Telling the Beads Bead 15 - Episode 2 ...and was buried

B15 - E2 ...and was buried 

At the moment of his death, Mary sank her head into John’s shoulder and wept. The centurion who had led the soldiers and had observed everything that had happened, seeing the manner in which Jesus had died, spoke aloud, almost to himself. “This man was innocent of any crime,” he said, with utter conviction. “He truly was the Son of God!” Even the hard-bitten soldiers who had carried out hundreds of crucifixions before this one were somewhat bemused.  

There had been something different about this prisoner. For a start, he wasn’t one of the usual ‘run of the mill’ felons they had to deal with. There had been something about him, his dignity, his demeanour - something they couldn’t quite put their finger on - and then, there were the crowds who had followed him up the hill. Amongst the usual hangers-on had been this large group of silent and obviously grieving people, many of them women, who hadn’t drifted away as most people did but had stayed at a distance, in quiet and solemn reverence.

The group of faithful followers of Jesus now wept aloud, shaken by grief. Some of them made their way home but many of the women, particularly those of his friends who had followed him from Galilee, stayed at a distance watching everything that happened. The Jewish leaders were very keen to make completely sure that Jesus really was dead and that the bodies of the three men were not left hanging on their crosses during the Sabbath, especially as it was the feast of Passover.

A group of them went to Pilate to ask for the legs of the prisoners to be broken to make sure that they were dead and for their bodies to be removed. Pilate agreed and the soldiers were sent back to perform the task. They broke the legs of the two thieves who had been tied to their crosses and could have hung there for a long time. However, when they came to the cross of Jesus, they could tell that he was already dead but just to make absolutely sure, one of the men took his lance and thrust it into the side of Jesus. 

John was still keeping watch and testified with absolute certainty that blood and then water had come out from the gaping wound, showing, beyond any doubt, that Jesus had shed his last drop of blood on the soil of Calvary. There had been a prophecy that although the Messiah would suffer and die, none of his bones would be broken and that a sword would pierce his heart, just as Simeon had foretold that Mary’s heart would be pierced as deeply as with any sword of steel and so it had been.

A wealthy man named Joseph, from the Judean town of Arimathea, went openly to Pilate to ask if he could have the body of Jesus in order to give him the burial he deserved. Despite being a respected member of the Jewish Council, Joseph was also a secret believer in Jesus and, as a good and just man, had disagreed with the plans to have him put to death. Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus had already died so he summoned the centurion who confirmed that it was true, at which point, Pilate readily agreed.

So Joseph, accompanied by his friend, Nicodemus, who had secretly admired and believed in Jesus from the outset of the ministry when he had visited him by night, went back to Golgotha to accomplish this last act, taking a large amount of myrrh and aloes with them. They took the precious body down from the cross and laid him in the aching arms of his mother who held him in a last embrace. 

They had brought clean linen cloths in which to wrap his body, together with the spices, in the Jewish burial custom. They also had the myrrh which Mary had given them, treasured by her through all the years of his life as the third gift of the wise men from the East and given at his birth. They carried him gently to the nearby garden where Joseph had a new grave which had been hollowed out from the rock and it was here that they laid him down tenderly. The large stone which was used to seal the door of the tomb was then rolled across.

Joseph and Nicodemus had now pinned their colours openly to the mast of Jesus and were to become his disciples and follow his teachings for the rest of their lives. Mary and John had accompanied the two men to the tomb and were led away by them to return to the upper room to console and comfort one another and try to rest.

Mary Magdalene and a group of women from Galilee who had helped to provide for Jesus and his closest friends and companions in their mission had followed behind the funeral procession., They remained behind for a while and noted the position of the tomb so that they could return after the Sabbath to anoint the body of Jesus with more ointments and spices. By now, it was evening, so they left the garden to return to the upper room or to take shelter in the homes of the many friends of Jesus who lived in Jerusalem itself.

The Jewish leaders, however, had one last act to perform before they were done. Returning to Pilate, they said, “Your Excellency, we have been reminded that when that imposter, Jesus of Nazareth, was still alive, he said that three days after his death, he would come back to life. We think it would be a good idea if you had a guard posted over the tomb until the third day in case his followers come and take his body and say to the people that he has risen from the dead. This last deception would be worse than the first!”

Pilate, though, was having none of it. “You have your own guards! Do it yourselves and make it as secure as you like!” So the leaders accompanied their guards to the tomb to make sure that it was completely sealed then left the men there with strict instructions to keep watch. Jesus had died - and was buried securely in the tomb. The deed was done. They could relax now, satisfied that their purpose had been accomplished - or could they!