December 17

Love and Sorrow

Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where His body was placed. — Mark 15:47 BSB

It was a loving but hopeless vigil that these devoted women kept. No light shone through the dark trees that afternoon. To their limited faith, Jesus was gone, as their understanding of the Messiah only included an earthly perspective. Death had ended all the hope they had known.

That Friday evening must have been a dark hour for the disciples. It seemed as though Satan had triumphed and destroyed the life God had sent to earth. A Persian story tells of how Satan, seeing seeds scattered by an angel on barren land, buried them to rot away. But instead, the seeds sprouted and covered the earth with plants and flowers, more beautiful than ever imagined. A voice from heaven said, “You fool, what you buried to rot has sprung to life.”

This parable applies perfectly to Christ’s burial. His enemies believed that His burial was the end, but in reality, it was the way to His glory. Jesus had said, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” His burial was necessary for His ultimate victory. And when we bury our Christian loved ones, we do so in the sure hope of resurrection. The grave is just the shaded path to glory.