Maundy Thursday/Good Friday Lessons and Meditations
I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
you have made known your might among the peoples.
You with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph.
~Psalm 77:11-15
I. In the Garden and the Trial
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. AMEN.
And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” (John 12:23-26)
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
O righteous and holy God, who has manifested toward us your unfathomable love, in not sparing your own Son, but delivering him up for us all: By the memory of his bitter death, by the awful mystery of his sorrows in the garden and upon the cross, we humbly beseech you to have mercy upon us and upon all peoples, and to make known your saving health among the nations, that out of the anguish of his soul, he may see and be satisfied, to whom with you and the Holy Ghost be honor and glory, world without end. AMEN.
Holy God,
holy and mighty,
holy and immortal,
have mercy on us.
The First Meditation: Jesus in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again.
Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” (Matthew 26:36-46)
Reflection / Meditation
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 5:7-10)
Lord Jesus, you entered the garden of fear and faced the agony of your impending sufferings, the depths of which we cannot plumb. In your mercy, hear our prayers:
Pause here to offer your own prayers
To you, Jesus, who sweated blood, be honor and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. AMEN.
The Second Meditation: Jesus betrayed by Judas and arrested
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled. (Matthew 26:47-56)
Reflection / Meditation
Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him; the Lord protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies. The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health. As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!” My enemies say of me in malice, “When will he die, and his name perish?” And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words, while his heart gathers iniquity; when he goes out, he tells it abroad. All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me. They say, “A deadly thing is poured out on him; he will not rise again from where he lies.” Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. But you, O Lord, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them! By this I know that you delight in me: my enemy will not shout in triumph over me. But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen. (Psalm 41)
Lord Jesus, you were betrayed by the kiss of a friend. In your mercy, hear our prayers:
Pause here to offer your own prayers
To you, Jesus, who offered your face to your betrayer, be honor and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. AMEN.
The Third Meditation: Jesus condemned by the Sanhedrin
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
And they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. And Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole Council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’ ” Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received him with blows. (Mark 14:53-65)
Reflection / Meditation
Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!” Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me! Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away! Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them! For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life. Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it—to his destruction! Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord, exulting in his salvation. All my bones shall say, “O Lord, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?” (Psalm 35:1-10)
Lord Jesus, you remained silent in the face of those who presumed to judge you. In your mercy, hear our prayers:
Pause here to offer your own prayers
Mercifully grant that that we may be counted worthy to enter into the fellowship of your sufferings. To you, Jesus, unjustly judged victim, be honor and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. AMEN.
The Fourth Meditation: Peter denies Jesus
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed. And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept. (Mark 14:66-72)
Reflection / Meditation
Lord Jesus, as Peter betrayed you, you experienced the double agony of love rejected and friendship denied. In your mercy, hear our prayers:
Pause here to offer your own prayers
To you, Jesus, who gazed with sadness at your friend, be honor and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. AMEN.
The Fifth Meditation: Jesus judged by Pilate
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole Council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” And Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. (Mark 15:1-15)
Reflection / Meditation
Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy. Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the throng of evildoers, who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows, shooting from ambush at the blameless, shooting at him suddenly and without fear. They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly, thinking, “Who can see them?” They search out injustice, saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.” For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep! (Psalm 64:1-6)
Lord Jesus, you were condemned to the death that we deserved—the righteous for the unrighteous. In your mercy, hear our prayers:
Pause here to offer your own prayers
To you, Lord Jesus, innocent though condemned, be honor and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. AMEN.
Holy God,
holy and mighty,
holy and immortal,
have mercy on us.
II. Up to Golgotha
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:3-7)
Almighty and everlasting God, who in your tender love towards the human race sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our flesh and to suffer death upon the cross: grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility, and also be made a partaker of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, now and forever. AMEN.
Holy God,
holy and mighty,
holy and immortal,
have mercy on us.
