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THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – JOURNEY TO COMPLETION

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JOURNEY TO COMPLETION

“There was a man by the name of Joseph, a member of the Jewish High Council, a man of good heart and good character. He had not gone along with the plans and actions of the council. His hometown was the Jewish village of Arimathea. He lived in alert expectations of the kingdom of God. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Taking Him down, he wrapped Him in a linen shroud and placed Him in a tomb chiselled into the rock, a tomb never used. It was the day before Sabbath; the Sabbath was about to begin.” Luke 23:50-54.

Enter Joseph of Arimathea! Luke gives his reader a thumbnail sketch of this man who made a brief appearance in history and will always be associated with the burial of Jesus. He owned a tomb which was yet to become a family crypt. Isaiah had written, centuries before, that Messiah would be buried in a rich man’s grave – and this rich man, Joseph, in this poignant moment, donated his tomb to Jesus. No doubt it remained unused after the resurrection.

The disciples could not have buried Jesus – they were Galileans and had been unemployed for the past three years. Joseph’s action prevented the body of Jesus from receiving the same treatment as all other criminals – cremation in the city garbage dump, the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem which burned perpetually.

Luke does not record the interaction of the Jewish leaders with Pilate over the body of Jesus. He said nothing about the sealing of the tomb and the Roman guard. His description is simple and clear. Joseph requested the body of Jesus, wrapped Him in expensive linen and buried Him in his own tomb.

There is symbolic significance in the mention of the Sabbath, the time of Jesus’ death and burial. According to the meaning of the ancient Hebrew language, the Genesis record of creation in not about making something out of nothing, but about bringing order into the shapeless, empty and dark earth and “filling it up” to be man’s home.

God rested on the seventh day, not because He was tired but because His work was complete. He blessed (gave it as a gift to mankind to be valued, protected and used for the purpose for which it was given) the Sabbath (meaning rest) and set it apart to fulfill its function which was to be the “full stop” at the end of every week. It was also symbolic of the “completion” of God’s work of creating a family for Himself.

God commanded the man and his wife to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth with people. Everything He made had the capacity to multiply to complete what He had begun.

In John 19:30, Jesus’ last words were, “‘it is finished.'” And He was laid to rest in Joseph’s tomb at the beginning of the Sabbath! Just as God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit – all participating in creation) rested when their work was complete, so Jesus rested on the Sabbath because His work of redemption was complete.

But there is another rest into which He invites us. Because of sin, we are incomplete, but in union with Him, we have the potential to become whole again as we journey through life towards completion. There is another “Sabbath” for those who are united with Jesus in submission and obedience.

The writer to the Hebrews explains how the children of Israel, who were on a journey from slavery in Egypt, through the wilderness, to “rest” in their own land, failed to enter because of their unbelief. They were a type of the journey believers are on through this life to the completion of their re-creation into the image of Jesus.

Throughout this life, we are in the process of becoming whole again. Every time we respond in obedience to His leading, we reach another landmark on our journey towards completeness. Our final destination is “Shabbat”, eternal rest with Him because we have become complete again. God rested, Jesus rested and we will rest at the end of our journey.

But Peter…

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BUT PETER…

“They left the tomb and broke the news of all this to the Eleven and the rest. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women kept telling these things to the apostles, but the apostles didn’t believe a word of it; thought they were making it up.

“But Peter jumped to his feet and ran to the tomb. He stooped to look in and saw a few grave clothes, that’s all. He walked away puzzled, shaking his head.” Luke 24:9-13 (The Message).

Poor Peter! His mind must have been in torment. Put yourself in his shoes. A few days before, he had said something to a few strangers that would change his life forever. In the heat of a terrifying moment, unprepared because he would not heed his Master’s warning, he had vehemently denied the one to whom he had pledged lifelong loyalty, and whom he had recognised and confessed as the Messiah.

And now He was dead. He would never have the opportunity to express his sorrow and regret for what he had done. The look in Jesus’ eyes when He had caught Peter’s eye as the cock crowed, would haunt him forever. The anguish in his heart was unbearable. He had not slept since then. He was afraid to close his eyes because of the flashbacks of all the horrifying scenes of that day.

And now the women come with a story that He was not in the tomb. Something about the stone rolled from the entrance; about shining men inside the tomb; about their incomprehensible words – “He’s not here. He has risen!”, about grave clothes left as though the body had simply evaporated! It all sounded like fairy stories to him but how he yearned that it would be true.

He wanted to believe them. He wanted to wake up and find that it was all a bad dream. He joined the others in pooh-poohing their story; (after all, they were only women, and women were not permitted to testify in a court of law. They were discredited as unreliable witnesses), but in his heart of hearts he wanted it to be true.

He couldn’t just sit there, wishing and hoping. He had to find out for himself what had happened. Had the authorities removed Jesus’ body to stop any rumours of a resurrection? Had Joseph taken Him for burial to an unknown tomb?

What Peter saw was just as puzzling to him as it was to the women. They had told the truth. The tomb was open. The body was missing. There were no angels, but the grave clothes were not just lying in a heap as though tossed aside by a careless grave robber. If someone had stolen His body, why would they have left the shroud? None of it made sense to Peter. He walked away in a daze, his heart as heavy as lead.

With masterful brushstrokes, Luke paints a picture of mystery and intrigue. Jesus was not there. Everything pointed to a very unusual event, but where was He? The women saw the tomb and the grave clothes and the angels, but no Jesus. Peter saw the tomb and the grave clothes but no Jesus?

Only one thing could change this mysterious situation – Jesus Himself! But He did not show up. He left them to stew in their confusion and unbelief for a while. They had to come to terms with the situation before He could reveal Himself to them and convince them that He was alive so that every other word He spoke would be embedded in their souls and shape their lives forever, and compel them to testify that He had risen from the dead.

The entire success of His mission to earth stands on this one fact – He was crucified but He is alive. We can trust Him and stake our lives on Him and what He told us because He beat death and He is here now with His offer of eternal life for those who stake their lives on him.