“So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.” - John 19:40

It was a dark day when Jesus died. The shadow of the cross was looming over all of His followers. Their master, teacher, and friend had died. If you have ever abruptly lost someone close to you, then you can relate to the haze that the disciples were under. There was suddenly a void in their life. Their brains couldn’t make sense of their new reality. They half expected Jesus to walk through the door. They longed to hear His voice break the cold silence that smothered them. Tears mixed with anger and guilt that they didn’t do something, anything to prevent Him from dying.

But out of the shadows came two of Jesus’ followers. Joseph of Arimathea was a rich man who had previously been afraid to be identified with Jesus. We are also reintroduced to Nicodemus, who we met in chapter three. He had come to Jesus at night because He was worried about what his peers would think. Now they both come together to prepare Jesus’ body for burial.

The Sabbath was meant to be a day of rest. What was designed to offer peace after a busy week was now a prison for the disciples. They couldn’t go to the temple to worship for fear of the Jewish leaders. They were trapped indoors with nothing to do but reflect on the preceding events. This was the darkest day since the dawn of creation.

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Adam Miller is the president and host of Songtime Radio and serves as the pastor of South Chatham Community Church. This article is a condensed version of one of his sermons.