The man worked
with almost casual efficiency. He might as
well have been hanging a picture on his living room wall. But the nail he was hammering wasn’t going
into the wall. It was going into the hands of Jesus of Nazareth. Infact it was a rare case that the solider
even knew the name of the criminal; he’d lost count of the times he had done
this.
They had found
someone to carry his cross for him, but that wasn’t kindness, it was simply the
quickest way to get the job done. With all
the controversy, the sooner it could all be over the better. As the nails went
in, the soldier seemed oblivious to the scene around him or the pain of the
crucified; all he cared about was doing a professional job and then onto the
next assignment.
A few hours
later - a great contrast. Two men had
suddenly realized that Jesus had died, much quicker than expected, and shortly
he would be pulled down from the cross and tossed into a mass grave. This could not be allowed to happen. They quickly looked around to see who was
going to intervene. There was John, but
he was busy caring for Mary, as instructed.
Most of the crowd had dispersed, their appetite for violence sated. A handful of women remained – the ten
remaining disciples were nowhere.
Joseph felt
sick. Nicodemus was shaking. The time had come for them to act – but now
was not the time though? They were
confused, angry, fearful and emotional.
They had no idea how to get Jesus’ body down from the cross, even if
they were allowed to. Bravely they went
straight to the highest authority they could think of – Pilate.
Not bothered
about their social status, they simply bowed and begged. Amazingly he agreed to their request. They ran back to the cross quickly to ensure
the soldiers hadn’t already got on with the final phase of their job.
Removing the
body was no easy task. Just touching a
dead body made them unclean, and the special Sabbath was coming up. They didn’t care. Getting the body down with dignity and
tenderness was all that mattered. And so it took them far longer than the
soldiers would have done.
But what next? They
had not thought that far ahead. He would
have to be buried quickly as per Jewish custom.
Joseph had a tomb that he had ready for his own burial and there, unhesitatingly,
was the solution. But the body needed to
be prepared for burial. They had never
done anything like this in their lives, but they would attempt it for their
Master. All fingers and thumbs they clumsily applied
the spices and wrapped the body as best they could. The watching women silently noted their
amateurism and came back on that third day in the hope of being able to do a
proper job.
But it wasn’t
required. Jesus had arisen and folded
the grave clothes far more neatly and expertly than he had been wrapped. Despite their fears and inadequacies, the
two men had been used greatly by God to protect the body and set the scene for
the coming resurrection.
This imagining
of part of the Easter story can practically instruct us. Frequently, there are jobs and
responsibilities in our churches – some are mundane but all are necessary. We might look around for someone else to
volunteer, someone who is perhaps better qualified for the task.
But the reality
is that amongst small numbers there often isn’t someone else, or that someone
else already has his or her hands full. Does this mean then that the work
doesn’t get done? Sadly, often the
answer is yes. It’s said that if you
don’t do the Lord’s work, then he will find someone else to do it. That might be true in certain circumstances,
but it’s a risky excuse for sitting on our hands! Is there something you can do
for Him that’s “outside your box”?
Also, when we
see others attempting to do just that, maybe in an inexpert way, are we wise
and gracious enough to support rather than criticize, and perhaps lend a
helping hand or guiding word ourselves?
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