Lent: Day 40

The Jews, because it was the Preparation Day, and not wanting the bodies to remain on the cross on the Passover Sabbath, asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and the bodies taken away. The soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who was crucified with him, but when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was already dead, they didn’t break his legs. However one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. One who saw this has testified, and his testimony is true; he tells the truth for you to believe. These things happened to fulfill the Scripture, “A bone of him will not be broken,” and another, “They will look on him whom they pierced.”

At dusk, Joseph of Arimathaea, a prominent council member who himself was looking for God’s kingdom, went boldly to Pilate, and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate marveled that he was already dead; summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead long. When he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph, who bought a linen cloth, and taking him down, wound him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb cut out of a rock. He rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joses, saw where he was laid.

The next day, the chief priests and Pharisees came to Pilate, saying, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise again.’ Command that the tomb be made secure until  the third day, lest his disciples come at night and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He is risen from the dead;’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”

Pilate said to them, “You have a guard. Go, make it as secure as you can.” They went with the guard and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone.

Reflection

 

The religious leaders who brought about the death of Jesus wanted to make sure of three things: 1) that he was dead; 2) that he was buried; and 3) that no one tampered with his tomb. This was to be the exclamation point bringing his life to an end. How would your life be different if indeed this had been the end of the story? Would you still cling to the memory of Jesus and the things he said and did? 

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, that this isn’t the end of the story, but in many ways only the beginning.