Day 20: The Burial – Love That Stays

Ruth Miles (Matt 27:57–61; John 19:38–42)

When it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who himself was a disciple of Jesus, went to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body. Pilate ordered that it be given to him. So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut into the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

I often find myself thinking about the women who followed Jesus. In a time when women were looked down upon and considered lesser, Jesus saw them, valued them, and loved them.

Mary Magdalene is one such woman. Her life had been completely transformed by Jesus. After being set free from seven demons at their first encounter, she devoted her life to Him. She followed and served Him right up to His death. When many of His followers fled in fear, she remained present at His arrest, His crucifixion, and now His burial.

She had encountered the divine love of God, and she knew there was nowhere else for her to go.

How must she have felt as she watched Him die? As the stone was rolled across the tomb? Matthew tells us that she and the other Mary sat opposite the tomb. They stayed.

Why did they stay? Were they clinging to hope that He would rise again? Were they overwhelmed and unsure what to do now that their Saviour was gone? Were they quietly pondering His words in their hearts, trying to make sense of all that had happened?

After a life marked by hurt and brokenness, Mary had found a love like no other — a love that was faithful, unconditional, and unchanging. A love that stays.

Perhaps she stayed at the tomb because she believed Him. Because somewhere deep within her heart, she believed that death would not have the final word. Because when you have truly encountered the love of Jesus, even in the silence, even in the waiting, you remain.

Activation

Take a moment to reflect on the scene of Mary Magdalene sitting opposite the tomb. The stone is sealed. Everything seems silent. Yet she stays.

Is there an area of your life where you feel you are waiting — where God seems quiet or the outcome is uncertain?

Bring that place before Jesus today. Like Mary, choose to remain close to Him even in the waiting.

Thank Him for His faithful, unconditional love — a love that stays with you in every season.

Spend a few moments resting in His presence, trusting that even in the silence, God is still at work.