Working Together Out of Love For Jesus

# 755- Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 15:44-47 “Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. 45 So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. 47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid. As I read this account and piece it together with the other gospel accounts, I get a sense that Joseph and Nicodemus were already planning what they would do as they watched Jesus die on the cross. There was an unpleasant job ahead for them, but someone had to do it! They knew they would have to act fast in order to give Jesus a proper burial before the Sabbath. First, get permission from Pilate, then Joseph would stop at the Jerusalem equivalent of Linen and Things on the way back for the burial cloths, while Nicodemus would pick up the necessary spices at the spice shop. Then they would get help from any able bodied people to get Jesus' body off the cross, and then painstakingly wrap Him in the linens, layered with spices and lay His body in Joseph's tomb. They had to work fast, the sun was setting, the Sabbath was coming to a close. I can even pick up a sense of satisfaction from these two for a job well done as the tombstone slid into place and was sealed by Pilate as the sun set slowly in the west. Working together, out of love for Jesus, they got it done. Seems to me, there's a lesson here for us!