Exodus 26:1-30; Psalms 70:1-71:24; Acts 15:1-21
And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. John 19:39, NKJV
To a Jew, execution on a cross was an accursed death and removing a body from a cross (particularly at Passover) utterly contaminated the one who did it. There are few examples of the transformative power of new birth as notable as this scene, as we witness Nicodemus—a wealthy, ruling religious man—physically remove the Lord’s body from the cross. This took both great humility as well as courage, something only the Gospel can provide in equal measure. First, the law lowers us to the ground then God’s grace raises us to the heavens. —J. D. Fraser
The cross, the cross! The blood-stained cross! The cross of Christ I see,
It tells me of that precious blood, that once was shed for me. —J. Stockton