Jesus died – Be Still…

Mark 15:42-47 – Put to Rest

Read Mark 15:42-47

What surprised you in today’s reading? Perhaps it was that a respected member of the high council wanted Jesus’ body. What moved Joseph to take this risk? Mark’s gospel speaks of the linen, the location, and those witnessing Jesus’ resting place.

As a child, I remember reciting the “Apostle’s Creed,” and we proclaimed every week that Jesus was buried. It happened that way. But Jesus’ was not a normal burial. This was the entombment of God’s only son.

Mark 15:33-41 – Jesus Died for You

Read Mark 15:33-41

Sit with this text for a while today. Jesus has died. While we weren’t there, there were plenty of bystanders and Roman soldiers looking on. What did they see?

Our last reading gave us the time stamp of 9:00 a.m. for when Jesus was nailed to the cross. Three hours pass full of mocking and taunts. Then darkness falls for three more hours. That just doesn’t happen every day! “In that day,” says the Sovereign Lord, ‘I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth while it is still day.’” (Amos 8:9)

1 Peter 3:18-22 – What Jesus Did For You

Read 1 Peter 3:18-22

Peter reminds us that Jesus suffered for us. He had lived that reality being so close to the events of Jesus’ beating, crucifixion, and death. For people that hadn’t been so involved in that story, Peter shared.

Death entered this world because of sin. But Jesus never sinned. Jesus died for us — sinners — so that we could find our way home and have a relationship with our heavenly Father. That’s the message the world needs to hear. But Jesus didn’t stay dead.

Luke 22:63-23:55 – Guilty or Not Guilty?

Read Luke 22:63-23:55

Reading about Jesus’ final hours can be an emotional encounter, especially when we put ourselves in the scene. We’ve been walking with Jesus to the cross, and today we arrive. Seeing it dramatized is also a very powerful way to remember. I’ll never forget the car ride home in silence after our family watched Mel Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ” when it first came out in theatres.

Sometimes we want to rush ahead to what happens next, but the first disciples didn’t know this was only the beginning of the miracle of all miracles. Let’s stay where we are in this moment, seeing our Savior’s sacrifice of love.