
Day 43
Wednesday, April 5
John 19:38-42
Jesus’ body is buried
38 After this Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate if he could take away the body of Jesus. Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one because he feared the Jewish authorities. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and took the body away. 39 Nicodemus, the one who at first had come to Jesus at night, was there too. He brought a mixture of myrrh and aloe, nearly seventy-five pounds in all.[a] 40 Following Jewish burial customs, they took Jesus’ body and wrapped it, with the spices, in linen cloths. 41 There was a garden in the place where Jesus was crucified, and in the garden was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish Preparation Day and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus in it.
Reflection
There’s something about Joseph of Arimathea to whom I’ve always felt a strong connection. He
seems like a wise, calm, and thoughtful guy. He doesn’t strike me as someone who wants to be
in the limelight. In fact, it seems like he may have dealt with some fear and difficulty living on
the outside the way he felt on the inside. I get that. In some ways, Joseph of Arimathea was a
closeted Christ follower. And honestly it makes sense – it doesn’t seem like it was a very safe
time to be “out” about his beliefs. Anyone who has been in the closet knows that it feels scary.
The stakes feel really high about whether to speak up or to stay silent. It comes with so many
complex emotions and layers. It’s not a simple thing to navigate. And here Joseph of
Arimathea is trying to deal with the brutal murder of the spiritual leader he secretly believes in. I can’t imagine what that must have felt like, but I’m sure that he spent time carefully considering what to do next. This is what he came up with.
Joseph decided to speak. Wow! That is a huge deal and probably put him at risk. Joseph
asked for Jesus’ body and Pilate said yes. During the night, he took the body and followed the
Jewish burial customs. He spent a sizeable amount of money, buying the very best – myrrh,
aloe, and spices. He took Jesus’ body to a new tomb that had never been used. (Some think it
may have been Joseph’s own tomb!) And honored this person he loved with a proper burial.
This always strikes me as a very sacred moment. What’s more intimate, private, or vulnerable
than dressing a dead body? The dead body of the Divine Son. It’s such a profound paradox.
God in physical form, severely bruised and beaten – lifeless before him.
It made me think. I wonder if there are things in our lives that feel lifeless before us. Maybe we
carefully and gingerly wrap them for burial. Maybe we believe we are saying goodbye to them
for good. Maybe we have the slightest bit of hope that they may resurrect and be a part of our
story again. Maybe the burial process is costly or illogical. Maybe we are beyond words
because of the sadness and grief in our hearts. How do we exist in this sacred place of the
tomb? A space where something so precious has died and nothing yet has brought us new life?
By Steffeny Feld
Wednesday, April 5
John 19:38-42
Jesus’ body is buried
38 After this Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate if he could take away the body of Jesus. Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one because he feared the Jewish authorities. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and took the body away. 39 Nicodemus, the one who at first had come to Jesus at night, was there too. He brought a mixture of myrrh and aloe, nearly seventy-five pounds in all.[a] 40 Following Jewish burial customs, they took Jesus’ body and wrapped it, with the spices, in linen cloths. 41 There was a garden in the place where Jesus was crucified, and in the garden was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish Preparation Day and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus in it.
Reflection
There’s something about Joseph of Arimathea to whom I’ve always felt a strong connection. He
seems like a wise, calm, and thoughtful guy. He doesn’t strike me as someone who wants to be
in the limelight. In fact, it seems like he may have dealt with some fear and difficulty living on
the outside the way he felt on the inside. I get that. In some ways, Joseph of Arimathea was a
closeted Christ follower. And honestly it makes sense – it doesn’t seem like it was a very safe
time to be “out” about his beliefs. Anyone who has been in the closet knows that it feels scary.
The stakes feel really high about whether to speak up or to stay silent. It comes with so many
complex emotions and layers. It’s not a simple thing to navigate. And here Joseph of
Arimathea is trying to deal with the brutal murder of the spiritual leader he secretly believes in. I can’t imagine what that must have felt like, but I’m sure that he spent time carefully considering what to do next. This is what he came up with.
Joseph decided to speak. Wow! That is a huge deal and probably put him at risk. Joseph
asked for Jesus’ body and Pilate said yes. During the night, he took the body and followed the
Jewish burial customs. He spent a sizeable amount of money, buying the very best – myrrh,
aloe, and spices. He took Jesus’ body to a new tomb that had never been used. (Some think it
may have been Joseph’s own tomb!) And honored this person he loved with a proper burial.
This always strikes me as a very sacred moment. What’s more intimate, private, or vulnerable
than dressing a dead body? The dead body of the Divine Son. It’s such a profound paradox.
God in physical form, severely bruised and beaten – lifeless before him.
