In the minds of the Jesus’ accusers among the religious elite, the mission to kill him was completed.  No more talk of this Jesus who was making them feel uncomfortable, even guilty at times.  They could now go back to their daily religious debates, pious living, with an even greater, victorious pompousness. No one gets by with judging them and getting away with it!

In the minds of Pilate and Herod, this religious fiasco between the Jewish council and Jesus would finally be put to rest and they could move on with their political lives of oppression over people; bilking them for everything they could pay in taxes and more.  Their power, in their minds, was certainly expressed and royally demonstrated by killing the “King of the Jews” as their soldiers mocked. No one gets by with revolting against the Roman government!

In the minds of Jesus’ followers, they are dismayed and overcome with grief.  With Jesus dead, the Light has gone out.  In fact darkness fell over the earth for all to experience.  His followers were confused.  However, the faithful women instinctively do what they have always done, they continue to serve Jesus by first seeing where they took his body and laid him to rest; then they returned home to prepare the traditional spices for burial out of respect for their Lord.  It was Sabbath.  The women must rest as the Law of Sabbath commanded.

In the minds of some caught up in it all out of curiosity and most certainly indecision; not a part of Jesus’ followers but wondering about what just happened—saw, felt, and heard the voice of a Savior. A ranking official from the Jewish Council asked Pilate for Jesus’ body out of respect for Jesus.  One Roman captain, standing guard observing it all remarked, “This was a righteous man.” (KJV) The gospel of Matthew reports, “When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!’” Matthew 27:54

In the mind of God, The Plan of His Salvation has only just begun to be completed in full.  Removing all the sin placed upon Him was indeed finished and accounted for all of us with the debt of sin hanging over us.  Jesus carried our sin and died on that cross as the Son of Man who felt every skin tearing beating before the agonizing pain of nails being hammered into his flesh. But there is more to come!  Will all the sins of the world removed from His shoulders by dying in our place, Jesus will go to hell and back again to defeat the enemy who created sin!  While His followers rest of the Sabbath, The Lord of the Sabbath will then rise from death, once and for all, as the Son of God, victorious over death forever!  Jesus’ body will cast off the linen wrappings, just as Lazarus did, and come running out that grave!  The Light has gloriously returned!

The first people Jesus will see will be the women who loved Him and have returned to serve Him in the garden.  Ah, the garden…where the love of God began.

Luke 23, The Message

When the captain there saw what happened, he honored God: “This man was innocent! A good man, and innocent!”

^48-49 All who had come around as spectators to watch the show, when they saw what actually happened, were overcome with grief and headed home. Those who knew Jesus well, along with the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a respectful distance and kept vigil.

^50-54 There was a man by the name of Joseph, a member of the Jewish High Council, a man of good heart and good character. He had not gone along with the plans and actions of the council. His hometown was the Jewish village of Arimathea. He lived in alert expectation of the kingdom of God. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Taking him down, he wrapped him in a linen shroud and placed him in a tomb chiseled into the rock, a tomb never yet used. It was the day before Sabbath, the Sabbath just about to begin.

^55-56 The women who had been companions of Jesus from Galilee followed along. They saw the tombwhere Jesus’ body was placed. Then they went back to prepare burial spices and perfumes. They rested quietly on the Sabbath, as commanded.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Merely an observation-not a review…

Randy and I just completed watching “Away,” a science fiction drama streaming television series starring Hilary Swank. The show portrays the sacrifices an international group of astronauts must make, as they prepare to be away from their families for three years on the first crewed spaceflight to Mars.  Away follows the first crewed expedition to Mars, the Mars Joint Initiative. It features an international crew: a Chinese chemist, a world-leading British botanist with no previous experience in space, a Russian cosmonaut with the most experience in space, an Indian medical officer who is second in command, and American commander Emma Green. The three-year mission launches from the Moon; however, several crew members do not trust Emma’s ability to command because of her response to a crisis at the very beginning of the mission.  The series is “about hope, humanity and how ultimately, we need one another if we are to achieve impossible things.”

After many trials, sickness, and other life and death challenges while on their way to their Mars destination, their loved ones along with the problem-solving Ground Crew wait on earth for a word from them.  Spoiler alert: The crew lands safely on Mars.  They immediately leave the space craft for the first photo of humans on Mars.  But the families and Ground Crew in Houston do not yet know they have safely landed!  Families and Ground Crew must wait in silence with hearts pounding, eyes fixed on screens, as there is a seven-minute delay in transmission. 

Finally, they hear the words of the Commander, “Houston, Atlas. Touchdown confirmed.” As intent, invested watchers of the show, we naturally joined in the victory of their safety, as we felt the emotional responses of their families and the victorious applause of the Ground Crew who supported these people who dared to go and complete this mission.

But then I think…

What happened the day that Jesus was crucified as a sacrifice for our sins as reported from eye witnesses by the gospel writers is greater, so much greater, than all the emotions a movie made by man can produce.  We can only imagine the applause of heaven, the embraces of the heavenlies, the choirs of angels singing as Jesus completed His mission to save the world of sin, then rise again from death on the third day—just as He said He would.

Imagine all of heaven standing silent with God waiting for word. “Father, this is Your Son Jesus.”  “It is finished.” 

Wow.  Just wow.

Lord,

Thank you is not enough, because these are mere human words.  May my soul sing your praises all day long for who you are and what you have done to save us from death.  Thank you for providing removal of my sins by your agonizing sacrificial work on a cruel cross of shame that should be mine.  You ask of me to merely, humbly repent of those sins.  I do.  May Your every present Holy Spirit lead me all day long to tell your story of your glory at work in me and in the world by my behavior in response to your work of salvation in me.  “It is finished” was merely the beginning of new life for all who believe in You.  Oh, how I love you, dear Jesus, and trust you with all that is in me.  Praise your Holy Name!

In Jesus Name, Amen