I even have often said that having something to look ahead to is healthy. Regularly, I add little things to my upcoming schedule largely because I like having something fun, recent, or exciting on the horizon to take into consideration. Maybe you are inclined to do something similar.
It’s interesting to see, when searching through the pages of Scripture, that the people the Holy Spirit selected to profile in each the Old and New Testaments were very very like us within the sense that having something to look ahead to mattered to them. That mindset might be seen in lots of passages, however the culminating chapters of Mark’s gospel give us various pictures of what it was prefer to be hopeful after which have those hopes seemingly dashed, only to have that exact same hope revived again.
Who Was Joseph of Arimathea?
“And when evening had come, because it was the day of Preparation, that’s, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself in search of the dominion of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.” -Mark 15:42-43
Joseph of Arimathea was a hopeful man. He was also a widely respected man in his generation. Scripture tells us that Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin, but he wasn’t quite like most of the men he served on that council. Most were disrespectful to Jesus and had zero faith that He was the Messiah, but Joseph felt in another way. He was looking forward to the dominion of God being led by the Messiah, and he believed that Jesus was the one they’d been waiting for, but up thus far, Joseph hadn’t been public about his hope in Jesus.
It was against Jewish law to depart a dead body exposed and unburied overnight. It was also illegal to do work on the Sabbath, which was about to start in several short hours at sunset, so Joseph worked up the nerve to request Pilate’s permission to bury the body of Jesus. This was a loving and respectful thing for Joseph to do, but I can only imagine how dissatisfied he should have been to be doing it.
“Pilate was surprised to listen to that he must have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him within the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the doorway of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.” – Mark 15:44-47
Because it often took several days for somebody to die from crucifixion, Pilate was surprised to listen to that Jesus was dead, particularly since he had just spoken with him earlier within the day. Before granting Joseph’s request, Pilate sought official confirmation. It appears he sought that confirmation from the centurion who was mentioned in Mark 15:39, the person who, on the death of Jesus, stated, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” Having received official word of Jesus’ death, Joseph was given permission to bury Jesus.
Joseph didn’t have much time to act since every thing he was doing needed to happen before the sunset, so he sprung into motion. Mark doesn’t mention it, but in John’s gospel, we’re told that Nicodemus (the Pharisee Jesus spoke with in John 3) assisted Joseph. Together, they took the body of Jesus down off the cross and wrapped His corpse in a linen shroud together with about 75 kilos of myrrh and aloes.
What Can We Learn from Joseph about Dealing with Disappointment?
The body of Jesus was then placed in a cave-like tomb belonging to Joseph, and a big stone was rolled against the doorway. According to Matthew’s gospel, the tomb was then sealed (with a clay-like substance imprinted with the Roman imperial seal). Roman guards were also stationed on the tomb to stop anyone from disturbing it.
It was clear to all involved that Jesus was dead and buried. There were so many witnesses to this undeniable fact that it couldn’t be disputed. The Romans confirmed it. The Jewish leaders confirmed it. Christ’s own followers confirmed it. But just when it appeared that there was nothing hopeful to look ahead to, the story of Christ’s earthly ministry was about to make a dramatic turn, just as He promised it might.
Before we examine that dramatic turn, let’s just pause for a fast moment to acknowledge that quite incessantly in life, just before we’ve got the privilege to witness a miraculous act that may only be orchestrated by God, we may feel hopeless and completely defeated. It may feel like what we were most looking forward to has been taken away, and yet if we wait in faith just a little bit longer, we’ll have the privilege to see Jesus show up in a fashion that ought to have been obvious to us all along. When that happens, understand that considered one of the first lessons we’re alleged to learn is that Jesus is all we really want. There aren’t any effective substitutes.
“When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, in order that they may go and anoint him. And very early on the primary day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to 1 one other, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the doorway of the tomb?’” – Mark 16:1-3
The very women who stood at a distance and watched while Jesus was being crucified also recognized that Jesus had received a hasty burial, in order that they wanted to indicate more honor to His body once the sabbath had passed. At the primary sight of sunshine on Sunday, they made their method to the tomb with additional spices to anoint the body of Jesus.
