The nature of man’s first sin was impatience. He grasped for God’s promise of wisdom and authority before the time he was ready for it. The Father would have delighted to give his son, Adam, all that he needed at the right time, but if Adam didn’t grow to the place that he could handle it, eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil would be destructive. And it was.
Patience. Waiting for the proper time. There are times that we are called to wait, to be longsuffering, to endure. God’s promise delays. We grow impatient. The pain. The injustice. The suffering. We thought that living in obedience would mean God would be quick to deliver. But he waits. We are not ready. There are lessons to learn. We must wait.
Holy Saturday is the delay; the space between injustice and vindication; the place where God’s people have been throughout their history; the occasion for singing those Psalms that cry out in anguish and question God and his promises. Holy Saturday is the lesson of patience. Don’t grasp at Easter too soon. Wait. The delay is the lesson. Soon God’s promise will come. Soon the injustice will be overturned. Soon the scars created will be glorified in a transformed body. Soon the cries of anguish will transform into shouts of joy. But not yet. Don’t grasp. Wait.
