This is a devotional with my thoughts added to verses from the Bible. I highly encourage you to dig into the word with your own thoughts. The Daily Devotion series is one way to do this. However, I know that sometimes we want to read other people’s ideas about Bible passages, so I am starting the Everyday series. I hope and pray that these posts will draw you nearer to Jesus.
DAY 1–Remember to pray before you begin.
Mark 15:37-41 A Torn Curtain
Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and gave up the spirit. The veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. When the centurion, who stood by opposite him, saw that he cried out like this and breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” There were also women watching from afar, among whom were both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; who, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and served him; and many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.
Mark tells of the centurion who stood facing Jesus. This man had been watching the proceedings and had seen the mockery of the Jewish leaders, thieves, and others in the crowd, but he had also seen Jesus bring one of the hardened thieves to repentance as he hung there. He had observed Jesus’ followers weeping in the crowd. He had watched Jesus’ love for His mother when He placed her in John’s care. He had experienced the oppressive darkness and felt the shaking of the earthquake. He understood that what was happening was not a normal crucifixion. As the centurion heard Jesus’ final triumphant shout that it was finished, the centurion was convicted that Jesus was supernatural. How ironic that a Gentile recognized Jesus’ divinity even through the blood, pain, and humiliation while the religious leaders saw only a hated enemy brought low.
The male disciples were hiding or keeping their distance, but the women were there. Because of a female’s lack of importance in Jewish society, the women could bravely go where the men could not. They knew that the priests would not deign to recognize them as supporters of Jesus. Mark tells us that Mary Magdalene was there. She could never stay away from Jesus in life or death. She had already anointed Jesus’ body for burial, and now she was watching Him die. She must have longed to draw even closer to her Rabbi, but that was not allowed. Salome may have been John and James’ mother. However, there is no information available about Mary, the mother of James the younger and of Joses, except that she loved Jesus and was there to support Him to the end. In one sense, Jesus was alone on the cross. In another manner, He was surrounded by people who loved Him and mourned His passing. The religious leaders may have mocked Him, but there were plenty of His loving supporters in the crowd that sad day.
The curtain in the temple separated the priests from God. In Solomon’s temple and Moses’ tabernacle, this had been a necessary precaution because the shekinah glory would kill sinful humans who had no protection. God had always wanted to dwell with His creations, but He was limited in how close He could come by our depraved state. In Jesus, that limitation disappeared. The tearing of the curtain signaled that humans and God were reunited in ways that were impossible before. It signaled that the temple was no longer needed. The ultimate and final sacrifice had been made. No other deaths would be necessary to obtain forgiveness. No more lambs were required to die. The temple was officially closed. It would be almost forty more years before the Jews were forced to accept this truth. The temple was destroyed in A.D. 70, but the sacrifices being offered before that destruction had been rendered useless. Once Jesus died, no extra sacrifices were acceptable to God.
Jesus shouted out, “It is finished” (John 19:30). This was a cry of triumph. His words did not just indicate that He was ready to die. No, something much more important had been accomplished. Jesus had successfully completed the impossible. He had reconnected humanity with their Creator. Humanity’s debt had been paid in full. Mankind had been redeemed, and Satan had no claim on us any longer. Death was being destroyed. Jesus was announcing that He had successfully completed His mission in all ways and that all legal obligations had been paid in full delivering to Him the keys to this world that Satan had claimed previously. We were free at last.
DAY 2–Remember to pray before you begin.
Mark 15:42-47 The Grave
When evening had now come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathaea, a prominent council member who also himself was looking for God’s Kingdom, came. He boldly went in to Pilate, and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate marveled if he were already dead; and 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. He bought a linen cloth, and taking him down, wound him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb which had been 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.
Not every Jewish leader had become corrupted by greed for power and control. There were some in the Sanhedrin who had served God sincerely for years. Joseph and Nicodemus were two of these men. They had watched Jesus’ ministry, and the conviction had grown that He was the Messiah, but they had seen no need to resign from their positions of power. Maybe, they felt that they could do more good for Jesus where they were; maybe they still had a few doubts; or most likely, they expected a miraculous transformation of the hearts of the other men on the council so that they would turn to Jesus also. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus never expected the council to be able to kill the Redeemer of Israel, and yet it did. They were faced with the eye-opening truth that they were part of an organization that was rejecting their beloved God.
