Wasted Time, Talent and Treasure
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50 Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. 54 It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. 55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.
On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
There are those women who followed Jesus in his ministry. They are often overlooked, but nevertheless it must be acknowledged that they were the main supporters of this ministry, albeit if they are sorely neglected in their importance because of the culture of their day. It is believed that this group of women were not only facilitators of the ministry of Christ, but probably also helpful in bankrolling his cause.
The book of Luke shares twice that these women are the women of Galilee. Matthew and Mark interestingly state “many” women were present at the death of Jesus, but only two at his burial. Mary, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Clopas, and Salome and other women make up this entourage of persons involved in witnessing the death of Jesus and being involved in preparing for his burial- and of course being involved in the story of his resurrection. All depends on the gospel writer you read and the perspective that is being given.
Because Jesus was crucified and died on the day of preparation, it was necessary to have his body off the cross and in a tomb before the Sabbath. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, according to John, came and removed his body ffom the cross and hurriedly took it to a tomb cut in the rock. It was a tomb no other body had ever been placed in.
The preparation of his body by Joseph and Nicodemus was certain to be rushed. Being Jews, it was absolutely necessary that no work be done on the sabbath day.
The day of preparation was the day before the Sabbath. All work had to be done on this day, because on the sabbath day no work would be done. The men worked hurriedly to place Jesus’ body into the tomb.
These women of Galilee were visitors to Jerusalem for Passover. They would not have known their way around and so they followed these men to see where the body of Jesus would be placed.
55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid.
These women, in their devotion to Jesus, planned to return on the day after the Sabbath in order to properly prepare the body of Jesus for burial. Devoted to him in life, they would continue that devotion in death.
Now there was really a collision of events that had brought these people to Jerusalem. It was Passover. The celebration of the escape from Egypt. The paschal lamb, the blood on the doorposts, the plagues of Egypt- and the worst of all plagues- the death of the firstborn. On that night, death passed over the Hebrew children and their homes because of the blood placed over their doorposts. And they walked out of Egypt- free. And God led them through water and desert . Free. And God fed them and cared for them- free. It was Passover!
Jerusalem had swelled over these days. Josephus recorded over 3 million people! (It was probably more like 130,000.) Nevertheless, it was one of three major festivals that required Jews to return to Jerusalem to celebrate. That would make this day of preparation a little more important- it was the day of preparation before a “high” Sabbath. It was special, and it was important to get the preparations done ahead of time so no work would be done on the sabbath day.
Having viewed the tomb of Jesus- having noted how Joseph and Nicodemus lay his body in the grave, they were now prepared to return to Jerusalem. They knew where this tomb was and now they could return at the earliest possible time and prepare Jesus body for burial.
56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.
On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
There are so many things I want to say to you this morning. But there is only so much time. Please take note of the passage that is on the screen right now. The three action verbs are what i want to focus on this morning- I’ll help you out before I get started.
They returned.
They prepared.
They rested.
They Returned
They Returned
Have you ever had to go back? Go back to something that was never going to be the same again? Passover had always been a high holy event for the Jewish people. These women had been here before most certainly. But there was new meaning in this event now.
A few days previous they had watched as their Teacher had mounted a donkey and entered Jerusalem. People were throwing their coats in his way. They were waving palm branches as he rode. They were singing and celebrating, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” By all appearances, everyone was happy. They celebrated that the masses were now coming to a conclusion that they had probably made long before this. This was the Messiah- this was the Promised One. Israel would be saved, Roman oppression would cease- and the Day of the Lord would be here.
But today, as they “returned”, there was no singing, no joyful crowd. There was sadness and heartache in them and in those they loved. Things had changed and they could never be the same ever again.
I remember when I was a small boy. We lived in the house at 2207 Michigan Avenue in East Liverpool, Ohio. When you entered the front door of that 2 story wood frame home you immediately entered the main living area. In my childhood, that room held a couch, a chair, 2 large aquariums (my father was great with tropical fish), a television and an organ (my sister was a church organist). I watched movies in that room, I wrestled my brothers in that room, I played, I sang, I listened, I grew, and I had many, many happy memories in that room.
But one day when I was about 11 years of age, the ravages of cancer had gripped my father for 5 long years. And one day they brought a hospital bed and placed it in that room. The organ was hastily moved to another room and there in that bed my father lay until his death in 1974. I watched my father suffer, cry, pray for mercy and pray for death in that bed.
One summer July day in 1974 I returned from somewhere and as I looked down Michigan Avenue towards my house I saw an ambulance backed up to the front door of my home. It was sitting in the front yard where we had played ball, played tag, and pretended a hundred different games in my young life. I ran towards that house to see them take my father out of the bed and place his half-dead self into the back of that ambulance. My father never came home again.
