Jesus Is Buried

 

Jesus Is Buried

And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath,   Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died.  And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead.   And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph.   And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.   Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

 

Jesus' burial was a rushed job, it was already evening on Friday.  The Sabbath was soon to begin, and it was preparation day, and the more pious Jews got everything ready for the Sabbath.  Mark gives us some insight into Joseph of Arimathea, who was a secret follower of Christ.  I believe many of us in the Church fit that role.  How can I make such a statement, let me ask a few questions, do you watch movies at home that take the Lord’s name in vain?  Do you ever tell anyone what Jesus has done for you?  You’re a good person, but often, so is your lost neighbor, business associate, or family members.  But they are not secret followers of Christ, for they may know about Him, but as long as they think they are not so bad, grace will not look that good.

 

If you want to understand Joseph of Arimathea look at Matthew 27:57; John 19:38,  and Luke 23:51.  Joseph opposed their verdict and did what many who are secret followers of Christ, will not do, he came out of the shadows and boldly went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus.  Why am I so strong in my statement?  Because when we are as I was for a while an underground Christian, it took mentors showing me that to follow Jesus you had to allow Him Lordship over your messed-up life.

 

The apostle Paul tells us why we need to be bold in our confession of Jesus in 1 Corinthians 15: 3-8.  ^“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance^[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.   After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.   Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last, of all, he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice