The Burial

Anytime you attend a funeral, the deceased is honored. Even if that person was not celebrated in life, careful steps are taken to honor them in death. We dress the body in fine clothes, we prepare a proper resting place, and we hold a service that acknowledges their dignity as a human being. This universal impulse to honor the deceased reflects our deep respect for life and the hope of something beyond this present moment.

Now consider Jesus: after enduring scorn, mockery, the excruciating pain of the cross, and the most shameful death, something changes: He is given the utmost honor in His burial. In Mark 15:42–47, we see that in death, Jesus is now treated with dignity—His body is carefully wrapped and laid in a tomb revered for the rich. This act of honoring Him, despite the humiliation He suffered, prophetically reveals who He truly is: the exalted King, the Redeemer who conquers even death.