PREPARATION DAY

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.

Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 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. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

Matthew 27:57-61

It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 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.

Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph.

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. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

Mark 15:42-47

Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God.

Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how His body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

Luke 23:50-56

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus.

Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.

Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.

At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

John 19:38-42

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Jesus was dead (at least temporarily). His crucifixion and the incredible events that happened as He did (the sun not shining, the temple curtain tearing in two, the earthquake, and the walking dead) marked what was a whirlwind 24 hours. As the sun was getting ready to set on that Good Friday, Jerusalem and its immediate surrounding areas were ready for the coming Sabbath, a Sabbath considered special because it was following the annual Passover observance celebration.

By law and God’s command, there was no work to be done on the Sabbath by law and so Friday was a day of getting ready so labor could be put on pause the next day. This is why Friday was referred to as “Preparation Day” and as we can see in our scripture passages for today, there was a lot of preparation happening as sunset approached following Jesus’ death.

As we look at the excerpts from all four Gospels, we once again realize the importance of taking them in whole and not in part. For it’s only when we consider all four accounts that we understand the full nature of what took place as Jesus’ body moved from the cross to the tomb.

What do we learn when we do this?

Well, we know that no one on the Roman side of things was really very concerned with the disposition of Jesus’ body after he died. Pilate, although certainly aware the crucifixion had happened, was out of the loop in regard to how things went. He was surprised when he was approached by Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin, who asked if he could have Jesus’ corpse in order to give him a proper burial. Not willing to take Joseph’s word at face value, possibly because Pilate still had a bad taste in his mouth over what the Jewish religious leaders had done to him, we read where he called his centurion to affirm that Jesus was actually dead. Upon gaining confirmation, Pilate granted Joseph’s request.

And so Joseph, along with Nicodemus, took Jesus’ body and got it ready for a proper burial.  

Did I say it was Preparation Day?

I find it fascinating that we meet Joseph at this time in Jesus’ timeline. Although a member of the Sanhedrin, Joseph was secretly a disciple of Jesus. Seeing the fervor and abject hatred that his council showed for Jesus, Joseph surely felt he would be banished, if not killed, if he divulged support for His Savior.

And so he remained silent and then acted when the time was right. That time was now.

Nicodemus shared a lot in common with Joseph. You’ll remember how he had a special encounter with Jesus, detailed in John 3.

There we learn that Nicodemus was also a member of the Jewish ruling council but had a fondness for Jesus and so he approached Him after nightfall, confessing how he believed Jesus was from God because there could be no other reason as to how He could perform the signs and wonders put on full display during His ministry.   

You may remember that Jesus then said this to Nicodemus:

"Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” John 3:3

This confused the Jewish leader and so we find Jesus go into a teaching session, instructing Nicodemus on why He was sent by God, punctuating His point with these well known words:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” John 3:16-17

It’s obvious that Jesus’ words changed the trajectory of Nicodemus’ life from that point forward as he, like Joseph, placed his belief in Jesus as Savior. Now the two men had an opportunity to honor and respect their Lord by properly preparing His body and then placing it in the tomb.

We read where Joseph had brought the strips of cloth and Nicodemus the spices which were applied to the body in accordance with Jewish burial customs. Then they went to a garden near where Jesus was crucified and placed His body in a tomb that had never been used prior, rolling a stone in front of the tomb to keep any intruders, animal or human, from accessing Jesus’ corpse.

Of interest, the two men weren’t alone at the tomb because the scriptures tell us that some of the women who were present with Jesus at the cross had followed Him to His resting place. The women included Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joseph, and them eye-witnessing Jesus’ burial place was key because they would know where to go at first light on the day after the Sabbath. We read where they quickly returned home after observing Jesus’ burial because they had some preparation of their own to do, getting spices and perfumes ready to anoint Jesus’ body the day after the Sabbath.

Yes, another indication that it was indeed Preparation Day.

Well, God was in the midst of preparations as well for soon He would resurrect His Son from the tomb and bring Him from death to life forever so that all who would believe in Him would gain the same birth into new life. But first, there would be a Sabbath rest and in tomorrow’s message, we’ll see how not everyone was compliant with adhering to God’s expectations.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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