By: Lillian Martin, Grade 11
Passage: Matthew 27:57 to 65
“And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.” Matthew 27:59,60
I think we can all agree that a lasting image of Easter is the stone rolled from the tomb. But what is the significance of the burial in the first place? It is an important indicator that Jesus died and that he experienced complete separation from God while he was dead.
Though Jesus was crucified like a criminal, he was honoured aoer his death by Joseph, a member of the Sanhedrin, who went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body to honour Jesus for the life that he lived. The burial of Jesus is more than just him being laid to rest; it is evidence of Jesus’ humility. He was put in an earthly tomb where he would remain dead for three days to fulfill his promise to tear down and rebuild the temple in that Mme.
Jesus could easily have stayed dead for less time or made some sort of grand exit from the world, to prove that he is God in the flesh; but, his death, and burial, are full of humility. His acMons give us the free will to decide for ourselves if we will believe in him and his humble sacrifice.
It’s important for us to remember that the sacrifice that Jesus made doesn’t end with his suffering on the cross. Jesus didn’t just die a gruesome death to pay our penalty of sin; he had to experience the final punishment that was meant for us: separation from God. We know this fact to be true because earlier Jesus verbally proclaims that God has forsaken or deserted him. Jesus’ death was not meant to save us from the pain and suffering in our earthly lives; instead, if we believe in his sacrifice, it saves us from ever being separated from God.
Lastly, after Jesus is buried, it is important for us to notice that the Pharisees still distrust Jesus and his disciples. They don’t want Jesus to be truthful, so they do everything in their power to make sure Jesus is still in that tomb after three days. The fear of being proved wrong is a very human feeling that keeps people from embracing the love and sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus’ humility as demonstrated in his burial is a prompt for our humility. Let Jesus’ sacrifice inspire you to sacrifice your pride and leave behind your fear of being wrong so that you can see and know that Jesus is the right answer.
Prayer
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for your sacrifice, death, and burial. Thank you for taking on the burden of death so that we might never have to experience it. Thank you for your act of humility in dying an earthly death and having an earthly burial.
Please help your humility to inspire humility in our hearts so that we might understand the wholeness of your sacrifice and that we might see you in all your holiness. Help us to care less about being right according to the world, and to care more about being right in your eyes.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.