Station 6: Jesus is taken down from the cross | Reflection by Rick Arbuckle

“He is dead. The witnesses attest to it. The soldier pierced his side and proved it. Now in haste, let’s get him down from the cross. Before sundown we must get him down because this is preparation day. We’ve got cooking and cleaning chores, and only three hours to do it! We can’t have this dead body, this unclean thing, interfere with our religion. The dead body is an unclean body, and we must not handle a dead body on the Sabbath.” So might the words of a Pharisee be following the death of Jesus. The religious folk of this era had to adhere to the rules, had to follow the law. Never mind who this person was, or said he was, or what he said about the sabbath. For example, in Luke’s gospel Jesus deals with several sabbath conflicts head on. In Luke 6, it’s about his disciples plucking and eating grain. In verse 5 Jesus says, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”* On another sabbath he heals a man with a withered hand. In Luke 13 it is a crippled woman who is healed. Jesus says in verse 16, “And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” Yet those against him assumed his death proved them right; now on with business as usual, and get rid of this unpleasant episode. Time to put it behind and get on with rituals and religion.

And now a convenient coda to this drama—a man comes forward wanting to claim the body. Are the authorities surprised, or relieved? I would imagine they are very relieved, because this takes care of disposal in a discrete way. Pilate had already washed his hands, and now he could put it out of his mind. He probably thinks, “It is done; the body will be buried and forgotten, and this Jewish thing will quiet down.”

After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. (John 19:38-40)

Jesus had friends in high places. Joseph of Arimathea is given credit in all four gospels for going to Pilate and asking for Jesus’ body. In Matthew 27:57 he is described as a rich man; in Mark 15:43 it notes that he is a member of the Council, “a good and upright man.” It seems that he now became bold after being a secret follower of Jesus. Nicodemus is mentioned in John 19:39 as the one who helped Joseph take down Jesus’ body. His story begins earlier in John 3, as the Pharisee who visited Jesus at night. In their dialogue, Jesus is direct with him, explaining in verse 5, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.” Verses 14-15: “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” So when Nicodemus saw Jesus lifted up on the cross, perhaps he realized it was time to commit. We also see how he argued fair treatment of Jesus in John 7:51: “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?” And how fitting that on the day of preparation this man came prepared: one hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes! Those spices are found in an ode to a royal wedding (Psalm 45:7-8): “You love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia...” Jesus has sacrificed for his bride. Have we sacrificed for him by putting our lives in order?

Commentators suggest that one hundred pounds is much more than could have been placed in the linen which surrounded Jesus’ body. Was it out of love or guilt? We don’t know what motivated Nicodemus, but we can examine our own preparations. Are we “cleaning house” in a ritualistic fashion? Will our fasting aid in cleansing and refreshing our hearts? Are we being filled with anticipation and joy?

Jesus has done the preparation and laid it all out for us. The time has come for us to be bold and claim the body of work that Jesus did. The time has come for us to be bold and claim the body of teaching that Jesus taught. The time has come for us to be bold and claim our birthright as children of God, to affirm our relationship to the Savior. The time has come to ask, “Am I prepared to meet Jesus either at death’s door or when he returns?”

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* Note: All Bible references are from the NRSV.

Station 6: Jesus is taken down from the cross | Reflection by Bronson Steiner

A cross
Bloody, without life and laying down
The vision of Christ nailed to it flashes in memory
A cross
Alone, wet, and hated
Better without Christ on it; nothing is better though
All things, for now, seem dead and lifeless
I look upon that empty cross
I am angry, heartbroken, and hopeless
That cross is home to all my heartache
That cross is terrible
That empty cross took my hope in everything
In anything
That empty cross took my Jesus from me
My Jesus
Bloody, without life, laying down
For now….

