A Good Day

 

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

A GOOD DAY

Mark 15:42-47

42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

NIV

Mark leaves out some details about this Joseph of Arimathea that Matthew and John give us. First, Joseph had been a secret disciple of Jesus, for he also feared the Jews, as he was a prominent member of the Council. Still, it is interesting that up until now he could have been considered a coward, believing that Jesus was the Messiah, but not wanting to let anyone know about his faith. Now, Mark tells us that he boldly went to Pilate and asked if he could remove the body of Jesus from the cross. Mark also does not tell us that Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council accompanied Joseph. We remember Nicodemus coming to Jesus in the night confessing he believe Jesus came from God. He would not dare say that in the daylight in front of his fellow council members, let Joseph a secret follower of Jesus. What or rather who prompted them to be so bold now? We have to believe the Holy Spirit was at work in their lives. Although in the truest sense, Jesus had not sent the Spirit, which we see in Luke’s account of the Acts of the Apostles. This was the day of Pentecost, and power was given to all who the Spirit was giving. However, as we know, God in three persons has always been engaged with his people and thus it would have not been possible for two men having so much fear confessing Jesus in the open, now after his death on the cross, go boldly to Pilate asking to take his body down from the cross. Now, on the other hand, it is also interesting that because this would have been Friday, as we call it, and the evening was approaching. This would have meant the Sabbath was about to begin, as the Sabbath was from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Because of the Law of Moses, no criminal should continue hanging on a tree, or the cross, on the Sabbath. It is interesting the other two criminals were not removed, nor were they dead, as Jesus was. Perhaps they were not even Jewish, all we know is they were criminals. Nevertheless, Pilate was surprised that Jesus died so quickly. This form of execution took far longer than the few hours Jesus was on the cross, but Jesus gave up his Spirit, again taking control, or being in control, rather than being a victim, as we have noticed before. So, Joseph and Nicodemus take Jesus down and put him in a tomb. From the other accounts, we also know Nicodemus brought spices, which was the normal method of preparing a body for the grave. So it is done, Jesus has paid the price for our sin, and now he lay in the grave, but we know the rest of the story and we know the grave will not hold him, and therefore it will not hold us either. The church usually makes this Friday, that day Jesus gave up his Spirit and the day he was buried as this solemn dark day, although we call it, “Good Friday”. Instead of making it a mournful event, maybe we should make it a day of celebration, for it was the day that our sins were taken away, and that is a good thing, hence, “Good Friday”. Sure we want to celebrate Easter Sunday morning, the day Jesus rose from the grave. Yes, it is considered the best day ever, because he won the victory over death, so then we too have that same victory over death, for death is the greatest of all man’s fears. But what is eternal life if our sins are still held against us? No, it was the reason Jesus had to go to the cross. It is the reason he gave up his Spirit there so that he would take all our sins upon himself and put them to death with himself. Now he lay in the grave and our sins with him. Although he will rise, our sins will not, for when he raises from the grave glorified, back into his divine person, we too, as we are in him, and he is in us, are also a new person, a new creature in Christ, cleanse from all our sin. So that Friday was a good day, a good day indeed,