The Sixth Meditation: Jesus scourged and crowned with thorns
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. (Matthew 27:27-30)
Reflection / Meditation
Lord Jesus, you faced the torment of barbaric punishment and mocking tongue. In your mercy, hear our prayers:
Pause here to offer your own prayers
To you, Lord Jesus, the King crowned with thorns, be honor and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. AMEN.
The Seventh Meditation: Jesus carries the cross
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him. (Matthew 27:31)
Reflection / Meditation
As for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.
At an acceptable time, O God,
in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.
Deliver me
from sinking in the mire;
let me be delivered from my enemies
and from the deep waters.
Let not the flood sweep over me,
or the deep swallow me up,
or the pit close its mouth over me.
Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good;
according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
Hide not your face from your servant,
for I am in distress; make haste to answer me.
Draw near to my soul, redeem me;
ransom me because of my enemies!
You know my reproach,
and my shame and my dishonor;
my foes are all known to you.
Reproaches have broken my heart,
so that I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none,
and for comforters, but I found none. (Psalm 69:13-20)
Lord Jesus, you carried the cross through the rough streets of Jerusalem. In your mercy, hear our prayers:
Pause here to offer your own prayers
To you, Lord Jesus, bearing a cross not your own, be honor and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. AMEN.
The Eighth Meditation: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the cross
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. (Luke 23:26)
Reflection / Meditation
Lord Jesus, you were worn down by fatigue. In your mercy, hear our prayers:
Pause here to offer your own prayers
To you, Lord Jesus, who was weighed down with exhaustion and in need of help, be honor and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. AMEN.
The Ninth Meditation: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”(Luke 23:27-31)
Reflection / Meditation
Lord Jesus, the women of Jerusalem wept for you. In your mercy, hear our prayers:
Pause here to offer your own prayers
To you, Lord Jesus, the King of peace who wept for the city of peace, be honor and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. AMEN
The Tenth Meditation: Jesus is crucified
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. (Matthew 27:33-44 with Luke 23:34 added)
Reflection / Meditation
Lord Jesus, you bled in pain as the nails were driven into your flesh. In your mercy, hear our prayers:
Pause here to offer your own prayers
To you, O Jesus, our crucified Lord, be honor and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. AMEN.
Holy God,
holy and mighty,
holy and immortal,
have mercy on us.
III. On the Cross and Burial
Thus says the Lord, I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of his fierce anger. (Isaiah 13:13)
Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light. (Amos 5:18)
Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which was brought upon me, which the Lord inflicted on the day of his fierce anger. (Lamentations 1:12)
O most merciful Father, who of your tender compassion towards us guilty sinners, gave your only-begotten Son to be an offering for our sins: Grant us grace, we humbly beseech you, that, being engrafted into him by your Spirit and made partakers of his sufferings and his death, we may crucify the corrupt inclinations of the flesh, die daily unto the world, and lead holy and unblamable lives. Cleaving unto his cross in all the temptations of life, may we hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, and finally attain unto the resurrection of the dead, through the merits of this same once crucified, but now risen and exalted Savior. AMEN.
Holy God,
holy and mighty,
holy and immortal,
have mercy on us.
The Eleventh Meditation: Jesus promises the kingdom to the penitent thief
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)
Reflection / Meditation
On the power of the blood of Christ:
Do you wish to know the power of Christ’s blood? Let us go back to the ancient accounts of what took place in Egypt, where Christ’s blood is foreshadowed.
Moses said: ‘Sacrifice a lamb without blemish and smear the doors with its blood.’ What does this mean? Can the blood of a sheep without reason save man who is endowed with reason? Yes, Moses replies. Not because it is blood, but because it is a figure of the Lord’s blood. So today, if the devil sees, not the blood of the figure smeared on the doorposts, but the blood of the reality smeared on the lips of the faithful, which are the doors of the temple of Christ, with all the more reason will he draw back. (St. John Chrysostom, Instructions)
Lord Jesus, even in your deepest agony you listened to the crucified thief,
hear me as I unburden to you my deepest fears.
Pause here to offer your own prayers
You spoke words of love in your hour of death:
help me to speak words of life to a dying world.
