Listen
Read
Matthew 27: 57-60 nrsv
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named
Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked
for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. So
Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it
in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a
great stone to the door of the tomb and went away.
Look
Observe the visual qualities of the image: line, shape, movement, and
texture. How do the visual elements connect to the scripture text?
What emotions emerge for you as you observe the art?
Reflect
“When I consider this moment in Joseph’s life, I think about the
normalcy and strangeness of burying a loved one. The ritual act of
burial is a physical reminder of our own fragile mortality and also an
affirmation that we are more than our bodies. This is a completely
natural and wholly unnatural experience. We grasp onto the hope that
our loved one is with God in death, and at the same time, everything
fights within us to hold on to the physicality of those we love. The
contrast within the act of burial makes the duality of Jesus, the
humanity and divinity of Christ, very tangible. I imagine Joseph, filled
with despair, fights to hold onto Jesus’ body, afraid to let go. I imagine
he also feels grounded in faith that Jesus will not be contained.”
—Artist Lauren Wright Pittman
Pray
May I work to break free all that is entombed within and around me. Amen.