Slices
Prepare
How easy do you find it to submit to God’s will for your life?
Bible passage
The death of Jesus
44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last.
47 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, ‘Surely this was a righteous man.’ 48 When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. 49 But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
The burial of Jesus
50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. 54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.
55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.
Explore
Yesterday we read the words Jesus uttered on the final leg of his journey to death. We read of how he gave dignity and forgiveness to those around him. Today we read of the very last words he spoke before ‘he breathed his last’ (v 46). We are often intrigued to know people’s last words before they die. We hope they can somehow comfort us in grief as well as give an insight into the individual. This is certainly the case in the final words of Jesus.
These eight words of Jesus sum up his attitude to the mission given to him by God; a mission which began in the simplicity of a stable: ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit’ (v 46). In words which echo another eight- word prayer he prayed only a few hours earlier in the garden of Gethsemane (‘yet not my will, but yours be done’, Luke 22:42), Jesus submits to the plans God has for his life and ministry even while experiencing exhaustion, humiliation and agony.
Today, as we sit between the pain of Good Friday and the joy of Easter Sunday, we are confronted again with the humbling fact that it is Jesus’ submission that brought us freedom; his humility that brought us new life with God the Father.
Respond
‘Lord Jesus, I thank you afresh for your submission to the will and mission of your Father. Help me in turn to live in joyful submission to your will for my life.’
Deeper Bible study
Do people around you know you are a Christian?
After the death of Jesus, Joseph, a member of the Sanhedrin, came forward to claim the body for burial. He was a secret disciple because he feared the Jews.1 This fear kept him from making an open declaration, at least until the trials of Jesus. He was part of a minority who objected to the Sanhedrin’s decision to crucify Jesus (vs 50,51). Even though Joseph could not persuade the Council to release Jesus, he wanted to ensure that Jesus received a proper burial before the Sabbath. The alternative was for Jesus’ body to be left on the cross or simply disposed of, with other criminals, to be scavenged by dogs. By stepping forward to claim the body of Jesus, Joseph demonstrated his loyalty to Jesus. This was a bold act indeed.
Joseph emerged from the closet of being a secret disciple when the circumstances called for him to take a stand. This naturally exposed his allegiance to Jesus to his contemporaries, which may have caused him serious difficulties. Ironically – and sadly – the disciples of Jesus who had followed him for years were nowhere to be seen. The actions of Joseph remind us that we cannot be secret disciples of Jesus for ever. We need to make a stand for Jesus, even though the fearful consequences of such actions may be very real.
Many believers in Asia pay a high price for their faith. Many have faced persecution and rejection from family, relatives and even from the community. Some may be discriminated against in schools and workplaces. There could be some who are afraid to declare openly their faith in Christ. Our passage today reminds us that we cannot be secret disciples of Jesus for ever. We need to make a stand for Jesus.
Lord, give me courage to come out of the closet of being your secret disciple.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Joshua 20–22; Psalm 39
Pray for Scripture Union
Some of the Faith Guides with whom Mission Enabler Chris Eales works in the south west have faced unexpected challenges. Pray that their passionate enthusiasm will continue. Pray for the Go Wild holiday to which Faith Guides will come with their groups to explore Christian faith in an outdoor context.
