Slices
Prepare
Pray: ‘Lord Jesus, you died and you were buried. Help me grasp the truth and meaning of those stark facts. Amen.’
Bible passage
The burial of Jesus
42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.
Explore
One of the things that strike me most about this passage is the number of very specific details. We have a day, a time and names. We have some precise information about the sequence of events leading to the body of Jesus being released for burial, including an intriguing mention that Pilate was surprised he had died so fast. We have the fact that the body was in a tomb blocked up with a stone, and that two named women knew its location.
Why all this detail? Many world religions have developed around mystical experiences of their founders, ancient myths, cultural practices, ideas and philosophies. Christianity stands or falls on the historical reality of one man’s death and his subsequent bodily resurrection. Mark is recording every single crumb of solid information he can gather because it is absolutely vital to tell these events as they happened.
We need the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to us, but we don’t need to have our rational minds removed to make space for faith. I am so grateful for the credibility and strength of the historical record and the confidence it gives me that I have made the right decision to give my life to Christ.
Respond
To many, Christ crucified is foolishness, but it is, according to 1 Corinthians 1:24: ‘the power of God and wisdom of God.’ Pray for growing certainty that this historical event was the lynchpin of history.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Judges 19,20; Psalm 44
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray for Mission Partner Christian Initiative to Schools as the team take It’s Your Move presentations into schools in Letchworth and district. Pray for Schools Worker, Christopher Baker, as he shares practical ideas with Year 6 pupils to help them with their transition to secondary schools.
