Thank You, Jesus!
LENT DEVOTIONAL 2026 | DAY 40
Luke 23:50-56 (NIV)
By Alvin Tay, Chairperson, Local Church Executive Committee
READ:
Luke 23:50-56 (NIV)
One would have expected one of Jesus’ closest disciples such as Peter, James and John to go to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body to give him a decent burial. No, all of them had fled. Instead, it was Joseph of Arimathea who cared enough about Jesus to ask for his body, even though it could cost him dearly. Not much was known about Joseph up to this point. But what he did in the few hours following Jesus’ death must have been so significant for him to be mentioned in all four Gospels (Luke 23:50–56; Matthew 27:57–61; Mark 15:42–47; John 19:38–42).
In these four Gospels, we learned that Joseph was in fact a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. Joseph, together with another of Jesus’ secret disciples, Nicodemus, buried Jesus in a new tomb, with a stone rolled against the entrance of the tomb. And Pilate posted a guard outside the tomb. This showed without a doubt that Jesus was crucified, died, was buried, and on the third day he rose again. His tomb was empty.
Jesus’ Journey to the Cross flashed back to me as I arranged the funerals for five of my relatives—my young niece, 3 siblings and my mother-in-law—between April 2024 and February 2025. Five funerals in less than one year. My two sisters and niece died of cancer, while my brother had a heart ailment. All five, including my mother-in-law, had accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour.
For me, the most emotional moment was having to share an eulogy during the wakes of my two sisters and niece, all of whom I was close to. As a student, my eldest sister allowed me to stay at her house whenever I needed a quiet place to study for major examinations. My wife and I invited my fourth sister to stay in our house as she underwent chemo treatment for her cancer. And I was a doting uncle to my niece when she was growing up. Personally, every eulogy was an opportunity for me to share about the love of God and his salvation plan with several of my pre-believing siblings and relatives at the wakes.
I ended each eulogy with the assurance that all five are now with the Lord, and we would be united with them in heaven one day, thanks to what Jesus has done on the Cross. And what’s more, there would be no more tears, no more pain, no more cancer.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for humbling yourself “by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). Thank you, Abba Father, for your amazing love for us that you sent your only begotten Son, Jesus, to die on the Cross for our sins, so that we will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
This Holy Saturday, I pause to thank Jesus for what He has done for me, and for all of us, on the Cross. And I look forward to Easter Sunday tomorrow to rejoice in His resurrection. And yes, I also look forward to Jesus’ second coming.
[ Reflection Questions ]
- It’s Holy Saturday, a Sabbath. Let’s pause and reflect on the events that took place on Good Friday. What does Good Friday mean to you?
- What gave Joseph of Arimathea the courage to go to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body?
- On Day 2, we read that “Faith is not the absence of fear but the decision to trust God despite it”. What steps can you take to move from Fear to Faith?