You know, that house is gone now. But in the later years of my life there was rarely a time that I entered that front door of my childhood home that I didn’t see my father’s hospital bed in that far wall. Gone were so many joyous memories and family stories as they were overcome by that one story of what cancer had done to my father and to his family.
To this day, if I drive down that street even though the house is gone I can see that house and that front yard- and I see that ambulance parked there with its back doors open. The kickball games are gone, the tag is gone- those things are forever seen through the lens of a tragedy that happened in that location.
That is what these women were returning to. They were going back to a place that they had been to before, but it would never be the same. They would always have the events of that day etched in their hearts and minds- the arrest in the garden, the trial and the beating- the keepers of their faith demanding that the teacher they loved be not only arrested but murdered- and they would never forget the brutal death they had witnessed on a hill just outside of Jerusalem. For them, the most Holy City would always be a reminder of the most unholiest event they knew: the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
As they returned to the city, they returned to those thoughts and those things.
And they prepared.
56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.
On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
And they prepared.
And they prepared.
They prepared. It was, after all, the day of preparation. They gathered the spices and the ointments. They knew that once the Sabbath day began they could do no more work. As much preparation as they made now would allow them to get to the tomb that much earlier on the day after the Sabbath. They prepared.
You’ve got to see everything that is found in this word, “Prepared”. It is not only that they made the necessary material preparations- ointment and spices. They were “prepared” in the sense that they were resolute in their determination that at first light, the day after the Sabbath, they would be on the spot taking care of their Master, Jesus. They were determined, as it were, to follow through. There would be no half ways, no partial job by Nicodemus and Joseph- these women would see that the job was done, done right, and done completely.
As they lay down their heads that night, as the High Sabbath started, they would know that they were ready- that their next act of duty would come because they were ready for it to come.
I don’t know what it would have cost these women to prepare the body of Jesus for burial. As best we can tell, the value of the spices brought by Nicodemus and Joseph was quite extravagant. The gift of a family tomb in a garden, too, speaks of the wealth and influence these two men brought to this burial. Perhaps the women were simply going to complete the task that Nicodemus and Joseph had started, or perhaps they were going to add to the value- apparently they bought the ointment and the spices themselves. either way would not be a surprise, when we consider the expensive anointing that Mary had given to Jesus in all three synoptic gospels- as well as Jesus acknowledging that they had prepared his body for burial.
And they rested.
56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.
On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
And they rested.
And they rested.
13 “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; 14 then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume σάββατον, παρασκευή
The Celebration.
a. At Home. All things are made ready the previous day, e.g., the meal or the lamps. Three trumpet blasts herald the sabbath. A meal of dedication introduces the day; at this meal the cup of blessing is followed by a second cup of consecration. As a feast day the sabbath is a day for three meals instead of the usual two; the main meal comes at midday after worship, and guests are often invited. A special blessing closes the day.
b. Worship on the Sabbath. The appointed offerings are made in the temple, more priests being needed than on other days. The change in courses takes place on the sabbath. Synagogue services, including recitation of the Shema, prayer, Scripture readings, and exposition, take place. For public reading, the Pentateuch is divided into sections in one- or three-year cycles. A reading from the prophets concludes the service
This “Sabbath” rest is given for us in the Ten Commandments as the example of God Himself.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
When you read the Genesis account, God created all that is. And on the seventh day, God rested.
These women were resting because God rested. it leads me to the question, “Why does God need rest?” The answer is that He doesn’t need rest, but He rests. This is one of those conundrums that the theologians among us will say that God does it for us- and I’ll take that answer; but at the same time you must take mine- God doesn’t need that rest.
If God had not rested on the 7th day, there would have still been a 7th day. If God did nothing else in all of eternity, God would not have needed that rest. But He rested. And there would have been an 8th day as well.
But God calls us to rest. Not just to any rest, but to a holy rest- a Sabbath day. A day set apart for God, and for Him only.
Our creative nature stops. Our production mindset should stop. The industrial workings of our day to day lives should stop.... and we rejuvenate and reconnect with the God of Creation.
On this day, these women would rest.
I’ve noticed that in our contemporary society, rest is not a valued commodity. We will give time, talent, and treasure to that which we value- but we give little time for rest.
One of the truths of ministry is that there will always be something more to do. There will always be one more meeting to make, one more phone call to take, one more visit to accomplish, and one more sermon to be written. Ministry, for me, is something that is never accomplished. I believe that Jesus words, “The poor you will always have with you” is tied to this notion for me. There will always be ministry to be accomplished. One more thing to do.
