DAY THIRTY-SEVEN -- Taken Down
For in the cross of Christ, as in a splendid theater, the incomparable goodness of God is set before the whole world. The glory of God shines, indeed, in all creatures on high and below, but never more brightly than in the cross. —Calvin’s St. John
Reflect
We have walked the entire journey with Christ to the cross, and soon His body will be taken down. What joy we can embrace as we comprehend His great achievement on Calvary. Quiet your heart before God, and read (or sing) slowly the words to the following old hymn. Let the words set your heart toward your blessed Redeemer.
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
Isaac Watts
When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ, my God;
All the vain things that charm me most—I sacrifice them to His blood.
See, from His head, His hands, His feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small:
Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.
Has your time spent at the cross produced this kind of response?
Read
Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. (Matthew 27:59 NASB)
In Jerusalem, lavish preparations are being made for the evening meal at Fortress Antonia. Pilate, exhausted from the long day’s events, soberly sips a glass of wine. The Jew from Nazareth continues to plague his thoughts. Visions of death by crucifixion linger, and the procurator becomes increasingly agitated.
A persistent pounding at the door startles him from his morbid musing. A servant informs him that Joseph from the town of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin, requests an audience. Now what? Pilate shakes his head. Will this thing ever go away? But Joseph is a wealthy and powerful man. It would not be prudent to refuse to see him. He instructs the servant to bring him in.
Joseph strides forward with brisk confidence. “Sir, it is the very sacred custom of my people to bury the dead before sundown. Time is short and I would like to request permission to take the body of Jesus of Nazareth and prepare it for burial.”
Pilate examines the distinguished religious leader. How odd that one of those responsible for Jesus’ death would now want to give Him an honorable burial. Still, Pilate relishes the thought of being done with the whole thing.
“Is He dead, then?” he asks. “Let us find out.”
A messenger is sent to question the centurion at Golgotha. He returns, assuring Pilate that Jesus has been dead now for some time. With great relief Pilate signs the orders to turn the corpse over to Joseph. At last, he can be rid of this perplexing stranger who turned his life upside down in one day.
Joseph hurries back to Golgotha, apprehension stirring within. What has compelled him to do such a thing? Surely he will lose everything—reputation, status, and perhaps even his livelihood. Why take such a risk? Does he regret not speaking up on Jesus’ behalf just hours ago at the trial? Can it be that this is his first act of faith in the Messiah for whom he has so eagerly waited all his life? Or is he simply fulfilling his priestly duty to make sure that the dead are buried before sundown?
On the way out of town, Joseph stops at a market stall and purchases a large piece of clean, soft linen. As he approaches the incline up Golgotha, he is sickened by what he sees. Flies hover around the body of Christ and crows circle above, ready to devour the decaying flesh. He is shocked at Jesus’ physical condition.
Sobered, he hands the orders to the centurion who reads the paper, glancing up at Joseph with relief and respect. He directs the other soldiers to the cross where Christ’s emaciated body hangs. One of them grips the nail in Jesus’ feet with a large tool, working it back and forth until it comes out. With the Y-shaped poles, they lift the crossbeam off the stipe and lay it on the ground.
Joseph watches, fighting emotions he can’t explain as they remove the nails from Jesus’ wrists. Pulling the beam from under the inert body, the centurion turns to him and nods. The honorable religious leader of the Jews kneels beside the form of a man he barely knew and surely never understood, grieved that he has waited so long to come to Him.
Laying the cloth out, he gently rolls the body onto it. The simple task distresses him. Scanning the horizon, he sees the soldiers already moving toward town. He must hurry—there is little time before sundown.
Joseph is not alone. A short distance away, a small group of women watch every move he makes. Though their hearts long to be the ones preparing their Rabbi for burial, they know they cannot approach this esteemed member of the Sanhedrin. They will watch and wait, for now.
Carefully he pulls the corners of the linen tightly together, then tucks them in. When the corpse is secure, he rises and calls for some servants to help carry it to the tomb he has prepared. The day of death is coming to an end.
Not long ago, this bruised and battered body was a beautiful baby, the Son of God full of life, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. There, a handful of shepherds and a choir of angels celebrated His birth.
Today, the lifeless corpse is wrapped in white linen, attended by a handful of heavy-hearted followers. But angel choirs surely wait in the wings now, songs of celebration on the tips of their tongues. For in the grand scheme of God’s eternal plan, weeping may last for the night, but joy always comes in the morning.
Respond
There were probably many times Joseph of Arimathea could have spoken out on Christ’s behalf. As a member of the Sanhedrin he attended both trials, watching them slap Jesus around and mock Him. It seems he never protested. John tells us that secretly he was a follower of Christ, yet feared the reaction of his peers. Spend some time looking at your own life. Are there times when you fail to speak the truth about Christ? When He is maligned do you keep quiet for fear of what others might think? Can you imagine the courage it must have taken for Joseph to reveal his commitment to Christ by asking for the body? In what areas of your walk with God do you long for this kind of courage?
Now, consider the women who have never left Jesus’ side. See them standing afar, unable to intervene, to even wash the wounds of their beloved Teacher in death. Yet, they do not leave. What compels them to stay? What would compel you to commit yourself to Him with such fortitude?
Spend some time in prayer over these things. Read the following passage:
Meditate on these things. What is God saying to you? Write a prayer of response.What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops . . . Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10:27, 32–33 NASB)
A Prayer
My Savior, my Friend—I can feel the sorrow in Joseph’s heart as he wraps Your cold body. Oh, what he missed by waiting so long. And how much of You I have not yet understood, or known, or loved, because I wait when I could run to You. Banish the foolish fears and selfish passions that keep me from You—burn them like dross until my heart is pure, aflame with desire for You alone, oh living God.
Reprinted by permission. Contemplating the Cross: a Forty Day Pilgrimage of Prayer, Tricia McCary Rhodes, 2004, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved. Copying or using this material without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited and in direct violation of copyright law.
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