Mark 15:47 “And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid.”

   Mary was a very common name back then, to say the least! Mary Magdalene was a woman Jesus had cast demons out of. The mother of Joses was the mother of James the son of Alpheus. This James was one of the twelve. These women took note of where Jesus was laid, intending to go back to tend to the body.

Heavenly Father, You have done so much for every one of us! We cannot forget, nor shall we fail to appreciate the salvation which is ours in Christ. We see in this passage the devotion of these women to Christ though they as yet did not understand the resurrection. We too should be in love with You, regardless of all that You do for us. You are worthy of our love and devotion. I praise You for Your loving kindness and truth. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 15:46 “Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.”

   Many have wondered if Joseph of Arimathea did use the tomb for himself later. This is more than doubtful. Being a believer himself, and especially so after the resurrection, he would not have wanted to use it. Though the actual tomb may not have been found, it is quite likely that the traditional site is indeed the borrowed tomb.
   I noticed here that Joseph bought new linen for Jesus. Surely an affluent man would have had something on hand that he could have used. But, he wanted the best thing. Even if he did understand and believe that Jesus would rise anyway, he wanted to offer him the best burial shroud he could. We should always give our Lord the best.

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your best. We will always seek to serve You the best way we can. We will give You our best efforts, and our best strength. Of course, You have to give us the strength and ability to serve You anyway. But, we’ll respond as You would expect. We will follow Your ways, and make Your paths our delight! I love You, Father. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 15:45 “So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.”

   Pilate though Joseph might have faulty information and wanted to verify the facts. We might well wonder if it was common for Roman officials to release a body like this. Frankly it likely depended a lot upon who the person was. If the Romans felt the body was important to somebody, or had some symbolic value, they would likely not give it up so easily. However, Jesus was undesirable to both the influential Jews and the Romans. As a result, had Joseph not intervened, it is possible that the body would have been hurriedly buried in a mass grave with several others. Ending up in one of the finest sepulchres in Jerusalem would hardly be expected for one who had been crucified.

Heavenly Father, all we can do is stand back in awe as we consider all of the fullfilled prophecies in connection with Christ. You orchestrated every last detail. Before any of it happened, the whole thing was planned out. Thank you, for how you put it all together. You are so good to us! Your mercy and grace has been made available by something so remarkable, we will never get over it. We will praise you forever for your beautiful work. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 15:44 “Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time.”

   Pilot said this because it was possible for someone to hang on the cross for several days. In fact, the death of the thieves on either side of Christ was quickened by the soldiers breaking their legs. So, they died faster than people usually would on a cross. But Jesus died even faster than that.
   This highlights something that’s very important to understand about the death of Christ on the cross. The crucifixion did not kill Christ. He literally gave his life for us. Pilot was a smart man. He knew that what had been done to Christ wouldn’t cause him to be dead that soon. He knew Jesus wasn’t a weakling. He didn’t understand why he would already be dead. And that’s simply because, the cross did not kill Christ.
   That doesn’t mean Jesus committed suicide either. He did what only He did what only He could do. He gave His life for us. I have heard people observe that the mixture of water and blood which came from His side when pierced indicates death by a broken heart. Well, though I think that observation may have merit, I’m not sure you could explain the exact cause of death, because nobody else have ever died the same way. To put it succinctly, Jesus died for sin, and of sin, the sins of all for all of history.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the death of Christ. It is only through His death and resurrection that we have any hope. In Christ we can have access to you, which is so wonderful! Thank you for mercy and grace in Him! We love you so much! The name of Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 15:43 “Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.”

   We often forget that there were those among the Jewish leaders who did approve of Christ. Joseph was assisted by Nicodemus. These men may have known others who were sympathetic to the cause of Christ, but who wouldn’t make it public as did these two.
   We have to ask ourselves, what level of devotion to Christ is acceptable? Many have derided Joseph of Arimathea for not doing more. But, this was quite a great service which he rendered for our Lord. Jesus had many followers, not all were the twelve. Should we settle for only sympathetic assistance rather than heartfelt cooperation? No. But, we must all follow the way the Lord lays before us. Sometimes it is very helpful to have a Joseph on hand when he is needed.