It made me think. I wonder if there are things in our lives that feel lifeless before us. Maybe we
carefully and gingerly wrap them for burial. Maybe we believe we are saying goodbye to them
for good. Maybe we have the slightest bit of hope that they may resurrect and be a part of our
story again. Maybe the burial process is costly or illogical. Maybe we are beyond words
because of the sadness and grief in our hearts. How do we exist in this sacred place of the
tomb? A space where something so precious has died and nothing yet has brought us new life?
By Steffeny Feld
Posted in Lent Devotional 2023
Recent
Archive
2023
January
February
Explore - Week 1Explore - Week 2Explore - Week 3Explore - Week 4God is Leading Us Forward // M-Note 2.3.23SENT: Week 1 Discussion GuideSomething To Try This Weekend // M-Note 2.10.23SENT: Week 2 Discussion GuideWe're Doing Something Big! // M-Note 2.17.23SENT: Week 3 Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 1Lent Devotional Day 2Lent Devotional Day 3SENT: Week 4 Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 4Lent Devotional Day 5Lent Devotional Day 6Lent Devotional Day 7
March
Lent Devotional Day 8Lent Devotional Day 9Celebrating BEYOND // M-Note 3.3.2023Who Is Jesus: BONUS Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 10Lent Devotional Day 11Lent Devotional Day 12Who Is Jesus: Week 1 Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 13Lent Devotional Day 14Lent Devotional Day 15Lent Devotional Day 16Lent Devotional Day 17The Evening Service is BACK!!! // M-Note 3.10.23Lent Devotional Day 18Lent Devotional Day 19Who Is Jesus: Week 2 Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 20Lent Devotional Day 21Lent Devotional Day 22Lent Devotional Day 23The Most Important Sunday of the Year // M-Note 3.17.23Who Is Jesus: Week 3 Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 24Lent Devotional Day 25Lent Devotional Day 26Lent Devotional Day 27Lent Devotional Day 28Lent Devotional Day 29Lent Devotional Day 30The Power of Easter and Invitation // M-Note 3.24.23Lent Devotional Day 31Who Is Jesus: Week 4 Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 32Lent Devotional Day 33Lent Devotional Day 34Lent Devotional Day 35Lent Devotional Day 36Lent Devotional Day 37You Can't Miss This Part // M-Note 4.1.23Lent Devotional Day 38
April
Lent Devotional Day 39Lent Devotional Day 40Who Is Jesus: Week 5 Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 41Lent Devotional Day 42Lent Devotional Day 43Gathering Easter Top 10 List // M-Note 4.6.23Lent Devotional Day 44Lent Devotional Day 45Easter Sunday: Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 46Feeling Burned Out? // M-Note 4.14.23Burnout: Week 1 Discussion GuideBurnout: Week 2 Discussion GuideIntersection of Policies & Prayers // M-Note 4.22.23Do More Of This To Avoid Burnout // M-Note 4.28.23Burnout: Week 3 Discussion Guide
May
Categories
Tags
1 Kings 3
1 Kings
1 Timothy
2 Corinthians 9:5-7
2 Timothy
Belden Lane
Beyond Simple
Celebrate
Change
Christ
Commit
Confidence
Denee Bowers
Devotional
Discussion Guides
Distractions
Divine Love
Doubt
Easter
Ephesians
Equity
Evangelism
Explore
Five Shared Practices
Focus
Frederick Buechner
Fresh Take
Friends
Generosity
God
Gratitude
Hebrews
Holy Ambiguity
Hope
Humanity
Identity
Isaiah
Jesus
John 21
John
Joy
Kids
King Solomon
Lectio Divina
Lent
Life
Limitations
Longing
M-Note
Matt Miofsky
Matthew
Nadia Bolz-Weber
No Filter
Open
Parables
Parenting
Patience
Paula D'Arcy
Paula D\'Arcy
Paula D\\\'Arcy
Paula D\\\\\\\'Arcy
Paul
Privilege
Proverbs 1
Proverbs
Psalms
Purpose
Questions
Redeem
Rejoice
Righteousness
Sabra Engelbrecht
Second Chance
Self-Love
Struggle
Success
The Bible
The Church
The Gathering
Timothy
Uncertainty
Untethered
Vision
Weird
acts
adulting
advice
challenge
commitment
creation
deconstruction
deconstruct
faith
finances
fitness
forgiveness
forgiving
foundation
freedom
give
growth
kelley weber
love
meister eckhart
money
mystery
new life
opportunity
reconstruction
reconstruct
redemption
relationships
responsibility
simplify
sin
social
thomas merton
transition
truth
willingness
willpower
will
young adult
No Comments