Imago Gospels - 23 - Tomb
Its a bit hard for us today to get a sense of what the tomb of Jesus must have been like. So many of us are used to manicured cemeteries or polished mausoleums that a rough hewn tomb cut out of the rock is hard for us to wrap our heads around. But while the tomb was “donated” by Joseph of Arimathea, I doubt it was anything fancy other than a hole cut in the rock with a stone to roll in front. It may have been in a garden area, but nothing I am sure like what we are used to with the freshly mown lawns of a local cemetery.
The picture today is not a tomb per se, but it was far from a pleasant place. I posted the other day about the pile of stones in the limestone quarry on Robben Island. This cave is just to the left of where that stone pile stands. It was the cave that the prisoners used to relieve themselves while they were working. There was no outhouse, no toilet facilities - just this hole in the rock where, according to our guide who worked in that same quarry alongside Mandela and others, they had to dig their own holes and bury it back up. Not a pleasant place to be. Yet, it was one place that was out of the burning summer sun or the cold winter winds that blow across the island.
So, while the tomb of Jesus was no beautiful place, it was a place from which we can take comfort and hope…