Pause here to offer your own prayers
To you, Jesus, who offers hope to the hopeless, be honor and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. AMEN.
The Twelfth Meditation: Jesus on the cross; his mother and his friend
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. (John 19:25-27)
Reflection / Meditation
If we attend to the time and place when these things happened, Christ’s affection for his mother was worthy of admiration. I say nothing about the severe tortures of his body; I say nothing about the reproaches which he suffered; but, though horrible blasphemies against God filled his mind with inconceivable grief, and though he sustained a dreadful contest with eternal death and with the devil, still, none of these things prevent him from being anxious about his mother. We may also learn from this passage, what is the honor which God, by the Law, commands us to render to parents, (Exodus 20:12.) Christ appoints the disciple to be his substitute, and charges him to support and take care of his mother; and hence it follows, that the honor which is due to parents consists, not in cold ceremony, but in the discharge of all necessary duties.
On the other hand, we ought to consider the faith of those holy women, it is true that, in following Christ to the cross, they displayed more than ordinary affection; but, if they had not been supported by faith they could never have been present at this exhibition. As to John himself, we infer that, though his faith was choked for a short time, it was not wholly extinguished. How shameful will it be, if the dread of the cross deters us from following Christ, when the glory of his resurrection is placed before our eyes, whereas the women beheld in it nothing but disgrace and cursing! (Calvin, Commentary on John 19:25)
Lord Jesus, your mother and your dearest friend stayed with you to the bitter end, yet even while racked with pain you ministered to them:
be with broken families today and care for those who long for companionship.
You cared for your loved ones even in your death-throes:
give us a love for one another that is stronger even than the fear of death.
Pause here to offer your own prayers
To you, Jesus, loving in the face of death, be honor and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. AMEN.
Thirteenth Meditation: Jesus dies on the cross
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, and one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem. Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. (Matthew 27:45-55, conflated with passages from Mark, Luke, and John)
Reflection / Meditation
Lord Jesus, Savior of the world, who by your cross and precious blood has redeemed us: Save us, and help us, and hear our prayers, we humbly beseech you:
Pause here to offer your own prayers
To you, Jesus, Lamb of God, Savior of the world be honor and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. AMEN.
The Fourteenth Meditation: Jesus laid in the tomb
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
And when evening had come, since it was the Day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the Council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews, and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. (Mark 15:42-47 conflated with John 19:39-40)
Reflection / Meditation
Our God and Savior’s plan for humankind is his restoration from the fall and his return from the alienation of disobedience to kinship with God. For the sake of this are Christ’s sojourn in the flesh, his example of life described in the gospels, his sufferings, his cross, his burial, his resurrection. And so, the one who is saved receives back that original adopted sonship by imitating Christ. The imitation of Christ, accordingly, is necessary for the perfection of life, not only in his living example of humility, patience, and freedom from anger, but also in that of his very death. As Paul, the imitator of Christ, says “I am conformed to his death, that I may somehow obtain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10, 11)
How, then, are we made in the likeness of his death? We were buried with him through baptism [see Romans 6:4, 5]. So, what is the manner of the burial? And what good comes from the imitation? First, the following of the former life must be broken. But this cannot be unless one is ‘born again,’ in the words of the Lord, for regeneration, as the name itself indicates, is the beginning of the second life. So, to begin the second life, the preceding one must be ended…it seemed that death must come between the two lives, bringing an end to what has come before and giving a beginning to what comes next. (St. Basil the Great, On the Holy Spirit)
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. (Romans 6:1-7)
Lord Jesus Christ! Holy and spotless Lamb of God, who took upon yourself the curse of sin which was due to us and all humankind: With all the heavenly host of the redeemed, we unite in ascribing unto you power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. We bless you for all the burdens you bore, for all the tears you wept, for all the pains you suffered, for every drop of blood you shed, for every word of comfort spoken from the cross, for every conflict with the powers of darkness, and for your eternal victory over the terrors of death and the pains of hell. AMEN.
Holy God,
holy and mighty,
holy and immortal,
have mercy on us.