57When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. 58He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth 60and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. 61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. 62The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63and said, "Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise again.' 64Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, 'He has been raised from the dead,' and the last deception would be worse than the first." 65Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can." 66So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.
THOUGHTS:
The gospels tell us that Jesus was laid in the tomb on Friday evening, but they don't tell us a lot about the events of that Saturday.
It was the Sabbath, so the disciples wouldn't have been working.
I imagine they were in shock. They had seen Jesus perform so many miracles -- it is possible that some of them held out a little hope that he would pull off a miraculous show-stopper to cheat death even as he hung on the cross. Their hearts must have felt completely torn apart when they realized he had died. They may have been skeptical about him being able to rise from the dead. (Once dead, isn't it had to do anything -- including raise yourself?) Yet the Romans remembered his words and stationed guards to prevent the disciples from pulling off any pranks. They acknowledge that they think the story of a resurrected Jesus would not go well for them.
Today, we know the rest of the story. Even while envisioning the Christ laying in the tomb, we know that tomorrow that tomb will be empty. As we think about these events today, we aren't mired in grief, but rather wait in anticipation. We sit watch ... waiting for tomorrow morning ...
PRAYER:
Today, spend some time thinking about your Lenten experience -- ponder something that sticks out in your mind or how your heart has been affected this year. Consider where you think God may be calling you as Easter approaches. Pray -- chat with God about these things...
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