Daily Bread

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, ‘Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, “After three days I will rise again.” Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, “He has been raised from the dead”, and the last deception would be worse than the first.’ Pilate said to them, ‘You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.’So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

Pontius Pilate, the cruel Roman governor of Judea was worried only about one thing — insurrection. Jesus was dead, so why not release the body to Jospeh of Arimathea? What did he have to lose, for nothing more could possibly come of the execution of Jesus of Nazareth? How wrong he was! The chief priests and Pharisees were more concerned, worrying that the disciples of Jesus would steal the body, and so they pleaded with Pilate to guard the tomb, and Pilate's ears pricked up at this. The last thing he needed on his hands was a martyr, or worse, a situation that played into the hands of the insurrectionists, and so he acquiesced and agreed to a security detachment to guard the tomb of Jesus.

The Pharisees called Jesus an imposter. They did not believe he was the Messiah, and certainly not God incarnate, but they all knew the claims that Jesus had made, that after three days he would rise again.

The disciples were in hiding for they knew the danger they were in. Their leader had been executed and now all eyes would be on them. But worse, they had lost a dear friend. Grief. Despair. Fear. Their journey had slammed to a bloody end and they were utterly crushed, a laughing stock, and directionless.

We don't know whether they did or not, but given what had happened, it is hard to imagine the disciples had hope that Jesus would be raised from the dead. They weren't exactly standing outside the tomb waving flags awaiting his arrival.

Today is Easter Saturday, the time between the now and not yet. Like the disciples, we wait too are waiting for Jesus to fully come again. In this time we too experience the pain and grief of losing loved ones, the despair of how we hoped our lives might pan out, and fear of what will happen both politically and environmentally. Grief. Despair. Fear.

Sunday is coming — as sure as the sunrise — but now we wait. We hold on to each other. We hope, we pray, and we love.

Holy God
As we live in the darkness
between the now and not yet,
may we strengthen one another with love.
Holidays are especially hard
for those of us who are alone.
When I feel grief, despair, and fear,
may your Holy Spirit find me and comfort me.
Hold me, Lord Jesus, and never let me go.