My husband borrowed a tool from an auto parts store recently when he realized he would only need it for a weekend, and could give it right back. For a do-it-yourselfer trying to save money on car repairs, not having to purchase a $200 tool made good financial sense.
Did you know that Jesus was a borrower, too?
Unlike my husband, though, he didn't borrow tools. I suspect, because he was a craftsman, he had a favorite, well-used hammer, a carefully chosen awl, and a nicely sharpened saw. He used them daily, so it made sense to invest money in the good quality tools of his trade.
But on the first Easter weekend, he borrowed a tomb.
"As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away." (Matthew 27:57-60)
As I first pondered this passage, I felt sorry for Jesus. Like I sometimes feel awkward and impoverished when I have to humble myself and ask a friend if I might borrow something, I felt sad that Jesus didn't even have a tomb of his own after his death.
But then I realized why he had borrowed a tomb -- because
he only needed it for a weekend, and he'd give it right back!
"When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified.
He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him." (Mark 16:1-6)
As you celebrate the resurrection of Jesus this weekend, I encourage you to ponder the significance of our Savior's borrowed tomb. May it give you joy and hope for the promise of our own resurrection.
"Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26)
You want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.
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• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray?
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me?
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit?
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