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Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. Then the sun was darkened and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.'" Having said this, He breathed His last. So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous Man!" And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned. But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man. He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.
And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.
- Luke 23:44-56a
Jesus is in Jerusalem and we approach the end of Holy Week. Jesus has been betrayed by Judas, arrested and denied by Peter, subject to beatings, mocking, and a false trial, questioned by both Pilate and Herod (who both found Him to be innocent), and given up to crucifixion in favor of freeing Barabbas. We've read of Simon of Cyrene who carried Jesus' Cross, and Jesus' statements to the women of Jerusalem who weep and lament for Him. In Saturday's reading, we were told that there were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots. And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God." The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself." And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us." but the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong." Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."
Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. My study bible says, "Jesus the Lamb of God died on the Cross at the sixth hour, noon, about the same time the paschal lambs were ritually killed."
Then the sun was darkened and the veil of the temple was torn in two. The darkness of the sun is like a veil of grief; some versions read that the sun was "obscured." Tradition has it that Mary, the Mother of God, helped weave the veil of the temple as a very young woman. It reminds us of Simeon's prophecy, which we read early in Luke's Gospel: "Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, 'Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed'" (Luke 2:34-35). The 'pierced veil' is like a sign of Mary's soul.
And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.'" My study bible says that "Luke omits the cry of Christ (Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34) and underscores His total trust in God to His last human breath." If we look closely, we'll see that the phrases quoted in all three Gospels tell us that Jesus was praying: in Matthew and Mark, His cry is from Psalm 22; here in Luke His words are from Psalm 31 (see v. 5).
Having said this, He breathed His last. So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous Man!" And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned. But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. I believe that it's of great importance that we take note that the Gospel teaches us about each individual in these scenes, even the individuals in the crowds who watch. We can't generalize about any group of people presented to us: whether it is the temple leadership, the Romans, the people, the disciples. In all of these categories there are both followers and betrayers, people who love Him and people who seek His destruction. Here is another paradox: the whole crowd who came to watch "beat their breasts" but all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching.
Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man. He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. My study bible tells us: "This is a crucial reference indicating that not all Jewish leaders were opposed to Christ. Matthew calls this man (Joseph of Arimathea) 'a disciple of Jesus'." We note that Joseph took it upon himself to do all this; it must have taken great courage and strength to publicly claim Jesus' body and to place it in this unused tomb.
That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. And here are the women, whom we can never forget, especially in Luke's Gospel. They are those women who have followed Him from Galilee. They do the work of love and minister to Him even in His death.
Let's think about these women. The great grief and shock at the loss of Christ must be overwhelming, and yet they do their work and what must be done. They minister to Him. We know that these women also supported His ministry, having followed all the way from Galilee. In Chapter 8, Luke has told us that there were many of these women who provided for Jesus' ministry out of their own resources. Here in the acts of these people, Joseph of Arimathea, and the women who had come with Him from Galilee, to my mind we have the beginnings of the form of the Church, glimmerings of what it is to serve when we no longer have Jesus in the flesh alive and with us as a human being. They do what they must, they serve and they minister. One wouldn't want to minimize the courage it takes to be in their places, to stand out from the crowds and the people to publicly minister and support One who has been crucified as a public criminal. But we know also that the grief of the people is strong in these crowds; the centurion himself proclaims Jesus a righteous man. In these acts of service of Joseph and the women we see what it is to be in our own ministry, to participate as we can, to serve, to be the friends of the Bridegroom. Each of these acts may be small or great, they may even be daily sorts of things that one must do. But each is a service to Christ, each is an act of love. And that's all we really must remember when it comes to loving Christ. We don't know where we will be and how we'll be affected. We might just be doing an act of loving duty when an angel visits a tomb, we might be witness to the greatest story and mystery ever told. But what counts is the act and the love, and not how great or small each seems to be. In these first actions taken to serve Christ after His death, we see the people who minister to Him. None are the apostles; but this is the way the Church comes together. Remember the smallest service is a service to Him.
