The Long Wait

“And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.”  Matthew 27:59-60

The Jews were concerned about the bodies of Jesus and the two thieves being left on the crosses during Passover.  They were conscientious about following the law concerning Passover, yet they had no regard in killing an innocent Man.  Jesus pegged them correctly when He said in Matthew 23:24 that they would “strain at a gnat and swallow a camel!”  To leave a dead body executed by hanging on a tree could not be left there overnight because that would defile the land.  To speed up their deaths, Pilate agreed to allow his soldiers to break the legs of those on the crosses so that they couldn’t push up in order to breath, but they did not break Jesus’ legs because He was already deceased.  This was a fulfillment of Psalm 34:20: “He keepeth all His bones; not one of them is broken”.  One of the soldiers, not satisfied that Jesus was dead, pierced His side with his sword, a fulfillment of Zechariah 12:10: “…and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced…”  John recorded that he was an eyewitness to every aspect of Jesus’ suffering, death, and the piercing by the soldier.  The best witness is an eyewitness.

That evening, a rich man of Arimathaea named Joseph, went to Pilate to ask permission to remove Jesus’ body from the cross.  Pilate agreed.  Where were the disciples at this time?  John?  Peter?  Nowhere to be found.  John 19:38 tells us that Joseph was a secret follower of Jesus because he feared the Jews.  It is believed that he was a member of the Sanhedrin because in Luke 23:51 we are told that he did not consent to the actions that the council took regarding the mock trial of Jesus.  After Joseph removed Jesus’ body (we don’t know if he had any help), he carried Jesus to his own tomb.  John 19:39-40 informs us that Nicodemus, the man who came to Jesus by night to talk to Him because he believed Jesus to be God’s Son (John 3:1-21), brought 100 pounds of spices with which to anoint Jesus’ body for burial.  These two men were now unashamed to be followers of Jesus.  They wrapped His body in linen cloth, a symbol of purity, and placed the body in Joseph’s tomb.  They were in a hurry because the Sabbath was approaching (John 19:42), and no work was to be done on the Sabbath, not even preparing a body for burial.

Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joses, who was the brother of Jesus’ disciples, James and Jude, came to the tomb after Jesus was wrapped in His burial clothes to likely make sure that every proper step was taken in order to honor Jesus in His death.  Once they were assured that all proper methods were followed, all four of them departed the tomb, and Joseph rolled a great stone over the entrance.  The two women sat down just outside the tomb.  They were in a deep state of shock, disbelief, and grief.  The experience of losing a close loved one suddenly is overwhelming to the body and mind.  It is difficult to function in a normal way.  These two ladies needed some time alone to grieve and mourn and figure out what to do next.  Luke 23:56 tells us that they did return home and began preparing more spices and ointments for Jesus’ body.  However, they couldn’t return the next day because it was the Sabbath.  So they just had to wait an entire day, a very long, sorrowful, and confusing day.

If you have ever lost a loved one, there is a time of shock and disbelief at first.  But then, there is so much to do to prepare for the funeral.  The arrangements have to be made at the funeral home and at the place of burial.  Many decisions have to be made.  All that has to be done keeps those involved so busy that they don’t have much time to be alone and grieve.  I remember in days gone by, a deceased was buried within two days of his or her death.  Nowadays, it can be several days or weeks depending upon circumstances.  That time between the shock of the loved one’s passing and the time that he or she is lowered into the ground or cremated is hard to describe.  It is still hard to believe.  It is like being in the “twilight zone”, a place where nothing seems real, but it is real, very real.  After the funeral there is a certain kind of “closure” that is experienced, but then the real grief and sadness sets in.  After all the friends and relatives have left, the bereaved feels such a loneliness and sense of loss.  This is how Jesus’ friends and relatives felt after His death.  He was their hope.  He was their life.  Everything was good when Jesus was there.  None of them seem to have a real confidence that He would rise again.  But just wait–Sunday’s coming!