This was a turning point for Joseph of Arimathea. Where before, he had held back from an open commitment, now he knew that something must be done for Jesus. Once the Roman machinery that led to the crucifixion was engaged, there was nothing that he could do but hope and pray for a miracle. However, no mighty angel arrived to destroy the Romans. No fire blazed down from heaven to incinerate the rebellious religious leaders. Instead, darkness covered the land, and Joseph heard Jesus say with confidence to a thief that he would be in heaven. Joseph listened as Jesus asked His Father to forgive His enemies and felt the conviction that even as Jesus died, in some way, Jesus was still in control. Somehow, this was not a failed or false Messiah. Instead, Jesus was the real deal and the events that were transpiring were meant to be. The certainty grew in Joseph’s heart that there would be no rescue from heaven and that soon there would be a dead Messiah hanging on the cross. His competent mind began considering the practical details for what to do after Jesus’ death. What would happen to Jesus’ body? He looked over at the weeping women gathered around the cross with only young John as an escort and knew that they would be powerless to deal with the arrangements that came next.
The overwhelming conviction grew in Joseph that he must take charge, and he began planning out the specifics of what needed to be done. He had his own tomb where he could put Jesus’ body. There would be only time for the simplest measures before the Sabbath halted the preparations. Either Nicodemus was standing beside Joseph, or Joseph saw Nicodemus also in the crowd watching. Somehow, either from prior discussions or there at the cross, the two men bonded. Joseph knew that he had more political power, so the two men divided up their duties. When Joseph was sure that Jesus was dead, he hurried to Pilate’s home to gain the permission that he needed to take custody of the body.
Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead since the cross had been designed as an instrument of torture that prolonged the agony of death for days. Thus, he felt the need to confirm the death of Jesus by summoning a centurion. Pilate had displayed his ambivalence all along. He had not wanted to crucify Jesus yet had yielded to Jewish pressure. He then defied the Jews by placing a sign that said King of the Jews in three languages on the cross above Jesus’ head. He stood firm against the Jewish leaders when they protested. Now, he granted permission for a leading Jew to honor Jesus in burial. Joseph probably went to Pilate expecting to bribe him for the body. Joseph had been willing to pay whatever price was needed to obtain Jesus’ corpse. However, no bribes were necessary. Pilate freely gave the body to Joseph. Either Pilate was still defying the Jewish leaders, or he was salving his conscious for the wrong that he knew that he had done. Would Pilate forever be haunted by his choice this day, or would he go on with his life forgetting that he had been instrumental in killing the Son of God? We are never told.
Between them, Joseph and Nicodemus organized the transportation of Jesus’ body to the tomb and hurriedly performed the preliminary preparations, but they ran out of time. As the two men walked home, they spoke of what they had seen. Joseph must have asked Nicodemus if the scriptures had said anything about the Messiah dying. Did they spend their time together discussing the corruption of the Sanhedrin or their experiences with Jesus, or did they look through the scriptures to try to understand what had happened? Maybe, they spent the Sabbath in an unbelieving daze of confusion. This was one Sabbath where it seemed that God was not with His people.
The Roman soldiers and Jewish leaders must have watched in shock as the two powerful religious leaders openly defied the Sanhedrin. The members of the council who were present would have stared in amazement as Joseph and Nicodemus broke ranks with them and began treating Jesus as a fallen hero. Some of them probably followed along behind to see what the two traitors would do next. As they watched the body being laid in the tomb, they may have remembered the prophecies that Jesus had given about rising from the dead. If two of their own could be made to believe in the Messiah after He was dead, might He not also rise? Or maybe someone would pretend that He would rise? Thus, they requested Roman guards for the tomb. These ultra-religious conservatives who were so careful about the Sabbath for themselves and not having dead men remain on crosses during Sabbath, did not mind asking the Romans to work on the Sabbath guarding a tomb. Thus, the burial of Jesus had many witnesses: Joseph, Nicodemus, and their servants; the women; the Pharisees: and maybe curious onlookers who wondered what other shocking event would happen next.
