Joseph’s Tomb
Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Matthew 27:59, 60
At the death of Jesus The disciples all mourned Their beloved Teacher The people had scorned. Joseph's heart was stirred To move past his gloom, And offered to bury Jesus In his own tomb. He wanted to honor Jesus Though it might expose, That along with Nicodemus, He followed Him in the shadows. Joseph and Nicodemus Wrapped Christ's body in linen, Before laying it in the tomb Witnessed by the two women. They paid their respects to their Rabbi, Then rolled a heavy stone To seal the entrance of the tomb, And left Him there alone. They must have felt such sorrow, For they did not know back then, That Jesus wouldn't stay in the tomb, But would come back to life again!
At the death of Jesus, His disciples were devastated. They were probably comforting each other as they tried to process what just happened. One of them was Joseph of Arimathea. The Bible tells us that he was a member of the Sanhedrin, but also a secret disciple of Jesus. (Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. Luke 23:50-52) Much like Nicodemus, he followed Jesus in the shadows because he feared being seen with Him by the Jewish leaders. He did not agree with their decision and action to crucify Jesus. His faith moved him to risk his reputation when he asked Pilate for Jesus’s body. (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. Mark 15:42-43) Are there times when you feel it’s risky to show your faith?Sometimes it’s easier to stay in the shadows like many of the disciples, including the apostles, did. But, the Bible tells us to live out our faith with actions and truth. (Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18)
That’s just what Joseph and Nicodemus did! (So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. John 19:38-39) Why was it so urgent to bury Jesus before sundown? It is Jewish custom to bury their dead within 24 hours of death. Sabbath was just a few hours away, and they didn’t want to waste a minute! They wanted to honor their Rabbi and needed to hurry to bury Jesus before the sun went down and Sabbath would begin. Since Joseph’s personal tomb was nearby, they used that. Despite being rushed for time, Joseph and Nicodemus took care to wrap His body in linen and spices. They purchased the finest linen and a larger amount of spices than usual as a way of honoring their Rabbi. Interestingly, one of those spices was myrrh,one of the three gifts from the Magi. Each of their gifts was symbolic to His life, and myrrh symbolized His sacrificial death.
After wrapping the body, the men sealed the tomb with a heavy stone and went away. (So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. John 19:40 And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. Matthew 27:60) Two women went with Joseph and Nicodemus to the tomb. (The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Luke 23:55) One of the women, Mary Magdalene, was one of Jesus’s most loyal followers. The other woman was Mary, the mother of Jesus. Both loved Jesus deeply. It is no wonder they followed Joseph and Nicodemus to the burial site. Not only did they want to be present out of love and loyalty, but they also wanted to know where Jesus was laid so they could return after Sabbath to finish the burial procedure. They planned to anoint the body with oil and rub it with spices before re-wrapping it in linen. They wanted to honor Jesus by completing the burial. I’ve often pondered what they did as they all walked away from the tomb. Did they remain silent in their thoughts? Did they talk to each other about their experiences with Jesus? I’m sure they were at a loss about their expectations of Jesus. Little did they know, God would more than meet their expectations of a Savior in just a couple days! There would be no need to complete the burial procedure, because the tomb was just a temporary grave!
Dear Jesus, I want to be like Joseph and Nicodemus, living out my faith unabashedly. I want to honor You like they did, giving my best to You. I want to be devoted to You like the women, so that others may see my love for You and want to know You. May my life honor You in all that I say and do. Amen