SATURDAY April 16, 2022

The Garden Tomb

Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.
Matthew 27:57

Jesus suffered and died on the Cross. When He yielded up His spirit, the veil in the temple was torn in two, the earth shook, rocks were split, graves opened, and the bodies of saints who had died were raised. The centurion and those who guarded Jesus saw these things, were afraid and said: “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:51-54)

Among the Sanhedrin were two secret disciples of Jesus Christ–– Nicodemus, who secretly came to Jesus by night (John 3), and Joseph of Arimathea, a very wealthy man. Together they decided to bury the body of Jesus. In doing so, their faith in Christ was no longer secret. The religious leaders in the Sanhedrin would certainly reject them, but they were accepted by Christ, and that was all that mattered.

A Jewish custom was that a body should be buried the same day of their death. When Joseph of Arimathea requested Jesus’ body for burial, Pilate released the body to him. Joseph was joined by Nicodemus, who brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes––about a hundred pounds. Both of them took the crucified body of Jesus and bound it in strips of linen with the expensive spices. Joseph placed the bruised body of Jesus into his own garden tomb that was nearby (Matthew 27:57-60; John 19:38-42).

When visiting Israel, we gather into a garden at the place that is believed to be Jesus’ tomb. I like to sit and watch people’s reactions as they go into the tomb and then leave. Some people weep silently, and others rejoice. Afterwards, the group has an intimate time of communion together, which is very emotional, as this place concludes our trip.

It is amazing to know and see the places where Jesus walked and where He ministered. As people open their Bibles, they can see those places in their minds and say to themselves, “I was there!”

Jesus, after he had finished his work, slept in a costly grave; for now his Father loved and honored him, since his work was done.
~C.H. Spurgeon~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!