The Burial of Jesus
Matthew 27:57-61
57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
Joseph of Arimathea “was also a disciple of Jesus.” That is unexpected news. A follower of Jesus from among the wealthy and the influential. It is easy to assume that we will find the followers Jesus in the usual places, but just as here they also show up unexpectedly. It is wise to trust that Jesus will never be left without followers, he will not be left without witnesses, there will always be people prepared to stand up and act in obedience to Jesus’ lead in their lives.
There are details here that matter in any discussion about the truth of the resurrection.
The Roman soldiers knew what death looked like, and they would not have given the body of Jesus to Joseph if Jesus was not dead. There was no way the Romans wanted Jesus somehow recovering from being unconscious. Jesus was dead.
The tomb was a new tomb, no other body had even been in that tomb, and hewn in the rock meant there was no secret back door. One way into the tomb, one way out of the tomb, no stealing the body out the back. The big stone in the front also reduced the ability of stealing the body.
Mary and Mary saw the tomb, they walked there, they know where it was and how to get to the tomb. They did not get lost on Easter Sunday morning, they knew where they were going.
Those things aside, for the disciples the burial of Jesus was a sad end to what had been a very exciting time of being with Jesus. The Saturday between the Friday and Sunday is filled with the silence of sorrow and the lethargy of grief.
PRAYER:
O Lord, on this Holy Saturday we bring to you all the places of sorrow and grief in our lives, laying them before you. Hold us as we grieve. In Jesus’ name. Amen.