Lent - Pt 44

It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. (Luke 23:54-56 ESV).

Now we come to the final characters in the story of Jesus’ death. These are the women of our reading who hastily prepared Jesus’ body for burial. In Judea, if there was an approaching feast day, the bodies of crucified men were taken down and given to relatives. A body was not allowed to hang on a cross after dark. Philo, the Jewish philosopher, writes: Men who had been crucified when this festival and holiday was at hand, were taken down and given up to their relations, in order to receive the honors of sepulchre, and to enjoy such observances as are due to the dead; for … the sacred character of the festival ought to be observed. (Philo, Flaccus, 10.83). John’s gospel says that Jesus was buried according to the Jewish tradition. This means that the body was washed before it was wrapped in a simple shroud made of fine linen, normally a task performed by the women relatives of the deceased. There were prescribed psalms and prayers said at this time. The body was then placed on a stone shelf within the tomb. Jesus’ burial was quickly done. Everything had to be finished in the sort period remaining before sundown as all the people involved were strict Jews, carefully observant of the Sabbath. There is stress on the fact that Jesus was buried in a ‘new’ tomb. If Jesus’ body was the only body in a new tomb, this would rule out the possibility of several dead bodies being confused. Keep in mind that the gospel writers were telling their story after the Resurrection, when there were plenty of doubters to question the veracity of Jesus’ death and Resurrection. Matthew’s gospel (27:62-66) mentions an additional measure to prevent the theft of Jesus’ body: the posting of a guard at the tomb and the sealing of the tomb. Admittedly this was done on the Saturday morning, but the guard would certainly have checked the tomb first to see if Jesus’ body was there. All of these factors provided the abundant measure of testimony that Jesus was indeed dead, buried, and resurrected. God left nothing to the imagination of man concerning this great miracle. That should give us even more assurance that our eventual victory is also assured. Jesus is but the first resurrection. As believers we shall follow in his footsteps there also. Eternal life is ours because he has gone before us and conquered even death! Rejoice!