Luke 23:50-56
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Take a moment to settle into your surroundings and then begin to recognize your breath. As you breathe in, call on the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
Take a moment to recall how you felt during the last couple of meditations on the death of Jesus. Then read Luke 23:50-56 taking note of anything the stands out as you read.
Not all of the religious elite were swept up in the murderous hatred that resulted in Jesus’ execution. We know of two who who actually became “secret” disciples of Jesus (John 19:38-39).
Joseph of Arimathea (accompanied by the Pharisee, Nicodemus) now risks his relationship with the rest of the religious establishment to remove Jesus’ battered body from the cross and move it to a tomb. Luke explains that Joseph was “waiting for the Kingdom of God to come,” and he must have believed that Jesus was the one who would usher it in. But Jesus is now dead, and we can only imagine what Joseph and Nicodemus are feeling as they attempt to restore a shred of dignity to his lifeless body.
Take a moment to try and conceive of the confusion and disappointment Joseph and Nicodemus might be experiencing. Has there ever been a time in your spiritual journey when you could relate to these feelings? Share your thoughts with Jesus now.
Read Luke 23:50-56 again.
All through Jesus’ ordeal, the women who followed him from Galilee have remained close. In him, these women found the answer to every longing of their hearts, and now these stalwart disciples refuse to turn away even when the situation appears hopeless. The women continue to wait and watch even as they prepare spices to care for Jesus’ body. They cannot bear to be away from him, even in death.
When Sabbath comes they pause their labor of love, and they wait.
Get still and center yourself in the presence of Jesus. When you are ready, try to identify an unmet longing that you may be striving to have fulfilled. Sit with this longing and allow it to direct your prayer to Jesus. Then be still again and see if Jesus has anything to say to you.
What might Jesus want you to realize or do today?
What do you plan to do about that?
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