. Let hope arise because He will make all things beautiful in His time.