Station 6: Jesus is taken down from the cross | Reflection by Marnie Stebner

Brilliant stars
Asleep and awake
Secret friends of Jesus
Joseph and Nicodemus

Garden of Meeting
Soul of the evening
Loyalty versus piety
Talks like sticks sparking

Willows whirl and sway
No more breathing
Hollow frame
Full of prophecy, unaware

Risking status
Slicing destiny
Holy Saturday

Station 6: Jesus is taken down from the cross

John 19:38-40 (ESV)

After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was 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 away his body. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.

Station 5: Jesus dies on the cross | Reflection by Diana Ott

Luke 23:44-49 (NIV)

It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. 

The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.  

God knew the fate of man before he ever created us. He knew what we were going to do and still he pursued us—He loves us that much! That God is all-knowing is not a new thought for us as Christians, but contemplating what the Father and the Son went through because of my sin is almost too much to handle. That God loves us with a love that considers us worthy of the death of His one and only Son—How do I wrap my head around that?

On the one hand, I am embarrassed that someone had to clean up my mess; on the other hand, I am in awe of someone loving me to that extent. It is almost hard to breathe when I sit in the presence of that kind of love.

I invite you to sit with me and soak in the love God has for you. Yes, it is for all humanity, but in this moment I invite you to reflect on His personal love for you through His sacrifice for you specifically.

Jesus said, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42, ESV).

Jesus was in agony in anticipation of bearing our sins in His own body, so much so that

 “…his sweat became like big drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:43, ESV). 

Can you imagine? His love for you is that great!

God too was in anguish—

Darkness came over the land from 12pm – 3pm; this was not a lunar eclipse. Darkness represents lament (Amos 8:9-10).* In the ESV Study Bible, it notes that the darkness is expressive of God’s displeasure and judgment upon humanity for crucifying His Son.** 

I cannot fathom the anguish the Father experienced in sentencing His only Son to death by crucifixion!

You are worth so much to God that He was willing to experience wrath, agony, and the feeling of separation from His Son and to allow His Son to experience an excruciatingly slow death for you (and me). I find it hard to soak in, but the account was written so that we might know the depth of His love for you and me.

Can you feel it? Do you know you are worthy, loved by the Father with an unfailing, never-ending love? Jesus died on the cross for you—ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate your heart with a deep knowing.

Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)

The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
    I have drawn you with unfailing kindness." 

 Ephesians 3:19 (NIV)

...and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 

And finally—because He first loved us: 

… walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:2, NIV).


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* See note on Lk. 23:44-45, p. 2180, in the ESV Study Bible (Crossway, 2008).
** See note on Matt. 27:45, p. 2036 (Crossway, 2008).

Station 5: Jesus dies on the cross | "The Death of Jesus" - by Tabitha Blessum

And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." 

John 12:23-24, ESV

Dying, though all are destined for it, does not seem natural. We are creatures built for living. Death is the unknown mystery. The unnatural stillness when breath stops and a soul departs. The loss of life.

The Roman Centurion orchestrated deaths for a living. He was a calloused man, familiar with the salty, metallic smell of blood in his nostrils, the daily normalcy of brutality and violence. His ears were acclimated to the moans, curses, and screams of dying men. These were not quiet deaths at the end of a good, long life.

His duty was to Rome. The people who cursed him quietly for a monster didn’t understand that even brutality can become normal when it’s part of your daily routine. He was good at his job, desensitized to the violence, and that’s what mattered. How could there be room for sentiment toward criminals of the state? Traitors to Rome were barely human anyway; they deserved to die.

But today was different. “Jesus, King of the Jews.” A fraud. A crazy, surely.

Yet, the King Jesus did not beg for mercy, like the other men. His eyes did not roll in fear. Wracked with excruciating pain, yet he seemed unafraid. He did not curse the Centurion, but prayed for him. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”*

How could it be? The Centurion, usually unmoved at the sight of death, found his eyes drawn back to this man over and over, seeing him anew. Metal rods driven through bones and flesh that were once beautiful, strong, healing hands. His feet—steady, solid, once anointed with tears—now a mangled mess bearing up the weight of his body, heaving for its next breath. A crown of needle-like thorns digging into his brow. Naked. Bloodied. Mocked.

