LOW IN THE GRAVE HE LAY
“Low in the grave he lay
Jesus, my Savior
Waiting the coming day
Jesus my Lord.”
— Music and Lyrics by Robert Lowry, 1874.
According to the Gospels Jesus was nailed to the cross around 9 on Friday morning and died around 3 p.m. A man named Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the Jewish council, goes to the governor of Palestine, Pontius Pilate, and asks to claim the body of Jesus for proper burial.
The clock is ticking. The Jewish Sabbath would begin at sundown. The burial would have to be done soon, for it could not be done after the Sabbath began. After confirming with a centurion who was at the cross to determine that Jesus was dead, Pilate grants permission.
Joseph wraps the body in a linen cloth, places it in a tomb, and seals the tomb with a stone.
Shortly thereafter, the Sabbath observance begins. Friday night, all day Saturday, ending at sundown on Saturday. The Sabbath, a time when Jews rested. They could not perform any kind of work on the Sabbath. God rested on the seventh day after creating the heavens and the earth. Jews were commanded to follow that pattern.
Jesus is placed in the tomb. His life-less, nailed- scarred body rests on the cold stone. His followers are stunned and bereft. The best and bravest man they had ever known brutally tortured and put to death. It is the Sabbath. They cannot visit the tomb. All they can do is wait.
At first light on Sunday morning some women set out to anoint the body of Jesus. The Gospels are inconsistent as to who actually goes. Matthew reports that it is Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. Mark reports that it is Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome. Luke tells us that it is Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. And John says it is Mary Magdalene alone.
When the women arrive at the tomb there are even more inconsistencies in the story . In Matthew and Mark a solitary angel tells the women that Jesus is risen. In Luke, two angels convey the same message. In John when Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene she mistakes him to be the gardner.
The Gospel writers are not very interested in getting the story straight. That’s why it is so believable to me. What they are interested in telling is that Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified, was dead, and who was buried is risen.
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Listen to this Easter hymn which tells the story in music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ExVIvNvXZs
Here’s how you listen to this number. Highlight the above address by swiping your mouse pointer across it. Hit “control c”, then open your web browser. Place your mouse pointer in the address bar of your browser, “hit control v”. The address will then be pasted into your browser. Hit enter. This will take you to the You Tube site where the song will play. There is ordinarily an ad that you have to watch before the song plays.