God has plans and timing that we know nothing about. We do not hear about Joseph of Arimathea until this specific time when God called him to service. Then, the perfect man for the job was drawn forth. Joseph had the money and power to approach Pilate. His apparent change-about in loyalty drew attention so that there were many witnesses to Jesus’ dead body, the preparations made, Jesus being laid in the tomb, the sealing of the tomb, and the location. Through this one man, God drew attention to the details that could not be denied later of where, when, and how Jesus’ body was laid to rest.
DAY 3–Remember to pray before you begin.
Mark 16:1-4 The Large Stone
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint him. Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. They were saying among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” for it was very big. Looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back.
We humans cause more hurt and anguish for ourselves because of our lack of faith than is necessary. God knows that this world gives us pain, but He would save us much agony if we would simply believe His promises. Jesus had told His followers that He would rise again. However, even Mary Magdalene who had listened and believed that Jesus was going to die, did not have faith in His promise of resurrection on the third day. The women spent Sabbath grieving and went to the tomb expecting a dead Messiah. Like the women, when we allow our human expectations to color and overpower God’s promises, we only cause ourselves unnecessary heartache.
Some preachers emphasize how women were the first to know of Jesus’ resurrection, and the implication is that God favored the women over the men. While there may be a kernel of truth in this idea, there is a greater truth if we look at this idea from a different angle. The women were the first to know of the resurrection because they were actively caring for Jesus. Even though they only expected to find a corpse, they went looking for Jesus instead of staying behind closed doors wallowing in their grief and regret and fear. They were fearlessly taking the necessary steps to help another, and so they were the first to see the miracle that God had performed. They even had the opportunity to meet with an angel from God. Their anguish was relieved sooner than the others because they were putting themselves on the front lines to help. Their faith was not greater than their brothers’ faith, but in following what they knew was right, in behaving unselfishly, their lack of faith was remedied faster. The same truth applies to us today. Even when we do not have much faith, if we step out without that belief but knowing the right actions that we have been called to do, we will obtain our missing faith faster than if we stay isolated in our unbelief. Action in helping others and taking the right steps will lead us to situations where our faith will be strengthened and restored.
The women had not only felt fear and sadness, but they were also now worried. They had obtained the burial supplies and made the preparations that they could. They had bought the spices and brought what they needed to prepare the body, but they worried that there was another insurmountable obstacle ahead of them–the heavy stone that blocked the entrance to the tomb. They were anxious about who would roll it away for them. There were three women in this group. Three women working together have a lot of strength. They can push a car out of a street and carry enough water to feed animals and family; however, these women felt that this stone was too heavy for them to move even with the three of them pushing together. That was a heavy stone. However, God had already solved their problem before they arrived at the tomb.
The dilemma of how to move the heavy rock did not stop the women from continuing on to the tomb. They believed that there was an impossible situation ahead of them, yet they continued forward as if the problem were solved already, not because they had faith that the situation was taken care of, but because not going forward was simply not an option in their minds. As they proceeded to the tomb, they were still worried, but when they reached the tomb, they saw that not only had God taken away the problem, but also that He had moved in ways that they could never have imagined or predicted. We can learn a valuable truth from the rock covering the tomb entrance. With God on our side, even insurmountable barriers may simply disappear when it is the right time for us to take action.
Worry is a waste of energy. It is also a lack of trust in Jesus. Seeing how God has worked in the past, both in the scriptures and in our own lives, should relieve our stress in the present. It is wrong to be anxious ahead of time about not having enough money or a job or increasing baptisms and new converts. Instead, we must proceed forward with the solutions that our human minds can come up with, but also, believing that God has His own plans and the means to alter everything when we least expect it. Our job is to remember God’s promises and have faith that He will deliver on them even when they seem totally impossible. We need to move forward actively serving even when we have no hope because it is simply the right action to take. We may see no reason to believe that anything good is coming because of our own blindness and limitations as humans, but God has promised that He is with us, and we know that He wants to save as many people as He can. Claiming those promises, we must keep moving forward with what we know is right to reach the goal that God has already delivered.