The Jews practiced neither cremation nor embalming. ![]() The warm climate and religious customs mandated that a body be buried soon after death. Time was short, for at sundown the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread would begin. Nicodemus contributed a large amount of costly spices to use in the burial. Joseph courageously stepped forward to claim Jesus’ body and prepare it for burial. Shortly afterward, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus quickly went into action. His life-giving blood gushed out, and the Savior breathed His last breath ( John 19:30, 34). on Passover day, the life of Jesus Christ was ended by the upward thrust of a Roman soldier’s spear. But this resurrection was to be different from all others that have ever taken place! It was the first resurrection to a spirit body and immortal life!Īround 3 p.m. The apostle John also records this death, burial and resurrection. Little did they realize that the stage was being set for another death and a very different resurrection. Perceiving Jesus as a threat to their positions and perhaps even their nation, they plotted to take His life. Word of this remarkable event quickly reached the Jewish religious authorities. Jesus said to them, ‘Loose him, and let him go’” (verse 44). “And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus responded, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?” (verse 40).įollowing a short prayer of thanks to His Father for hearing His prayers, Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come forth!” (verse 43).Īnd from within the dark cave, the figure of a man appeared wrapped in strips of linen. Martha protested that the body would be stinking by this time. When they came to the burial site, Jesus told them to take away the stone that covered the opening. One form of burial in the Jewish world was to wrap the body in strips of linen cloth and place it in a cave dug in the side of a hill. Her sister Mary came, and Jesus asked where the tomb was that held Lazarus’ body. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (verse 25). He then told her that He had the power to give life. She thought He was referring to the resurrection at the end of this age. Jesus met Martha on the way and told her that her brother would rise again. By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been dead for four days. Many scriptures liken death to sleep from which God has the power to awaken people. Jesus knew Lazarus was dead, but in God’s eyes death is like a deep sleep. “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up” (verse 11). Finally, He said to His disciples that it was time for them to go. ![]() Jesus, knowing that God His Father was going to use His friend’s sickness to demonstrate His power and glory, waited several days before going to where Lazarus lived. So when their brother became seriously ill, the sisters sent word to Jesus, expecting Him to come to heal Lazarus ( John 11:1-3). ![]() Jesus was close friends with these three. Lazarus and his two sisters, Martha and Mary, lived in the village of Bethany, a short distance from Jerusalem. ![]() John’s Gospel gives us the account of one of those eight. The eight include two children and one man in the Old Testament and five men and women in the New Testament. In addition to a group of people raised at one time ( Matthew 27:52-53), the Bible tells about eight individuals who died and were restored to life through the intervention of God’s servants. One of the most remarkable of all miracles is the restoration of life to those who died.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |