Seeds for 03/18/2024 - Matthew 27:57-61
Scripture: As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
Observation: Two things are helpful to note for context at the beginning.
First, Joseph of Arimathea showing up and being described as “a disciple of Jesus” reminds us that there were more than only the twelve apostles. There was a broader community of disciples, composed of both men and women, who were disciples—students, apprentices, learners, followers—of Jesus. We know some by name, but it’s quite safe to assume that we don’t know all of them. According to Luke (author of the Gospel and of the Acts of the Apostles), there were about one hundred twenty.
Second, evening approaching was a problem. Jesus’ lifeless body needed to be removed from the cross before sundown because of the Sabbath. For the Jewish people, the Sabbath begins at sundown Friday and lasts twenty-four hours until sundown Saturday. So, Joseph enters the story at just the right time. He has the resources to gain possession of Jesus’ body, rush the preparations for burial, and get Him into a tomb on the tight schedule with which they were working. Each of us has gifts, resources, and abilities of some kind or another that are of service to the Lord. We must be ready to move into action when the moment comes.
There is also an historical detail that makes a devotional point. Joseph placed Jesus’ body in his own new tomb. In other words, Joseph placed Jesus where he was planning to be placed one day. The power of the Gospel is that Jesus takes our death in order to give us His life. One way to picture this saving faith is imagining Jesus taking our place, like Joseph, in the burial place meant for us. When we know that Jesus died to take our place and now offers us His own life, we truly know the hope we have in Him.
Application:
Have you received Jesus’ gift of substituting His death for yours in order to fill you with His life?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for dying for the whole world, including me. I receive your substitutionary death that I may receive your gift of life in me. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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