The King of Stories -- And On That Day He Rested

Introductory note from Jason Pratt: see here for the previous entry; and see here for the first entry of the series. (It explains what I'm doing, and how, and contains the Johannine prologue.)


And On That Day He Rested

(The storytellers continue in harmony...)

Now when all the groups who had come together for this sight, observed what had happened, they began to return (to the city), beating their breasts (in grief).

And many women were there; who had followed Jesus from Galilee, waiting on Him--among whom was Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and Joseph, and Salome the mother of the sons of Zebedee. They stood at a distance, with all His acquaintances, seeing these things.


.......

Now, after these things, as evening was already coming...

Look!--a rich man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, named Joseph! A good and fair-minded man, a prominent member of the Sanhedrin, who himself had been a disciple of Jesus and who was waiting for the kingdom of God.

He had not consented to their plan and action (explains the Scholar)--but he had only supported Jesus privately, out of fear of the Jews (adds the Evangelist, meaning Jewish leaders.)

This man had gathered courage, and gone in before Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

Now Pilate marvels, if Jesus is dead already; and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was dead long ago. And he ascertains this from the centurion.

So Pilate ordered it to be given over to Joseph.


Now Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, newly bought.

And Nicodemus also came (adds the Evangelist)--the one who first had come to Him by night--bringing a package of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds in weight.

And so they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.

Now in the area where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been laid. This tomb was Joseph's, which he had (had) carved out in the rock.

So on account of the Jewish day of preparation, because this tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

And Joseph wallowed a large stone against the entrance of the tomb, and went away.

[Plotnote: Joseph probably did not intend for Jesus to stay in this tomb, except over the Passover weekend. The shelves which are mentioned here were used for letting the body decay down to the bones, which would then be interred in an ossuary box. The myrrh and aloes, aside from having nice symbolic value, were intended to help keep the smell down a little.]

But Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, the mother of Joses; they had followed after, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid, and were sitting opposite the grave.

Now they returned (to the city), and when the Sabbath was over (at sundown on Saturday) they bought and prepared spices and perfumes, that they might come and anoint Him (since there hadn't been time to properly wash and care for the body).

But on the Sabbath they rested... according to the commandment.


.......

Now on the next day, which is after the preparation (Saturday evening), the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, and said:

"Sir... we remember that when that deceiver was still alive, He said 'After three days I rise again'!

"Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure, until the third day, lest the disciples come and steal him away and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead!'--and the last deception will be worse than the first!"

Pilate strongly declared to them: "You have a guard! Go away!--you may make it secure as you know how!"

And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.


Matthew 27:55-66
Mark 15:40-47
Luke 23:48-56
John 19:38-42

[Next time: Anastasis]

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