[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fwho-owns-the-grave":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fwho-owns-the-grave-surround":73},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":14,"columnName":55,"date":56,"description":20,"extension":57,"image":58,"meta":59,"minRead":60,"navigation":61,"path":62,"postType":63,"publication":64,"publicationUrl":58,"seo":65,"stem":66,"topics":67,"__hash__":72},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fwho-owns-the-grave.md","Who Owns the Grave?",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10,11,12,13],"Isaiah","Matthew","Luke","John","Revelation",{"type":15,"value":16,"toc":51},"minimark",[17,21,24,27,30,33,36,39,42,45,48],[18,19,20],"p",{},"My wife Candy and I are proud owners of two side-by-side grave plots at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens. OK, proud probably isn’t the right word. But those little pieces of real estate make us feel relieved, because when the day comes, our surviving family members won’t have to wonder where to bury our earthly remains.",[18,22,23],{},"Remember Jesus’ story about a rich man who lived in luxury while the beggar Lazarus longed to eat crumbs from his table? After Lazarus died, “the angels carried him to Abraham’s side” (another name for Paradise) while the rich man suffered in Hades (Luke 16:22-23). When you die, the main issue is not where you’re buried, but where you’re carried! Your tomb’s location won’t matter as long as you are alive and well with the Lord of glory.",[18,25,26],{},"The Owner of Jesus’ Grave",[18,28,29],{},"After Jesus died, two men asked permission to take charge of his body. One was Nicodemus, the Jewish leader who had a night-time conversation with Jesus about being born again. The other man who buried Jesus was the owner of the tomb.",[18,31,32],{},"A carpenter named Joseph was with Jesus when he was born, and another Joseph was present when he died. The latter Joseph came from the Judean village of Arimathea, a place so small that archaeologists struggle to identify its exact location. But the four Gospels reveal several noteworthy facts about Joseph of Arimathea.",[18,34,35],{},"But as things turned out, Jesus’ burial wasn’t permanent. He only needed to borrow Joseph’s tomb for three days.",[18,37,38],{},"The Owner of Our Graves",[18,40,41],{},"Who will take charge of things when we die? It’s wise to make prior arrangements with the family and the mortuary, but it’s far more important to be at peace with the Judge of all mankind.",[18,43,44],{},"Joseph of Arimathea was looking for God’s kingdom. Are we? Joseph went public and identified with Christ despite the cost. Are we willing to do that, too?",[18,46,47],{},"Who owns a believer’s grave? Not Satan, though he tries to enslave us with the fear of death. And owning our little burial plots doesn’t make us sovereign over death. By dying to self and following Jesus, we place our trust in the risen Lord to handle what happens when we die.",[18,49,50],{},"The Lord says, “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18). Our final resting place belongs to Christ, who is risen indeed.",{"title":52,"searchDepth":53,"depth":53,"links":54},"",2,[],"Consider This","2026-04-01","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fwho-owns-the-grave","column","Christian Standard",{"title":5,"description":20},"articles\u002Fwho-owns-the-grave",[68,69,70,71],"Biblical Theology","Holy Week and Resurrection","Christian Unity","Church Leadership","w9n37nFKVymTR-7pRLIIVmL_NXPA8MqCLJQeMNc-rnA",[74,79],{"title":75,"path":76,"stem":77,"description":78,"children":-1},"Where Does the Buck Stop?","\u002Farticles\u002Fwhere-does-the-buck-stop","articles\u002Fwhere-does-the-buck-stop","If God owns the earth on a thousand hills, why do so many Christians have unpaid bills?",{"title":80,"path":81,"stem":82,"description":83,"children":-1},"Why Are We so Negative?","\u002Farticles\u002Fwhy-are-we-so-negative","articles\u002Fwhy-are-we-so-negative","I suspect one of the most frequently violated verses in all the Bible is Philippians 2:14: \"Do everything without complaining or arguing.\""]