Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Dr. S. M. Lockridge is famous for his sermon, “It’s Friday. But Sunday’s Coming!” In it, he recounts the trials of this last day of Jesus’ life on earth. He expounds on the darkness of that day. The pain and the hopelessness. At the end of each stanza (his sermon was more poem than prose), he would say, “It’s Friday. But Sunday’s Coming!”
In today’s passage, the clock starts ticking. Jesus has been laid in the tomb. It is Friday. But, as Dr. Lockridge points out, Sunday is coming.
As I write this I am conscious of the intensity of the past forty-eight hours in John’s gospel. They have been filled with a bitter-sweet tension that spills over into horror as Jesus is taken captive. Panic sets in and the mob, goaded on by the chief priests, takes over. Pilate caves to the pressure and Jesus is stripped and hung on a cross.
Now he is dead. Two secret disciples have carried him away from the killing ground and prepared his body for burial. Laying him gently on the stone bench in the tomb, they retreat and roll the stone over the opening to the tomb. Inside it is dark and cool. Outside the heat of the day is just starting to dissipate. The men leave. For a moment all is quiet. Inside the tomb, the quiet and the darkness intermingle into one.
Finally, there is peace. No more trials. No more tests. No more going hungry or feeding thousands. No more being pressed by the crowds. No more arguments with Jewish leaders.
All that is left is peace and quiet.
Finally.
Application: There is a saying that goes, “Things are always darkest before the dawn.” Never was that more true than the day that Jesus died on the cross. Yet we know that he overcame death. We know that he offers to share that life with us. With you and with me. All we have to do is to turn our back to the world and look Jesus full in the face.
Food for Thought: How do you imagine the secret disciples felt after they had rolled the rock in front of the tomb?
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Thanks, Jeff!
You are welcome, BrentG!
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I imagine they felt like that was it – game over. Who defeats death? From the gospels we know the 12 (now 11) clearly felt that way. They were fearful, in hiding, defeated. It was truly a dark, hopeless moment from a human perspective. From God’s [perspective sin had been payed for and a new era was about to down.
Good words, Rich. I think you have captured the moment well.