Walking forward in the dark

Mark 15:42-47

⁴² It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, ⁴³ Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. ⁴⁴ Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. ⁴⁵ When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. ⁴⁶ So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. ⁴⁷ Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

Jesus is dead. The sky has grown quiet. The crowds have scattered. And now… a pause.

Not yet resurrection. Just stillness.

Joseph of Arimathea steps forward, not to bring triumph, but to tend to what looks like a defeat. He gently wraps Jesus’ body and places it in a tomb. The stone is rolled shut. The women see where he is laid.

And then… nothing.

It is the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday – the day we rarely talk about. The day where hope lies dormant. Where prayers seem unanswered. Where the promise hasn’t yet come good.

These days are not uncommon to me or you.

Days of no resolution, no clear next step. Just the ache of silence and the uncertainty of what comes next.

I don’t think any of the characters in this passage had faith for the resurrection. They did what was right, Joseph was bold. But they took these steps forward surrounded by darkness.

Only God saw the light. God was not finished.

Lord how good it is that I can hang onto you in the dark. How great and wonderful it is to live on the other side of the resurrection, now I know that in the darkest moments, you ARE still at work, you ARE the light, and you WILL bring me into it. Amen

Written by Andrew Mellor