Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

— John 19:42

Maybe you have heard the expression “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” And although some people may cheat on their taxes, no one can ultimately cheat death. We are all mortal, so eventually we will all die.

As we would expect after the statement about Jesus’ being crucified, the Apostles’ Creed says that Jesus “died, and was buried.” Jesus’ lifeless, cold corpse was laid to rest in a grave, just as our bodies too will one day die and be buried.

We don’t like to talk about death. But every time a dear family member or a friend dies, we are forced to remember our own eventual, inevitable death. In a letter to the early church, the apostle Paul fittingly calls death the “ene­my” (1 Corinthians 15:26).

No words can completely salve the fear and dread we have of death. But we can take comfort in the fact that Jesus himself died. He was like us in every way, the Bible teaches (see Hebrews 2:17; 4:15). He ate breakfast, enjoyed beautiful days, got tired and needed sleep, and sometimes stubbed his toes. He also died and was buried.

We can also take comfort in knowing that our Savior, who died for us and also rose again, is with us as we grieve the loss of loved ones and face our own, inevitable death.

Jesus, you suffered and died on the cross for us. As we face up to the reality that we too will die someday, we take comfort in knowing that you are with us always. Amen.