The Useless Tomb

John 19: 38-42

John 20: 1-18

Jesus on the Cross! He is suffering; he is lonely. His disciples have left him alone. However, John, the youngest of all, is right there at the cross along with the two women called Mary: Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. The whole thing has been a big disappointment for many, including the disciples.

However, two other disciples who followed Jesus in different ways appear in the picture. They are Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.

Joseph was a wealthy man (Mathew 27:57), and according to Mark 15:43 he was an important politician, a member of the Council. A man with such a rank not only followed Jesus along but was also a secret disciple.

Nicodemus, a Pharisee who came to Jesus one night, was apparently another follower of Jesus.

These two took the risk to offer a decent burial for Jesus. I don’t know who would volunteer to do such a courageous act, that is going to Pilate and asking for permission to take the body of Jesus from the cross.

Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Commentaries say that such an expensive amount of myrrh and aloes is only used for kings and royalties. Nicodemus wanted the best.

Joseph owned his own tomb, a new one. Who could own a tomb in those days while they were alive? Apparently, Joseph was very wealthy. He wanted Jesus to be buried in his own new tomb. Joseph wanted to offer the best tomb.

This reminds me of the way mortuary people run their business. Years ago, I was studying in my room in Kansas, someone called me and wanted to sell to me a piece of land. He was describing how beautiful the place was, and how green it was all over. After a while, I found out he was selling me a grave, my tomb!

Don’t you see even now, when the funeral home tries to play with your emotions, wanting to sell you the most expensive casket, and so on.

Joseph and Nicodemus were sincere. They were not like the business people commercializing the burial of a loved one. They were serious and they wanted to do the best for Jesus. In fact, they risked their reputation by doing such an act.

Here is the Good News. The tomb, the new tomb, was and is empty. The luxurious and expensive tomb was USELESS. The seventy-five pounds of oil and perfume were useless. Why? Because the tomb is empty and Jesus is alive. Jesus could not stay in those expensive tombs. Jesus cannot remain dead. He cannot be put in a box. He is alive and the tomb is useless.

What can we learn from the EMPTY TOMB?

1. Although the intention of Joseph and Nicodemus was to express their respect for Jesus, they did not know that their action was not going to fit into God’s plan of salvation. Their act to provide a good burial for Jesus was almost useless. They wanted to put Jesus is a “casket”, in a grave, but Jesus could not and cannot be put in a “box”.

That is the way God is. We think we are doing the right thing. Our intention could be right, but God has a bigger plan; God can take our life and reverse it, change it and make it right. Nothing can stop Jesus from resurrection. The expensive tomb was useless.

We will continue in English.