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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion March 22, 2008 Jesus is placed in the Tomb |
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Frontline Devotion for Saturday, March 22, 2008 by Susan Hill
Matthew 27: 57-66
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was
also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus;
then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped
it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb. He then rolled a
great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdelene and the other
Mary were there sitting opposite the tomb.
The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the
Pharisees gathered before Pilate said, “Sir, we remember what that imposter said
when he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ Therefore command
the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise the disciples may go
and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead.’ And
the las6 deception would be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them,” You
have a guard of soldiers; go make it as secure as you can.” So they went with
the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.”
When I first read today’s passage describing the chief priests’ twisted remarks about Jesus to Pilate, I was angry. It just didn’t seem fair! For some reason lyrics from My Fair Lady leapt into my head. Do you remember when Eliza Doolittle rails at her demanding Professor? “Just you wait, Henry Higgins, just you wait! You’ll be sorry, but your tears will be too late!… Oh, oh, oh, Henry Higgins, just you wait!!” Gleefully rubbing my hands together, I imagined, “Yes, you chief priests, you’ll get yours!! Just you wait! Wait till you see what Jesus will do! You will be amazed, but it might be too late for you!” In a consequent more sober reflection, I repented of my zealous desire for retribution but decided, yes, “waiting” is what this passage is all about … but it’s not about waiting for retribution, as I was inclined; it’s about waiting for salvation.
As we approach today’s text, we are poised expectantly on the edges of our seats wondering what will happen next in Matthew’s account. Jesus has died. There’s been an earthquake, the veil of the temple has ripped in two, rocks have split open, the dead have been loosened from their tombs. With the help of Matthew’s poetry, we realize that this is a time like no other. Though holy and remarkable, it is not a comfortable time. We are expectant, but we are also in shock over what we have read. We can hardly wait to move on to the next scene – today’s verses.
Thankfully, nothing too earth-shaking happens in today’s reading. People are acting non-dramatically. Joseph of Arimethea prepares Jesus’ body for burial according to traditional Jewish practice and then leaves the scene. The chief priests, Pilate, and soldiers converse and plan, seal the tomb, and leave. Mary and Mary Magdelene simply sit by the tomb and keep vigil.
But, aha, this vigil, non-earthshaking as it seems, is the crux of the matter. It’s a statement of faith during an in-between time. Despite the fact that the whole earth has shifted under the awful truth of Jesus’ death, the promise of Jesus’ resurrection sustains the faithful while they wait for its fulfillment. They wait and watch for God’s next action. Though they must be terrified, they refuse to run and hide. They stay as close as they can to Jesus, source of their comfort and salvation, and await God’s plan. It isn’t over yet. Jesus taught them this. So they wait … believing salvation is imminent.
It’s Holy Week. Just you wait! Sit still for now and stay with Jesus in his suffering and death. There will be plenty to do later. For now, watch, pray, sing, worship, read, keep the faith, share in Jesus’ passion. Do all this knowing that when God acts, a second bursting of the bonds of earth (Matthew 28:2) will announce his glory and ours. “We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.” (Romans 6: 6-8) Oh, oh, oh …this is the salvation we have been waiting for.
Prayer: Dear God of grace and glory, we keep vigil now confident in your redemption and forgiveness. Give us strength and courage to endure the bonds of sin and death and then set us free according to your will. Lead us to live in your glory through faith in your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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