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Along
with Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus’ body from the cross. They
wrapped the body in linen stripes and 75 pounds of mixed aloe and myrrh. Jesus
body was dead; therefore, aloes weren’t used to heal him. The healing aloes in
Jesus’ burial cloth exemplified Jesus’ continued healing of us even after his
physical death. The Jewish burial custom of using spices in burial linens was
associated with covering the smell of the decaying body - because aloe had
little odor, possibly the aloes were used to “fix” or hold the scent of the
myrrh
Carolyn Roth
Posted on March 25, 2016
Today is the most solemn day in the Christian
calendar. By 9:00 a.m., Christ was crucified.
Jewish law and custom required immediate
burial of Jesus’ dead body.
Mosaic Law required that Jews bury the body
of a man put to death by hanging on a tree the same day he died (Deuteronomy
21:22-23).
The book of Tobit (Apocrypha, 2009) described the value
Jews placed on seeing that all slain Jews had a proper burial even when the
Jews were in exile.
By Jewish custom,
Friday was the Day of Preparation for the Saturday Sabbath.
Preparation Day ended
at about 6:00 p.m. on Friday when the Sabbath began.
No work was allowed
on the Sabbath to include burying a dead body.
Jesus followers had
about three hours between the time he died and the start of the Sabbath
celebration.
Joseph of Arimathea
was a prominent member of the Jewish council who believed that Jesus was the
Messiah.
Boldly, Joseph went
to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body.
Along with Nicodemus,
Joseph took Jesus’ body from the cross.
They wrapped the body
in linen stripes and 75 pounds of mixed aloe and myrrh.
The Jewish burial
custom of using spices in burial linens was associated with covering the smell
of the decaying body.
Because aloe had
little odor, possibly the aloes were used to “fix” or hold the scent of the
myrrh.
Aloe vera
The aloe of the New Testament is the Aloe
vera also known as the Aloe barbadensis, Aloe vulgaris (common aloe) and the
medicinal aloe.
Some sources identified the aloe as the
oldest medicinal plant.
The aloe is distributed in Mediterranean
woodlands and shrub-lands in hard rock outcrops including maritime sands.
When aloe is harvested for its medicinal gel,
older leaves are harvested as they are larger and contain more gel.
Myrrh
The Israelite myrrh plant is the Commiphora
abyssinic.
The Hebrew word for myrrh is môr
or môwr which means bitter, possibly because myrrh has a bitter
taste (Strong,
2010).
Around 1876-1880 B.C., Jacob described myrrh
as one of the best products of Canaan and directed his sons to take myrrh to
Egypt to trade for grain (Genesis
43:11-14).
In present day Israel, the myrrh tree grows
in the Biblical Landscape Reserve (Neot Kedumim).
Although often referred to as a spice, myrrh
is the dried resin from the myrrh tree.
When the resin is harvested, lateral cuts are
made on the trunk or branches.
An aromatic gum resin exudes from the wounds.
When the resin is exposed to the air, the gum hardens forming irregular shaped
yellow or brown globules.
The globules smell pleasant but have a bitter
taste.
We saw myrrh in the bazaar in the old city of
Jerusalem.
The myrrh was in sharp-edged, marble-size
pieces.
Myrrh continues to be used today as sweet-smelling
incense for religious celebrations.
Symbolism: Healing
Traditionally, aloe has been associated with
healing.
In the book of Isaiah
(Isaiah
53:5, NIV, 2002)
we read these prophetic words about Christ, “But he was pierced for our
transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought
us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
The healing aloes in
Jesus’ burial cloth exemplified Jesus’ continued healing of us even after his
physical death.
After Jesus’ resurrection some individuals in
Judea and the Roman Empire accepted healing from Jesus.
Other individuals weren’t willing to be
healed.
Some couldn’t comprehend that a man would die
for their sins.
Others simply didn’t believe that they were
all that bad; why would someone need to die for their few sins?
For still others it was easier to continue
their same religious observances, e.g., make an animal sacrifice or give a
little money into a treasury, than to accept a new way of thinking.
The rationale and rationalizations that
individuals used 2,000 years ago for not accepting healing from Jesus are the
same ones that individuals use today.
On Sunday morning in church, we pray the
“Prayers of the People.”
Frequently, there are prayer requests for
healing – surgery, diagnostic tests, cancer – from members of the congregation.
I’m always surprised that congregates don’t
offer more prayers for loved ones’ spiritual healing.
My dear friend isn’t a Christian; I love him
so much.
From time to time, I ask congregates to pray
that he comes to a saving knowledge of Christ. I really should ask them to pray
for him every Sunday.
I love Bible plants along with their
symbolism. If you want to learn more about them, read my two books: 1) Rooted
in God and 2) God as a Gardener. You can purchase them from my website: Carolyn
Roth Ministry at http://www.CarolynRothMinistry.com/
As
the site editor, participants should know I am a spiritual woman with a deep
belief in God. Many friends would describe my Christian perspective as
orthodox. I believe in the inspired, written word of God. I live in Roanoke,
Virginia. I am a Virginia Master Gardener and a Tree Steward.
This
website/blog glorifies God within the context of earth as His garden, describes
Bible and other growing plants, and applies them to our Christian walk in
the 21st century. On Creation day 3, God created vegetation, e.g., trees,
herbs, flowers. On this site, the word plant will be used to
encompass all types of vegetation. God created plants right after He
created the heavens (Day 2) and before He created the sun, moon, and stars (Day
4). This creative order demonstrates that God valued and had a purpose for the
varied flora in our world. Our response to this creative process should first
be love for the Creator and second a reverence for this earthly garden.
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