John 19:38-42 (NIV)
Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. 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.
After Jesus died, one of His followers, Joseph, a man from Arimathea north of Jerusalem, approached Pilate and asked for permission to bury Jesus’ body in His own private tomb, which was located in a garden just outside the city wall, adjacent to the crucifixion site. Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin, but he was not in agreement with Jesus’ condemnation by that body (Luke 23:50-51).
Even though Joseph lived in Arimathea, he had recently purchased land and dug a tomb for himself and his family right outside the holy city. Many Jewish people considered it a special blessing to be buried near the temple.
Pilate had no problem allowing family members or friends to see to the burial of people who had been crucified, as long as it was confirmed that they were indeed dead before the body was released (Luke 23:44-45). Joseph was assisted by Nicodemus (John 3:1-2), who brought along a large amount of myrrh and aloes, a costly gift that would be wrapped with the body to mask the smell of decay. The pair worked quickly to wrap the body in linen. Then they rolled a large circular stone in front of the entrance, sealing the body inside the tomb (Mark 15:46).
Even though Jesus had predicted His resurrection several times in the previous year, none of His followers, including Joseph and Nicodemus, really expected it to happen, primarily because nothing like that had ever happened before, not even in the ancient records of Scripture. Yes, resurrections had happened, and Jesus Himself had raised several people from the dead. But no one had ever raised themselves from the dead. And there was no doubt in the minds of any of His followers who had been there at the crucifixion that Jesus was truly dead.
So, as they walked away from the tomb as the late afternoon shadows were lengthening into evening, Joseph and Nicodemus sincerely believed that they had seen the last of Jesus.
Father, it is hard to understand why we have such a hard time believing Your promises, simply because we can’t understand how You could accomplish them, or because nothing like that has ever happened before. I think of Zechariah, who doubted Your ability to facilitate a pregnancy in his wife (Luke 1:13-20). Or Joseph, who couldn’t believe that Mary’s pregnancy wasn’t caused by infidelity but was a direct result of the working of the Holy Spirit, until an angel convinced him (Matthew 1:18-25). And we still doubt today. We see promises like, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:12-14 NIV), but far too many of us don’t believe that it can happen LITERALLY. So, we end up being as much doubters as those who doubted Jesus’ ability to rise from the dead without a human being to call Him forth from the tomb. Forgive me, Lord, for all the promises I haven’t believed. Help me to have greater faith in what You are capable of doing, and of the promises You are capable of fulfilling. Amen.
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