As I’ve mentioned before, you have to read all four gospel accounts to get the whole story. Below, I’ve recorded my favorite part of the Holy Week narrative for your enjoyment. It’s a merging of the accounts [from The Message] of Matthew [27:57-61], Mark [15:42-47], Luke [23:50-56] and John [19:38-42].
There was a man by the
name of Joseph, a wealthy man of good heart and good character. He was a highly respected member of the
Jewish Council, who had not gone
along with the plans and actions of the council. (He was a disciple of Jesus,
but secretly, because he was intimidated by the Jews.) His hometown was the
Jewish village of Arimathea. He lived in alert expectation of the kingdom of
God.
Late
in the afternoon, since it was the Day of Preparation (that is, Sabbath eve),
Joseph worked up his courage, went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate
questioned whether he could be dead that soon and called for the captain to
verify that he was really dead. Assured by the captain, he gave Joseph the
corpse.
Having
already purchased a linen shroud, Joseph took the body of Jesus down, wrapped
him in the shroud, and placed him in a tomb that had been cut into the rock for
his own use. Then, he rolled a large
stone across the opening. Nicodemus, who had first come to Jesus at
night, came now in broad daylight carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about
seventy-five pounds and joined Joseph in this loving, caring task.
There were women who had been companions of
Jesus from Galilee, watching from a distance, among them Mary
Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and Joses, and Salome. These women followed and served him, and had
come up with him to Jerusalem. They
saw the tomb where Jesus’ body was placed. Then they went back to prepare
burial spices and perfumes.
It was the day before
Sabbath, the Sabbath just about to begin. The women rested quietly on the Sabbath, as
commanded
I’d like to unpack this scene for you with a little clarity.
We know that Joseph and Nicodemus were dissenting members of the Jewish Council! This fact alone makes this episode remarkable! We see the risk that Joseph took in stepping forward to privately ask Pilot for the body of Jesus. He may have been a secret follower before, but he was certainly declaring himself publicly now. What would the other Council members think of these two? Would they be ostracized?
Did they have help with this process? Taking the body of a man from a cross was a gruesome task. It usually involved a lengthy drape that was placed under the arms of the body. Once the nails were removed, the weight of the body fell onto the drape as it was gently lowered to the ground. This is why we see crosses draped with purple cloths during the season of Lent!
Did Joseph and Nicodemus wear their Pharisaic robes as they performed this loving act? If so, whatever they wore surely became covered with the blood of our battered and torn Lord! This blood and the fact that they had touched a dead body would make both of these spiritual leaders unclean for the duration of the Passover observation! Two highly revered men carrying the body of Jesus from Golgotha to the Garden of Gethsemane. We know the women watched this all very carefully; did others also watch?
Upon arriving, they cleaned the body of Jesus and wrapped it in the shroud brought by Joseph. Nicodemus brought SEVENTY-FIVE POUNDS of myrrh and aloes to use in this burial process! Seventy-five pounds! It must have been easy for Mary Magdalene to find the tomb in the misty, early dawn hours of the first day of the week – she simply followed her nose to the place where they had laid Him!
Such courage! Such devotion! Such love! No disciples present! Just two Pharisees! Remarkable!
No comments:
Post a Comment