A great kindness takes place when Joseph of Arimathea goes to Pilate to gain permission to have Jesus’ body. He removes Jesus from the cross, wraps him in linen and places him in a new tomb. The women follow Joseph so that they would know where to go after the Sabbath so they could finish Jesus’ burial. Sabbath descends with nightfall.
As we live from Good Friday to Sunday in 2011, we find ourselves waiting on Saturday…waiting for Easter. We know that Jesus will resurrect on Sunday and that grieving for him is not necessary. After all, Jesus lives. And, we know we are only waiting to remember and celebrate on Sunday when Saturday is over.
However, that first Good Friday found Jesus’ disciples in deep grief and shock over his death as they observed the Jewish Sabbath. Life would be without Jesus from now on…no more listening to him preach and teach, no more fun stories, no more healings, no more shared meals, no more time spent traveling from town to town, no more Jesus.
