Waiting at the tomb
Today's focusJoseph of Arimathea lays Jesus in a new tomb, and the women prepare spices and rest on the Sabbath — the silent waiting between death and resurrection.
Read
50And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just: 51(The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. 52This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. 53And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. 54And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. 55And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. 56And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.
Reflection
In the quiet after the crucifixion, we see the courage of Joseph, a "good man, and a just." While others had turned away, Joseph "went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus." He took the broken body down, wrapped it in clean linen, and placed it in a new stone sepulchre. This was a final act of devotion from a man who "waited for the kingdom of God." You may feel like Joseph today—waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled while surrounded by the stillness of a tomb.
The women who followed Jesus from Galilee also watched "how his body was laid." Their love moved them to prepare "spices and ointments" before they "rested the sabbath day according to the commandment." This was a time of heavy silence and holy waiting. Like these faithful followers, you may find yourself in a season of "preparation" and rest, where the work of the cross is finished but the joy of the resurrection is not yet visible. Even in the silence of the tomb, God is at work.
AI-written reflection on the passage above. Let Scripture itself be the main thing.
Reflect
What is it like to sit in the 'in-between' — after loss, before answers — and how can you wait there with faith?
Pray
Lord, today I wait at the tomb with the women and with Joseph. In my own seasons of silence and waiting, help me keep faith. Tomorrow is coming; teach me to hope.