SATURDAY March 30, 2024
The Garden Tomb
Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.
Matthew 27:57
Jesus suffered tremendously on the Cross. When He yielded up His spirit, the veil in the temple was torn in two, the earth shook, rocks were split, graves opened, and the bodies of some of the saints who had died were raised. The centurion and those with him saw these things, were afraid, and said: “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:51-54).
Among the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious leaders, were two secret disciples of Jesus Christ: Nicodemus, who had privately spoken to Jesus at the onset of His ministry; and Joseph of Arimathea, a very wealthy man who asked Pilate for Jesus’ body:
After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus (John 19:38).
The Scriptures reveal the love and dedication of both disciples for their Lord after His death. They made sure to follow the strict rules for a Jewish burial. Jesus would be buried the same day in accordance with their Jewish customs:
...Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds ... they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury (John 19:39-40).
These bold actions revealed their Christian faith openly. Their faith was no longer a hidden secret. They knew the Jewish leaders would reject them, but as disciples, they counted the cost, and that was all that mattered. Nearby was Joseph’s own purchased garden tomb. Carefully, he placed the bruised body of Jesus there (Matthew 27:59-60).
For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked — but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.
~Isaiah 53:8-9~