He was buried

He was buried

“Joseph bought a linen sheet, took the body down, wrapped it in the sheet, and placed it in a tomb which had been dug out of the solid rock.  Then he rolled a large stone across the entrance to the tomb.”  (Mark 15: 46)
When I reflected on the above scripture ten years ago, I wrote the following:
“We see in the burial of Jesus the completion of his life cycle as a man.  He was born, grew up and became a man.  He died and now he is buried.  He experienced every event of our humble human nature.  

Yesterday at Mass, the genealogy of Jesus Christ from the Gospel of St. Matthew was read.  For the first time, I felt I understood the message of the genealogy.   Christ Jesus descended from ordinary men and women and not from angels.  A good number of his ancestors were rascals.   All the four women mentioned in the genealogy had skeletons in their  cupboard.  David, the man after God’s heart was not perfect.  Solomon fell from grace.  Rehoboam fell into open rebellion.  But these are men and women whom it pleased God to use to prepare for the coming of Christ.  

In Mark 15: 46, we meet Joseph of Arimathea, the man chosen to bury Jesus.  Jesus died like all his ancestors.  He was buried but he rose again on the third day.  Praise God!