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| Image by Johan J. Ingles-Le Nobel |
The Hands of Holy Week:
The Descent from the Cross:
Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus
and the friends of Jesus
†
A Greeting
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your steadfast love.
(Psalm 31:16)
A Reading
When evening had come, and since it was the day of Preparation,
that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a
respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting
expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked
for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate wondered if he were already
dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had
been dead for some time. When he learned from the centurion that
he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. Then Joseph bought a
linen cloth, and taking down the body, wrapped it in the linen cloth,
and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. He then
rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and
Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was laid.
(Mark 15:42-47)
Wind Soundscape
There is no music today. You may wish to try playing the soundscape
while studying the painting or simply imagining the scene.
Meditative Verse
I am your servant; I am your servant,
the child of your serving girl.
You have loosed my bonds.
(Psalm 116:16)
A Poem
Against the dark heavens
someone kneels, slowly allowing
the sheet to drop down.
Everything is in darkness. The trees too.
Only the body shines.
No, not exactly. Again. From the beginning.
Soft white flesh, so it seems,
living, breathing, moving its arms,
even loving. Outside the frame,
one guesses they will put him to rest in the ground...
The figures,
the bloodied, silent wood, heaven
all color – colors are colors –
but from where and where to? Darkness.
- from "Descent from the Cross" by Tuvia Ruebner & Keshev
translated by Lisa Katz and Shahar Bram
Verse for the Day
Let your steadfast love become my comfort
according to your promise to your servant.
(Psalm 119:76)
†
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| The Descent from the Cross (1617-18) by Peter Paul Rubens (click the painting to enlarge it) |
†
The story of Joseph of Arimathea, who requested to have the body of Jesus and helped remove it from the cross, appears in all four gospels but quite distinctly in each. Described as a rich man (Matthew) and a religious lay leader, he was someone who had been moved by Jesus to want to help build the realm of God on earth (Luke). He was brave enough to stand before Pilate with his wish and was also accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who came to Jesus and asked questions by night (John). Nicodemus was a religious leader and member of the Sanhedrin. Therefore these two upstanding Jewish men, observed by Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses who was Jesus' aunt, helped to unhang Jesus from the Cross and bring him into the loving arms of those who cared for him. The composite picture of the scene derived from these gospel accounts prompts us to imagine who else might have been there too. In the painting above by Rubens, Joseph and Nicodemus flank Jesus, helping to release him. Many women are below, receiving him. Notice all of the places where human hands of care meet the body of Jesus. Is that Martha taking the main part of the torso across herself, his feet on her legs? Is that Mary Magdalene at his head? Who are these figures in your mind? Follow Jesus’ outstretched arm and its blood connections to the man on the ladder. See the shroud moving between Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Together these lines themselves form a cross. The cross of cruel death is being replaced by a cross of love. When he is laid out on the ground, they will wrap Jesus in the shroud with the rich spices that Nicodemus has brought and lay him in a cave. What happens then? How does the rest of the day go on from the moment of helping to carry the pierced body of Jesus? Moving away from Calvary, returning to their homes and quietly changing their clothes to remove the blood and the smell, do they gather and weep? Do they try to carry on as if life does go on? What would you do?
LC† Being God's Hands is a project of
Lutherans Connect / Lutheran Campus Ministry Toronto
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