John 19:38–42 (ESV)
After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
I’ve always wondered about what the disciples did on “the day after.” I imagine Peter inconsolable, not sure if he is more embarrassed or ashamed. John is probably tending to Jesus’ mother Mary, trying to make sure she has everything she needs. As for the rest, I know they eventually gathered back in the upper room – and maybe that’s where they went from the start – but I’d bet that every last one of them spent time thinking back over the last 3 years of their life.
They probably felt a little silly and a lot sad. Silly because they now at this point almost certainly believed that they had gotten it all wrong. And sad, because well, they miss their friend, who they truly believe is gone forever. I bet one or two of them even thought something like “I’d be willing for it all to be a lie – if he just didn’t have to be gone.” And I wouldn’t have blamed them. Loss is hard, especially when it’s sudden – and despite His seemingly constant warnings, there’s no way ANY of them expected what they had just witnessed. Many people died from the flogging alone, and then to be paraded through the town and hung from the cross – it was all too gruesome to bear.
I’ve also wondered about Joseph (of Arimathea) and Nicodemus. Both secretly having given their hearts to Jesus, but now suddenly brave enough to make a claim for His body. Don’t think that didn’t come along with some risk – and suddenly they’re both willing to take it. It seems a bit counterintuitive that NOW – with Him gone – they are courageous. Perhaps they feel like they owe it to Him for never having come to his defense prior to His execution. Either way, Jesus gets what the first parade of the week (Palm Sunday) would’ve earned Him, a burial spot with Jerusalem’s rich and famous. Although that seems trivial at this point.
Except for it’s not. Even in the midst of their pain, trauma and grief – God is still sovereign, and God is still working. Even as Jesus lays in a tomb and His 11 closest friends sit somewhere dejected and despairing – God is still orchestrating all that needs to be done.
Lastly, I wonder what I would have done, were I to have been alive to have seen all this take place in person. Would I have run and hidden like so many? Would I have denied Him like Peter? Would I have stood at the foot of His cross, like John? It’s impossible to know, but I’d like to think you might have found me outside the tomb – weeping and mourning in reverence. Simply because I missed my friend.
The truth is, all of us, Peter, John, Mary and me – we all believe(d) the same sorry thing. Yes, Jesus is dead – but so is the movement. What up until just hours ago seemed like it would change the world – is now nothing but a memory. There will be crow to eat, and apologies to make – but both those are for another day.
Today, we weep
