The Apostles' Creed - Pt. 15

 

After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was 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 away his body. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there. (John 19:28-32 ESV).

 

As we would expect after the statement about Jesus’ being crucified, the Apostles’ Creed says that Jesus “died, and was buried.” Jesus’ was dead, then prepared for burial and placed in a “new” tomb. Again we come to this statement of belief that seems unbelievably unnecessary. Why do we need to declare the obvious? There are two reasons: first, Jesus really did die thus adding to the incredible miracle of resurrection; second, it provides for us a strong foundation for hope and strength in the face of our own certain death.

 

As evidenced by the old adage that “nothing is certain except death and taxes,” no one really doubts the truth of our mortality. Certainly when we are younger we tend to be less concerned with that mortality. Death seems like a far away possibility rather than a sure and unavoidable appointment. We are all mortal, so eventually we will all die. We don’t like to talk about death. But every time a dear family member or a friend dies, we are forced to remember our own eventual, inevitable death. It is no wonder that the Apostle Paul writes in one of his early letters that death is our common “enemy” (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:26).

 

No words can completely assuage the fear and dread we have of death. But we can take comfort in the fact that Jesus himself died. The Scripture teaches He was like us in every way (cf. Hebrews 2:17; 4:15). He ate breakfast, enjoyed beautiful days, got tired and needed sleep. He also died and was buried.

 

We can also take comfort in knowing that our Savior, who died for us and also rose again, is with us as we grieve the loss of loved ones and face our own, inevitable death.