And it works that way in your life as well. Whatever you do, I suspect, if you are the norm- it is hard to find rest for you. There is always one more responsibility to be handled, one more relationship to be dealt with- there is always plenty to do and little time for the rest we are called for.
These women were like us with one exception- they were required, by the law, to rest.
And so on this day, with all they had been through, they rested.
They had returned to Jerusalem, they had prepared their materials for the day following the Sabbath, and now they rested.
So, let’s take a rest. For a minute, let’s talk about this. What does it have to do with Easter- with the resurrection of Jesus Christ? With you? Let’s stop with the information, and get down to the purpose of this story of these women.
The What
The What
You know, what we’ve talked about so far has been the “What” of this scripture. It’s been the information that we can glean from this passage.
They returned.
They prepared
They rested.
It’s pure information. But there’s another question we have to answer. That’s where we learn what all this has to do with Easter. That’s where we learn what all this has to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That’s where we find out what it has to do with us.
The Why
The Why
The why is where we learn how to connect with this passage.
Why Did They Return to Jerusalem?
Why Did They Return to Jerusalem?
They had no bigger expectation than this: Jesus was dead and they expected nothing more.
Have you ever had to walk away and return to the place of your biggest pain- expecting nothing more? What is the Jerusalem you have to return to?
Perhaps it is the childhood that was stolen away from you because of circumstances in your family.
Perhaps it is the try at romance that didn’t work out as you had hoped- or the marriage that didn’t quite fulfil or pan out the way you hoped. Maybe it’s that relationship you once had that is now gone because of a misunderstanding or a real hurt and pain that was done to you.
Maybe that place of your biggest pain is so close, so hidden, so sensitive- that only you and God know about it.
And have you ever noticed how it comes to visit you at the very moment you need something more- and itdrives you ever deeper into despair, into the Jerusalem that you’ve lived and the Jerusalem that never leaves?
You see, you just keep having to return there- to that place, to the scene of the crime; over and over againin your mind and heart it twirls and works on you.
And you keep returning to it time and again and nothing ever changes Because you don’t really have any reason to expect it will change.
Why Did They Prepare to Return to the Tomb?
Why Did They Prepare to Return to the Tomb?
Because there’s a dead body there, and at some point it’s going to start stinking. In fact, it may be stinking already.
They returned to the body because they were going to prepare it to stay dead- that’s what it comes down to. They would wash it as nicely as possible, they would anoint it with ointment, and they would wrap it in spices and a linen one piece cloth. And they would walk away.
They’d do their best with what they had to work with, they’d get there as early as possible, but they would only come with the expectation that the dead body of jesus would never see the light of day after they’d left.
And that’s exactly why we continue to return to those dead places in our lives.
We prepare to keep them dead.
We find it in statements like, “I don’t get mad I get even.”
“I’ll never forgive him for what he did to me.”
“If I had him alone for just 5 minutes, I’d...”
You know what I’m talking about? Once something is dead, we expect it to stay that way. And so we live and prepare our lives in such a way that they do stay that way.
Why Did they Rest?
Why Did they Rest?
Because they were exhausted. With everything they had seen in Jerusalem the past few days, how could they not be?
Their disciples falling to pieces.
Their master on trial.
Their teacher brutally murdered.
And now He was dead.
And some of us are tired.
Because our lives and our families and our relationships are falling to pieces.
Our character and our faith is on trial- not by others, but by our own selves. We want to look like we’re really good folk, Church folk. But we know, down inside, our faith is not only on trial but failing because the masquerade is too much to bear.
AS much as Jesus was brutally murdered our relationships are dead or deadened.. by sin, and despair, and hopelessness.
And now we ourselves are dead. We are walking zombies as our emptiness defeats us and our sin overwhelms us.
And we are tired.
So we rest.
And that’s exactly what Easter is about.
When it seems so hopeless and so hung up that there’s nothing left to do. When the joy escapes to the point that there’s no hope in sight. Easter if for you.
When you’ve returned to the scene of the crime for the 10000th time and you can’t escape it and you can’t shake it off.
When you’ve prepared for the worst and hoped for nothing.
When you’ve rested and yet find yourself exhausted and hopeless in the fact that you can do nothing to fix this dead body in your tomb.
Repeat, when there’s nothing you can do to fix this dead body in the tomb.
Nothing you can do.
That’s when God shows us what he can.
1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
Only in the resurrection can we see what Jesus can do. Only in the resurrection is Jesus true abiliity seen.