Then the sky went dark. The earth shook. Tombs outside the city walls broke open.

Who is this man on the cross?

From a place of grief seeming to come from the very center of his spirit, King Jesus cried out in agony, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”** And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.

When he saw what had happened, the Centurion suddenly knew in a flash of understanding, “Surely, this man was the Son of God!”*** And then he and others with him praised God in awestruck wonder.

I wonder if he felt terror as well, thinking, “What have I done? Surely I am a dead man,” like one of the prophets when they encountered the living God. I wonder if he grieved over death for the first time in a long time.

When was the last time you considered that the glorious Creator of the universe—God Almighty—died? When was the last time you wept over the gospel?

Resurrection Sunday will come, but allow yourself to grieve the death of Jesus today.

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

Hebrews 12:1-4, ESV

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* Luke 23:34, NIV
** Matthew 27:46, ESV
*** Mark 15:39, NIV

Station 5: Jesus dies on the cross | Reflection by Sterling Hernandez

Ever since I was a young child, I have believed in Jesus Christ. Up until I became a teenager, I had never heard anyone question the truthfulness of Christianity. As I encountered more people, I would hear some objections to the Christian faith. One common question I would hear would go something like this, “If God is real, then why is there so much suffering in the world?” Or, “If God is all-powerful, why does He allow suffering to occur?”

When I heard questions like this, I did not know what to say. The topic of suffering became very unsettling for me. I remember as a teenager being so shocked at seeing the tragic realities of our world, things like natural disasters, severe poverty, disease, birth defects, hunger, freak accidents, etc. I began to wonder myself how God could allow such things.

As we journey through the Lenten season, this week we take time to reflect on the death of our Lord on the cross. In Matthew 27:46, we see some of Jesus’ final words, in which He quotes Psalm 22:1. He cries out to His God in great angst saying, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (NRSV). Here Jesus expresses his utter vulnerability and the great suffering He experienced.

Some might interpret Jesus’ words as a sign of distrust in God. But it is actually quite the opposite. Dr. Leslie Allen of Fuller Theological Seminary reports that praying a prayer of lament (such as Psalm 22) “reveals an intimate relationship with God… And it shows an underlying attitude of contested, but continuing faith.”* CS Lewis illustrates this point quite well in The Screwtape Letters when he describes the growth in maturity that Christians undergo during a valley/trough: “[Satan’s] cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do [God’s] will, looks around upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.”**

Jesus’ praying of Psalm 22:1 presents a model for us in how to respond appropriately in moments of crisis. Often times when we encounter suffering, especially unjust suffering, we tend to hide from God rather than run straight into His arms. I propose that being vulnerable before God, even being angry against Him, can be a sign of profound trust in His faithfulness. Jesus, though suffering and expressing His frustration with God, trusted His Father in faithful obedience.

But what does Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross have to do with the great suffering in our world? God could snap His fingers and remove all the problems in the world if He wanted to, couldn’t He? I’m sure He could. But the good news is this: instead of choosing to remove our suffering, He has chosen to join us in our suffering. I do not know why God has allowed such widespread suffering to occur, especially in the lives of Christians. But instead of choosing to be absent from our pain, He has chosen to respond by taking our pain upon Himself.

God has not promised us that He will explain why we go through suffering, but He does promise to be present with us in the midst of suffering. Through Jesus’ death on the cross, He has proven to us that He loves us and He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). As we choose to be vulnerable with Him, even in our anger and frustration toward Him, He promises to be with us.

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* Leslie Allen, “Leslie Allen Psalms in the Temple and Synagogue” (video), 2015, 5:27, accessed March 13, 2018, https://vimeo.com/114195828.

** C S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Uhrichsville, OH: Barbour Pub., 1985), 37.