Dead and Buried

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 19:38-42 ESV).

 

Maybe you have heard the expression “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” And although some people may cheat on their taxes, no one can ultimately cheat death. We are all mortal, so eventually we will all die. Well, as we would expect after the statement about Jesus’ being crucified, the Apostles’ Creed says that Jesus “died, and was buried.” Jesus’ lifeless, cold corpse was laid to rest in a grave, just as our bodies too will one day die and be buried.

 

We don’t like to talk about death. Perhaps that is because it reminds us of our mortality. But every time a dear family member or a friend dies, we are forced to remember our own eventual, inevitable death. In a letter to the early church, the apostle Paul fittingly calls death the “enemy” (1 Corinthians 15:26).

 

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

 

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