How much did Jesus give up in order to be our Savior? It was a big step down for Him just to come into our world, to give up all the joys and comforts of Heaven and get involved in all the suffering and sorrow our sin has caused. But He was poor even by our worldly standards. Unlike Joseph of Arimathea, He didn’t have his own tomb already prepared. In fact, verse 41 reminds us that He chose the life of a wandering rabbi, having no home of His own, and relying on His friends to support Him. Some of those friends stuck with Him even after He made the ultimate sacrifice, as Joseph and the women prepared His body for burial.

But their efforts also show us the utter futility of all our attempts to save ourselves. They had no power over death – unlike Jesus Who raised Lazarus from the dead, all they could do was make sure Jesus had a decent burial. However much they loved Him, they couldn’t bring Jesus back to life. All they could do was to mourn Him, along with all their broken dreams of freedom for their people.

But Jesus has all the power that His friends lacked, and we see a reminder of that, even in today’s passage. For as Joseph of Arimathea buried the body of the One Who had died a criminal’s death in his own tomb, he was fulfilling yet another ancient prophecy – this time from Isaiah 53:9: “His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death.” And why did Isaiah say that the Servant of God would be treated this way? 53:8 explains: “He was cut off out of the land of the living, For the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due.”

Yes, that’s the amazing truth. Jesus knew exactly what He was doing. He embraced a life of poverty and suffering, He freely chose a criminal’s death on a cross so that He could take on Himself the death penalty all our sins have earned. And He did all this to keep the promises of God, promises made hundreds of years before to Abraham, and promises that still remain valid today – promises to forgive and to cleanse all those who would simply trust Him as Savior and bow the knee to Him as Lord. Let’s claim those promises today.

Mark 15:40-47 (ESV)

40 There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.
41 When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.
42 And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath,
43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead.
45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph.
46 And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.
47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.