The Last WeekSample

THE DAY OF REST

The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment. Luke 23:55-56

The Jewish Sabbath is Saturday, and because the women at the crucifixion of Jesus were true believers in Jesus and tried their best to be obedient, they did not come back to the burial spot on this day. It is important to know Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus prepared Jesus’ body and wrapped it.

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. John 19:37-40

On the Sabbath Holy Day, Jesus’ body lay in the tomb. We aren’t sure exactly what all went on in the spirit world, but scripture does tell us when Jesus was dying on the cross, his final words were these:

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:30.

Jesus completed His work on earth by taking on the sins of humanity and ‘burying them.’ He took them to the grave with Him.

When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people. Notice that it says "he ascended." This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself. Ephesians 4:8-10

CAN YOU RELATE?

One of the 10 Commandments is that we treat Sabbath Day as a Holy Day of Rest (Exodus 20:8-11). In the late 1960s and early ’70s, stores and restaurants were not open on Sundays. The sale of alcohol was prohibited during certain hours on Sunday. Oh, how far we have drifted away from God’s command to keep the Sabbath Day Holy and to be still and rest.