Deus Ex Machina
Luke 23:44-56a
Where would they have put the body of Jesus if Joseph had not come along?
It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun's light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Having said this, he breathed his last. When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, "Certainly this man was innocent." And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph, who, though a member of the council, had not agreed to their plan and action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and he was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment. - Luke 23:44-56a
If the followers of Jesus did not have a tomb for him, he would most likely have been buried in a common grave, along with the remains of criminals.
That would have made the resurrection complicated and difficult to confirm that it was truly Jesus who was raised.
How fortuitous that Joseph came along when he did, and offered his unused tomb. That made the conditions perfect for the resurrection narrative.
It is almost as if an author is writing this story. But if this was written this way today the author would be accused of using the hand of God to solve a problem. That contrivance is known as Deus ex machina, God from the machine.
It represents a seemingly impossible scenario being resolved by an equally unlikely event, like Joseph arriving with a spare tomb.
Now, I don't mean to belittle this scenario. All I am saying is people today would have a hard time accepting it, like they do when watching a movie that has the villain get killed by a bolt of lightning.
Maybe it was God writing this script, calling on Joseph to come when he did to set up the burial in a way that the resurrection could be believed.
As a writer, I look for the mechanics of the Gospel writers in telling their stories of Jesus. It makes me even more curious about the event described. Did it really happen this way? How did they hear about it?
Remember, when the tomb is rolled away and Mary experiences the angels or the gardener, depending on which story you follow, no one believes her, not even those who Jesus confided in about his rising again in three days.
So, not only do the readers have a problem believing this story, but those closest to Jesus do as well.
It is clear that no one would have become believers if Jesus had been buried in an open grave.
Thank God that didn't happen.
More to come...