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Holy Saturday

April 11 2009

+ Jesu Juva +

St. Matthew 27:57-66

The Lord Jesus has finished the salvation job. On the tree He was numbered with the transgressors in catastrophic darkness. Bearing in His body the sin of the world and its consequences: damnation. Forsaken by the Father. And then right before He dies He declares and promises: “It is finished!” The sacrifice for all sin and for every sinner has been made. The Son of God did it all for you and for your salvation. It was His Father’s will. Jesus gives His life into death for you! Salvation: Christ’s categorical gift! For you!

And then we hear of Joseph from Arimathea. He enters from out of the blue. And he’s rich. But he’s been discipled to Jesus. And he goes to Jesus in this time of great need. Remarkably he asks for Jesus’ body from the Roman governor and receives permission. Then six verbs: Joseph took, wrapped, put, dug, rolled, and left. And three other words unique to Matthew’s account: “clean,”“new,” and “huge / [megan].”“Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, put it in his brand new tomb that he had dug out of the rock, rolled a huge stone over the door to the grave, and went away.”

Governor Pilate, under pressure from the Jewish authorities, allows for a guard to be posted and the tomb sealed. They fear Jesus’ disciples will steal the corpse and claim a resurrection. Like that’s going to happen! They’re nowhere to be found. They’ve high tailed it out of there. Only Joseph and the women stick around.

The Holy One’s dead body is buried in Joseph’s tomb. He rests from His “it is finished” work of redeeming you from sin, death, and the devil.

You are baptized into this “it is finished” crucified and dead Jesus. Therefore you are baptized into His all atoning for sin death! At the font you were buried with Christ into His Good Friday death and His Holy Saturday Sabbath rest.

“So what?” Good question. I’ll tell you the so what!

Now your grave is a place of rest. A holy rest. A Sabbath Day rest in, with, and under the Lord Jesus who died for you. For by His death on the cross death itself is destroyed. And by His rest in Jospeh’s tomb the graves of all believers are sanctified, that is to say, holied.

Buried with Jesus into His death through Baptism your grave is a bed of rest in Him.

In addition, your Baptism into Christ also connects you to His resurrection from the grave. The secured sepulcher could not frustrate God’s will to raise His Son on Easter Sunday. Since He rose so too will you! He will not leave you forever in your tomb. “If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection,” (Romans 6:5).

That’s precisely why Christians who are buried in the cemetery are not called dead. They are called sleepers! “She is not dead,” Jesus says, “but asleep!” (Mark 5). And so the apostle Paul: “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits OF THOSE WHO ARE ASLEEP” (1 Corinthians 15:20)! When you, who are baptized into Christ, die and when we tuck you into bed for a final time in the cemetery, you are a sleeper who will most certainly rise again.

After all, people that sleep, are just lying down for a while but not forever. People who sleep wake up and rise again. So when Scripture uses the term “sleep” in reference to death, it indicates the future resurrection of your body on the Last Day.

All because First Fruits Jesus, has already got the resurrection ball rolling. Christ, our Head, has risen. He is seated in glory at the Father’s right hand. You who cling to Jesus by faith and who are baptized into Him will follow after Him as His body and His members. Where Head Jesus goes and lives, there you His body will all the members will follow and remain.

When a baby is born the head comes first. Then the body follows. Christ the Head has come out of death’s grave. And you, His body, must follow.

Do not despair at the cemetery! Joseph of Arimathea didn’t. He buried Jesus and then “went away.” After all, he had been discipled to Jesus. He believed what Jesus had promised: “And on the third day I will rise from the grave.”

You are safe and secure in Jesus. When death comes and your body rots in the ground it is only a sleep. Soon the morning will come when First Fruits Jesus will say: “Time to get up you sleepy head! It’s resurrection day! What you always had by faith in Me, now you see with your eyes and experience fully with all your senses! Enter and enjoy My Father’s kingdom!”

All for you now and always. Your future is in God’s hands. Even your grave. “For Christ has been raised from the dead!”

In the Name of Jesus.