The apostle John wrote after Jesus died on the cross, “Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight”, and in chapter nineteen and verse forty of his book John shared, “then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes” where we read:
Then took they the body of Jesus,
and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.
The verse reads, “Then took they the body of Jesus, ...” John began with the words, “then took they” which means “at that time Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus removed and carried away” “the body of Jesus” or “the physical body belonging to the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate”. John shared how “Joseph and Nicodemus” removed “Jesus' body” and did the following.
The verse goes on to say, “... and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.” John continued with the words, “and wound it in linen clothes” or “and bound and fastened Jesus' body within strips of linen cloth which was used for swathing the dead” “with the spices” which means “alongside the perfumes and aromatic scents”, “as the manner of the Jews is to bury” or “in likeness to the Jewish way of burying people”. John shared how “Joseph and Nicodemus” “fastened” Jesus' dead body with “linen cloths and aromatic perfumes” in the custom of the Jewish people.
When we meditate upon John's words in this verse, we learn how “Joseph and Nicodemus” followed through on their idea to bury Jesus' body. They removed His body from the cross, wrapped it in linen cloths and anointed it with aromatic perfumes according to the Jewish custom. These simple but important acts were demonstrations of the love and care these men had for Jesus, and God noticed them enough to have them included in John's gospel. God loves people, and He desires to have a loving personal relationship with every person through His Son Jesus. Those who surrender their lives to Him will be forgiven of their sins, granted everlasting life and enjoy a relationship with the “Savior and Lord” of the world.
Next time John shares how, “in the place where he was crucified there was a garden”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
No comments:
Post a Comment