The tomb

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

THE TOMB

Matt 27:57-61

57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 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. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

NIV

It may be time again to consider the timing of all these events as we are now witnessing or reading the account of Jesus being removed from the cross and taken to the tomb. As evening approached on Friday this would be just before the Sabbath began. To the Jew their Sabbath started on sundown of Friday and lasted until sundown on Saturday. It would be unlawful for men to be on the cross during Sabbath. This is why we saw the need to break the legs of the two robbers in order they would be dead before the beginning of the Sabbath. But Jesus had not had his legs broken for he already gave up his spirit. Great discussion has occurred among all the scholars of old and even some of new regarding the timing of the death of Christ, the Passover and the Sabbath. Again, the Passover is tied to the appearance of first new moon after the vernal equinox. We are under the impression that Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples which was not the Sabbath, but at the time the new moon appeared. This was considered the true pasis or the true timing of the new moon. The importance of noting this is because history reveals to us the senate or the high consul of the Sanhedrin determined or fixed the pascal calendar and in fact fixed the wrong day of the Passover. Without a very in depth explanation to fix all this in our minds, it was rightly the Passover day which Jesus ate with his disciples. History also tells us the Jewish law permitted the Passover meal to be eaten that year from the evening of Thursday through the evening of Friday. There is one point we should consider our scholars have thought. Because of the number of Jews in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, there would have been some 256,000 Pascal Lambs that were needed to be sacrificed. This would have taken much time and therefor it was begun on Friday in preparation for the date set by the senate for the Passover. The interesting concept of this is the same time the priests began to slaughter the Pascal lambs, Jesus the Lamb of God gave up his spirit. Now, in order to not break the law concerning the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea asks Pilate if he could remove Jesus from the cross. Other accounts tells us that Nicodemus accompanied Joseph in this request. We should note both of them were rich men and perhaps secret disciples of Jesus. Where were his followers, his disciples, the ones who profess they would die with him rather than leave him? Although it is true they did get it, after Jesus appeared to them in the locked room and then after he sent the Spirit and they were filled with the power of the Spirit, at the present time they were not to be found. Two men who may have never openly profess their faith in Jesus were now the two who cared for his burial. At least this is the general consensus among many Christian scholars. It is also possible these two men were faithful Jews and needed to make sure he was not on the cross at the beginning of the Sabbath, sundown on Friday. But according to the gospel of John, Joseph is identified as a secret disciple of Jesus. So it is he would cared for Jesus because of his love for him.  A tomb that he had prepared for his own body was the only place he would think to take Jesus. A tomb that had never been used before, suitable for Jesus. We are not sure how tombs were used in that day, but it would seem they were reused after a certain time, being a limited amount of space for tombs. Carving a tomb out of the rocks was not an easy task. Nevertheless Joseph offered his to Jesus. We should note it was not unlawful for followers of Jesus to be rich. Both the rich and the poor can be followers of Jesus. People of all walks of life can be followers of Jesus. What we see here is that they were wanting to care for Jesus. Now because of the rush of sunset, there was no time to do the whole burial rights, the preparing the body with spices, etc. But both Marys witnessed the placing of Jesus in this tomb, which we are going to see later how they come to do the rest of the preparation for burial. What is interesting is although Jesus kept telling them he would not stay in the grave, they all were of the opinion he was going to be dead like everyone else. Joseph sealed the grave with a stone and now it was over. Jesus had died, he was buried and now they could get on with whatever they were doing before he arrived. We are not sure what they all did in the meantime before his resurrection. The disciples had already eaten their Passover meal with Jesus. But had Joseph or Nicodemus eaten theirs? Perhaps being a part of the Sanhedrin Nicodemus would have considered the timing fixed by the senate and thus went to his home to partake in the Passover. What about Joseph? What was going on now that Jesus was in the grave? We never have to experience the loss those people must have felt. Their hope was gone. Their feelings of a new life was over. They were now back under the same conditions they had always been. Their hopes and dream crushed as Jesus laid in the tomb. They eventually were overjoyed and their hopes were renewed and they became a force to be reckened with, a force forged by the Spirit. Because of them the gospel message has been recorded for many people in including us. But like them, we have no reason to loss hope, to feel alone and without our Lord. Like them, we do not have to fear. Unlike them, we know the end of the story. We know Jesus rose from the grave. We know he ascended to the right hand of the Father. We know he is forever making intercession for us. We know he is the Lamb of God. We know we have an eternal home waiting for us in his presence. Therefor we should never have to be worried about today, tomorrow or forever. We never have to be anxious or fearful of anything this life brings our way. Our lives can be full of peace and joy because we serve a risen Savior. He lives, he lives, Christ Jesus lives today, he walks with me, he talks with me, along lives narrow way, you ask me how I know he lives, he lives within my heart. Joseph may have place him in the tomb, but we can sing, Up from the grave he arose. All our hope is in Him. Because he lives we can face tomorrow. Let us always face tomorrow with all the hope and joy Jesus gives us. Because of Jesus there is no tomb.