Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
Short Prayers 40: The Burial of Jesus

Short Prayers 40: The Burial of Jesus

Last updated on: February 28, 2022 at 11:28 am by Ted Peters

Short Prayers 40: The Burial of Jesus 2022-02-28T11:28:42-08:00 Ted Peters

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Matthew 27: The Burial of Jesus

Holy Week Saturday before Easter Sunday

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

Meditation on the Burial of Jesus

“Mary Magdalene and the other Mary”? Would you like to be remembered in history as “the other Mary.” Who was she? Certainly not Mary the Mother of our Lord. That Mary would be remembered. This Mary was noticed yet forgotten.

What is important here is that the two Marys were “sitting opposite the tomb.” Sitting. How long? Why?

No doubt the two Mary’s were grieving. Remembering. Consoling one another. Reporting news to whoever might pass by or show up. Giving expression to their loyalty, fidelity, affection.

The death of Jesus along with the burial of Jesus marked the end. It marked the end of the family of disciples traveling from town to town on an adventure in teaching, healing, and encouraging hope. I suspect a genuine sense of comradery and loyalty developed in the group during this active period. Now, it had come to a stop. It was over. Hopes and expectations were dashed.

A suffocating pall of gray disappointment fell over the followers of Jesus. This gray fog morphed into a nihilistic abyss of black emptiness. The stone had been rolled in front of the hewn tomb. It was over.

PRAYER

Holy Spirit, we know that with Jesus’ burial it was all over. But, on Easter morning you raised the Son of God to new life. When it’s all over for us, we ask that you raise us to eternal life with Jesus Christ. Amen.

▓

Ted Peters is a Lutheran pastor and emeritus seminary professor. He is author of Short Prayers and The Cosmic Self. His one volume systematic theology is now in its 3rd edition, God—The World’s Future (Fortress 2015). He has undertaken a thorough examination of the sin-and-grace dialectic in two works, Sin: Radical Evil in Soul and Society (Eerdmans 1994) and Sin Boldly! (Fortress 2015). Watch for his forthcoming, The Voice of Public Christian Theology (ATF 2022). See his website: TedsTimelyTake.com.

▓

progressive Christian

Systematic Theology

Ted Peters

Short Prayers 40 Burial

About Ted Peters

Ted Peters is a Lutheran pastor and emeritus seminary professor. He is author of Short Prayers and The Cosmic Self. His one volume systematic theology is now in its 3rd edition, God—The World’s Future (Fortress 2015). He has undertaken a thorough examination of the sin-and-grace dialectic in two works, Sin: Radical Evil in Soul and Society (Eerdmans 1994) and Sin Boldly! (Fortress 2015). Watch for his forthcoming, The Voice of Public Christian Theology (ATF 2022). See his website: TedsTimelyTake.com. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

February 28, 2022

Short Prayers 39: The Death of Jesus

Next Post

February 28, 2022 Short Prayers 33: Redemptive Violence

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Afterlife America in Crisis Ancient Alien Apocalypse Art Artificial Intelligence Astrobiology Astrotheology Atheism Big History Buddhist Catholic Christian Nationalism Christmas Comparative Theology Death Ecology Ethics ETI Evangelical Evolution Existential Questions Free Will General Christian Hermeneutics Hindu https://www.patheos.com/blogs/allsetfree/2020/12/sins-we-need-to-talk-about/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Christians+For+a+Better+Christianity&utm_content=43&lct Interreligious Islam Jewish Justice Latter-Day Saints Literature Literature and Theology Lutheran Methodism Mormonism Nonreligious ontology Orthodox Pagam Prayer progressive Christian PT 6 Dignity Public Theology Race racial justice Religious Liberty Romance Satan Scapegoat Science & Religion Science and Religion social justice Spirituality SR 8 Transhumanism Systematic Theology Taoism Ted Peters UAP UFO Uncategorized War

Select a Month September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

David Paul Jesus Isaiah