John 19:38-42.

When you heard the gospel message read, what went through your mind?

Never read the bible without thinking what it means!

Let’s look at this short passage.

Jesus Buried in Joseph’s Tomb

John 19:38-42 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. 39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.

Late that evening Jesus’s body is taken down from the cross and is put in the grave.

While His body was put in the grave, His soul and spirit descended to hell.

Today’s scripture reminds us that Jesus took our ultimate punishment – death and placement in the hell.

That is where we will end up if we have not truly made Jesus our Lord and Savior.

Without our heartfelt commitment to Jesus there is no exchanging of His death for ours.

Our end would be like what was seen regarding Jesus.

The people who loved Him took care of the physical…

The cleansing of the body.

The putting on of the spices.

The wrapping in clean linen. One piece for His body and another piece for His head.

The burial and placing in the tomb.

That would be the end for us if we have not really accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior and where people can see the result in our change of character.

But this will not be the end for the true Christian. We know the end of the story.

Because Jesus was sinless the grave could not hold Him.

Ans because the true Christian’s sins have been removed the grave cannot hold them!

When Jesus rose from the grave the thru Christian rose with Him.

When Jesus was seated in Heavenly places on the right hand of God the true Christians had their places reserved in Him. We are seated in Heavenly place IN Christ Jesus.

Eph 2:4-7 But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

That is the position of the true Christian. That is why we live the christian lives that we live. It’s not just words in the atmosphere or on paper. It’s in a life that reflects the character of Jesus more and more each day. We cannot fool God with words. He sees our sins. He died for them and He wants us to live knowing that!

On this day we see Jesus being put in the grave. But if we think that’s the end we don’t know God; we don’t know Jesus and we don’t know the Holy Spirit.

And I don’t mean know the words. I mean know God personally. To where God lives IN you and THROUGH you!

It’s God IN us that makes us stand no matter what people or Satan brings against us. We need to see the grave as the place where Jesus won the final victory for us.

Our OLD SELF is buried with Him. Let us make sure that people only see our new Christian selves. They will, IF we love Jesus and are His children.

Amen.