Today’s image is by Paul Chapman
Prayer & reflection by Jo Hossain
Jesus is placed in the tomb (NIV John 19:38-42)
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Reflection
This was a sad day for many; those who had followed Jesus during His ministry and those who doubted He would rise again. He had healed so many. He came as the light and Saviour of the world. What would you be thinking/feeling having followed Jesus, even been a disciple of Jesus, like Joseph of Arimathea? What must it have been like wrapping His body in linen and laying it in the tomb?
Prayer
Lord, help me to understand the sadness Joseph and so many others felt as your body was taken down from cross and placed in the tomb. Please help me to reach out to others who are grieving today. Amen.