The conversation these women were having on their method to the tomb jogs my memory lots of a conversation I once had with my wife. She explained to me that I’m allowed to ask her for help with nearly any physically demanding task around our home, with one exception. I’m not allowed to ask her to lift heavy things, particularly furniture. She also said, “You may ask for help from our sons or the lads of our church, but I used to be not made for lifting heavy objects.”
As these women were approaching the tomb, they knew what they desired to do, but they weren’t sure how they were going to perform it. They desired to anoint the body of Jesus, but they didn’t have a plan for rolling the big stone away. The excellent news is that they didn’t need a plan because God already had the main points worked out. They just needed to indicate up and see what God had already done on their behalf.
God Will Remind Us of the Hope We Have in Jesus.
“And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the appropriate side, wearing a white robe, they usually were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he will not be here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he’s going before you to Galilee. There you will notice him, just as he told you.” – Mark 16:4-7
When the ladies arrived on the tomb, we were told that the stone that covered the tomb had already been rolled away. Matthew’s gospel explains that an angel had been sent from heaven to roll the stone away, and after moving it, he sat down on it. Mark’s gospel explains that after they entered the tomb, they were told by an angel (who appeared as a human) that Jesus had risen. Luke’s gospel gives us the extra detail that there have been two angels present for this conversation, each in dazzling white clothing.
There are various confirmations of the undeniable fact that Jesus rose from the dead, but considered one of the more unique confirmations is the undeniable fact that it was women who were the primary witnesses of this truth. Courts on the time wouldn’t even allow women to testify because they weren’t considered credible witnesses, yet in the dominion of God, it was women who were the primary to make the message of the resurrection known.
Various theologians highlight this fact as some extent of note, indicating that if this was an event the disciples were attempting to fabricate, they definitely wouldn’t have relied on women to be the primary people to offer this testimony in public based on how they were seen in that era and the way their legal testimony wasn’t something the culture was willing to trust.
But it was to those women that the message of the resurrection was entrusted by the angelic messengers of God. These faithful women got the blessed task of telling the disciples that Jesus was alive. He had risen from death and defeated death’s terrifying power. Jesus had also promised to fulfill them again in Galilee where a few of them were first invited to be His disciples years earlier.
“And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, they usually said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” – Mark 16:8
I don’t know if you happen to’ll ever see an angel throughout the course of your natural life, but when one is ever revealed to you, I’m certain you’ll be terrified. Over and another time, when angels appear to people in Scripture, they repeatedly need to tell them to not be afraid because fear is our natural response to their holiness.
Don’t be too harsh on these women whenever you read Mark’s account of them fleeing from the tomb, trembling, astonished, and afraid. It’s commendable that they were even there in the primary place. And though their first response was to say nothing while they adjusted to the frightening experience they only went through, we’re told elsewhere that they didn’t take an extended time to let the disciples know that Jesus was alive. In fact, they saw Jesus Himself along the best way.
“So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to inform his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they got here up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they’ll see me.’” (Matthew 28:8-10)
I don’t know if you happen to’re struggling to have hope without delay. I don’t know if there’s something scary a way of fear in your heart. But I do know this. Jesus lived the proper life in your behalf, after which He atoned on your sin through His suffering and death. Then, just as He promised He would, He rose from death and completely defeated its power. For those that are in Christ, death has lost its sting. In probably the most literal sense, all it means for us is a transition from our earthly sojourn to living within the presence of the Lord without end.
Don’t let unhealthy fear grip your heart, and don’t lose hope. Jesus got here through for the unique disciples, and just as He promised, He will come through for you, too.
© John Stange, 2024. Originally published on Bible Study Headquarters. Used with permission.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/jchizhe
John Stange is the Lead Pastor at Core Creek Community Church and a professor at Cairn University where he leads the Digital Media and Communication program. He also leads a web based community called Platform Launchers where he helps people construct message-based online platforms.
John has authored over 30 books and presently hosts several podcasts on the LifeAudio podcast network. His shows have been downloaded thousands and thousands of times by listeners throughout the world.
You can learn more about John’s ministry, books, and podcasts at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com.