Heavenly Father, may our devotion to You be truly genuine! You deserve our best efforts to do our best the best way we know how. And it’s all through Christ. Only by Him can we hope to do anything. Thank You for strength in Him! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 15:42 “Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,”

   This means either that the day which was just ending, or the day which was just beginning, was the Preparation Day. This is why there is some debate as to what day Jesus was crucified. In any case, we can see from Luke 22:7 that Jesus died the same day the Passover was killed.

Heavenly Father, Your timing is perfect! You always get it just right. We cannot forget how You have planned and fulfilled all that You have done in the past. We will trust You for the future. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 15:41 “who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.”

   And how exactly did these women minister to Christ? There were many things that would need to be done that the men would have been unable, or unwilling, to do. While in Gallilie, we find Him often at Peter’s house. These ladies may have shared in assisting Him and His mother. For Him to care for her, she would need to stay with some of these other ladies as she would not have gone with Him every time He ventured out if town.
   What is truly interesting here is that so many women followed Him. Indeed, it seems He had a good mixture of male and female followers. This is still true in the church today. It is not a men’s only club. Men and women are involved together in the kingdom of our Lord.

Heavenly Father, Your plans are perfect. You have built Your church as You see fit. It is diverse but beautiful. Thank You for the opportunity to serve in it. It is a blessing to our souls. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 15:40 “There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome,”

   These women were there because they too were involved with the Lord in His ministry. They did not have the role twelve did and could not. But, they were important to Christ. And they were, for the most part, friends of His mother Mary. He was caring for her at this point as it seems Joseph was already dead. The fact that the women were there is a great testimony to their significance in the church. We need everyone, male and female.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the great group of people we get to work with. It is wonderful to be a part of the body of Christ. You are wise and gracious. Your blessings are better than we could ask for. You are worthy of the praise! Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 15:39 “So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!”

   On what does this centurion base his statement? What caused him to make it? Why would a man of the world say this? Well, several things need to be kept in mind here. First, many of the common folk who rubbed shoulders with Christ were impressed with Him. It was the elites and leaders that tended to have a hard time accepting His exceptional nature. This centurion was among the commoners. Secondly, many in that day were very superstitious. Now, I am not trying to make the centurion’s words simply the remarks of ignorant superstition. But, superstitious persons will often start out on the path to faith with their superstition dragging along behind them. In other words, though I believe this man did indeed move on to true faith, it was likely his superstition that pushed him towards this particular outburst. As his mind thought on thew truth of what he had said, and as he witnessed other special circumstances of the death of Christ first hand, his faith grew beyond the ignorance of superstition. Finally, I am sure many present that day were thinking much the same. The circumstances of the crucifixion were quite compelling. They were impressed by the One on the middle cross.

Heavenly Father, we tend to think only of our own future and greatness. We want ourselves to be the most important thing in our lives. We keep people dear to us only because they are dear to us. But, You have given us a different way. We are to live all because of Him. That third cross is to be our whole focus. Our importance and all that we know should be measured by Him Who hanged there. He is the theme, the song, the cause of our lives. He is of the utmost importance. He is Your Son, He is our connection to eternity. He is our Future and Hope. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 15:38 “Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”

   This begins an age of great mercy and grace, the age we are now in. The Spirit of God is no longer limited to the Holy Place. He no longer comes and goes from the hearts of only a select few. Now He is available. He is loose. He inhabits the hearts of a vast multitude of every tongue and people, and nation. He energizes that great worldwide organism, the Church of the Living Christ.
   And, the power of the Spirit, His influence in this world, grows all the time as we reach the time of the end. The Church marches on and on. And it cannot be stopped. The enemy is powerless to prevent it. This is why Christ Jesus is so hated. This world’s program is on hold, waiting till the God from behind the veil gets through choosing out a people for His Name. But, the time of the end will come. And there will be another change. And God will work to close men’s minds rather than open them. And the lie of the evil man will be believed. Even then, God will have those who are His.

Heavenly Father, thank You for helping us understand the supernatural. This world goes on its way acting as if all has continued the same from the beginning. But, it has not. Change occurs in Your world. And they act as if You have changed, but You have not. You do not change as Your world does. Man thinks God must change to be better. God knows man must change, for man is wicked. Being changeless is not to be lifeless. It is to remain true to the Nature that is always there. You alone are wise, oh Lord! You have taken us in our own net, and we find ourselves in awe. Can we stop singing to You? I love You Lord! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.