The Grave

This morning we will focus on the grave - a place of despair. The parade of praises from Palm Sunday has been replaced by the cries coming from Calvary, as
Jesus dies on the cross and despair begins to set in among the disciples. This entire section is often skipped over in our eagerness to get to Easter. We tend to move
quickly from the crucifixion to the resurrection, forgetting that the burial of Jesus is an important part of the Passion. In fact, the burial is mentioned in all four
gospel accounts. This truth is stated strongly by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.” He
died, He was buried, He was raised, and He appeared. We could say it this way: the burial is proof that Jesus was crucified; and His appearances validate that He came back
to life.