Jesus Borrowed a Place to Lay Down

What Did Jesus Do?

Now in the place there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb…
since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
John 19.41-42

In life the Son of Man had had no place to lay his head (See Luke 9.58); having laid down his life, Jesus still had no place of his own to lay down and rest. His life’s work finished (See WDJD for 8/10/2011), we might well expect that, finally, the Lord would have a tomb of his own, a place to lay, but such was not the case. So, Jesus borrowed a place to lay down.

Sounds kind of strange, doesn’t it, to borrow a tomb? It’s really no big deal to go and knock on your neighbor’s door and ask if you could borrow a cup of sugar, is it, but a tomb? Whoa! I mean, whoever heard of only needing a tomb for a few days? The truth is, while in life Jesus was a pilgrim, just passing through this world, if you will, and really didn’t need a permanent place to lay his head. Now, having been crucified, he was still a pilgrim of sorts—death was not his final destination, he was just passing through the grave while on his way to new and glorious and everlasting life. So, not needing a tomb for long, Jesus borrowed a place to lay down. How awesome is that!

Kind of makes me wish I could go back and do over many of the funeral services I have conducted, so that I could erase any and all suggestions that we were laying a saint down to his or her “final resting place.” I don’t know about you, but when they lay me down in the grave I don’t plan to have my mail forwarded there, ‘cause it sure isn’t going to be my permanent address! Because of what Jesus did, I’ll just be needing to borrow a little spot of earth for a time. Hallelujah, I’m excited just writing this! Not about dying, of course, but about what is to come after, when I leave my own “borrowed” patch of ground behind and go and spend eternity with Jesus.

Makes me think, rather than buying a burial plot, I wonder if I might be able to arrange for a short-term lease? I don’t mean at all to be disrespectful to the dear departed, but there’s no dearer departed than the Lord, and he borrowed a place to lay down. Seems to me, as I seek to follow him in life, so also in death. Jesus borrowed a place to lay down, and that just what I intend to do. After all, the Lord has gone to the trouble of preparing a permanent home for us in his Father’s mansion, doesn’t that sound better than a tomb?

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4