DAY #82: March 23, 2009 - Mark 15:42-16:13

The Sabbath began at sundown on Friday and ended at sundown on Saturday. Jesus died just a few hours before sundown on Friday. It was against Jewish law to do physical work or to travel on the Sabbath, so the day before was the day of preparation for the Sabbath.

It was also against Jewish law to let a dead body remain exposed overnight (Deuteronomy 21:23). As evening and the Sabbath approached, Joseph from Arimathea (a town about twenty miles from Jerusalem) asked for Jesus’ body so he could give it a proper burial. Although an honored member of the high council, Joseph was a secret disciple of Jesus. That he was waiting for the Kingdom of God suggests that Joseph was a Pharisee, who hoped for God’s deliverance. Joseph gathered his courage and went to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body in order to bury it. He went directly to Pilate who alone could give permission to take down the body. He had to hurry; Sabbath was fast approaching.

Joseph bought a linen cloth; Nicodemus brought spices. The body was carefully taken down from the cross, wrapped in layers of cloth with the spices in between, and laid in a tomb. Jesus was given a burial fit for a king.

This tomb was probably a man-made cave carved out of one of the many limestone hills in the area around Jerusalem. It was large enough to walk into (John 20:6). Matthew records that this was Joseph’s own previously unused tomb (Matthew 27:60). Joseph and Nicodemus wrapped Jesus’ body, placed it in the tomb, and rolled a stone across the entrance. The religious leaders also watched where Jesus was buried. They stationed guards by the tomb and sealed the stone to make sure that no one would steal Jesus’ body and claim he had risen from the dead. All of these actions give us verification that Jesus truly had died.

Two of the women who had been at the cross followed these men as they carried Jesus’ body to the tomb. They wanted to know where Jesus’ body was laid because they planned to return after the Sabbath with their own spices to anoint Jesus’ body. Anointing a body was a sign of love, devotion, and respect. Bringing spices to the tomb would be like bringing flowers to a grave today.

Apparently, they were unaware that the tomb had been sealed and a guard set outside it . So as they approached the tomb, they remembered that the stone would be a problem. They wondered aloud who might be able to roll the stone away so that they could get in. When the women arrived at daybreak, Jesus had already risen. The large stone had already been rolled aside. Matthew records that there had been an earthquake and an angel of the Lord had descended from heaven, had rolled back the stone, and had sat on it.

The women entered the tomb. Once inside they were startled to see a young man clothed in a white robe. We learn from Matthew and John that this was an angel. When angels appeared to people, they looked like humans. The angel spoke reassuringly to the women. They were looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the human being who had been crucified. But Jesus was not there; he had been raised from the dead.

The women who had come to anoint a dead body were given another task, that of proclaiming the Resurrection to the frightened disciples. The disciples had deserted Jesus in the hour of trial, but the angel’s words held hope of renewal and forgiveness. The disciples were invited to meet Jesus in Galilee—there was work to do. The angel made special mention of Peter to show that, in spite of Peter’s denials, Jesus had not deserted him.

The women fled from the tomb, realizing that they had seen the results of an awesome miracle in the empty tomb and had been in the presence of an angel. They either went straight to the disciples with the news, saying nothing to anyone along the way, or for a time they said nothing out of fear, perhaps expecting the response of disbelief that they eventually did receive from the disciples when they told the story.

After the women had told the disciples about the Resurrection, and Peter and another disciple (presumably John) had gone to see for themselves, Mary Magdalene apparently had returned to the tomb and was weeping.

Although Mary Magdalene has been mentioned earlier in this Gospel as one of the women at the cross and at the tomb, Mark reminded his readers of the reason for her devotion to Jesus: He had cast out seven demons from her. This devoted woman was the first person who saw the resurrected Christ.

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

He is ALIVE. The Resurrection makes all the difference. It proves that Jesus is who He said He was, and it shows that He has the power to beat death. I worship You this morning. Lord, I claim Ephesians 3:20 this morning for the people my family, for the people of COV, for my life.

"With God's power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine." Ephesians 3:20 (NCV)

Lord, may Your power course through my veins and body today. I need your power to love and to serve and to overcome my own selfishness and self-centeredness today. I need your power to keep on keeping on. I need your power to lead humbly. I need your power to study. I need you power to work out and exercise. I need your power to say yes and I need your power to say no.

Lord, do a great work in my kids lives. Protect their hearts and make a way for them. Meet their needs and keep them humble. Lord, protect Sharon today. Walk with her and may Your power work through her in a mighty way. Thank you for the beautiful example she is to me and so many others. Raise up men and women at COV who will let Your power work in them today and this week. Do a great and mighty work in peoples hearts.