Jerusalem, Friday, April 7, 30 AD - 5:30 PM
Jewish law required that all bodies be examined 3 days after the alleged death. So the tomb would be reopened and Jesus would be assessed on Sunday.
Of course this was just bureaucracy, because clearly he was dead. The spear that pierced his organs, causing water to leak from the wound, left no doubt.
The tomb will be reopened on Sunday, he will be formally declared dead, and then his body will rest for a year, until the tomb is reopened again and the bones collected to be deposited somewhere else.
Jesus’ tomb was in a garden outside the city walls. The stone that sealed the entrance weighed hundreds of kilos and was placed on a track that made it easy to roll downward, closing the door. On Sunday, it will be much harder to open.
Joseph and Nicodemus place the body in the tomb and say a final goodbye to Jesus; his mother and Mary Magdalene watch a few steps behind. The sunlight is fading as they roll the stone.
Jesus of Nazareth had predicted his death and even prayed for God to somehow spare him from it. But now it is finished. The silence in the tomb is complete. Alone, in the darkness of the tomb, Jesus of Nazareth rests in peace.
Pilate’s Palace, Saturday, April 8, 30 AD - 6 AM
Pilate receives some visitors. Once again, Caiaphas and the Pharisees are at the palace. For the first time, Pilate notices that Caiaphas is really terrified of Jesus’ powers. Yesterday, while he was asking that the supposed King of the Jews be killed, he seemed calm, but today he is restless.
Caiaphas speaks directly to Pilate: “That deceiver said that after three days he would rise — so give orders that the tomb be protected by your soldiers until the third day.”
There’s a certain logic to the request. If that body were stolen, it could spark an attempted rebellion. The presence of the Roman guards will certainly frighten off any attempt to steal the body.
Jesus’ Tomb, Sunday, April 9, 30 AD - 5:30 AM
You can already see the sunlight on the horizon, the little birds are starting to wake up. It’s been 3 days since Jesus died. Mary Magdalene now takes charge of fulfilling the tradition of examining Christ’s body.
On the way, she passes the hill where he was crucified; you can still see the post of his cross, waiting for the next crucifixion. She turns her face — that image is still very painful.
She has a clear goal in mind. It’s impossible for her to forget the way she was treated by Jesus during the short time they spent together. She brings with her oil and some plants to anoint Jesus’ body. Who knows — maybe in this way, a year from now, when she returns to Jerusalem for Passover and it’s time to gather his bones, the smell of the oil will still be in the tomb, and he can be handled with more care.
But this presents another challenge: Mary is physically incapable of moving the rock that seals the door; she’ll need help — counting on Jesus’ disciples is out of the question, they’re still in hiding, and she has no idea the tomb is being guarded by Roman soldiers.
But when she gets near, she sees no soldiers. The stone has been rolled away and the tomb is open… and EMPTY!!!
Mary Magdalene steps into the tomb, and carefully looks in every corner. She can smell the Myrrh and Aloe Vera that were used to anoint Jesus days earlier; she also sees the linen cloth in which he had been wrapped. But she sees nothing else!
To this day, the body of Jesus the Nazarene has never been found.