Introduction In 56 A.D. Paul was teaching in Ephesus (Acts 20:31). He wrote a letter to the church in Corinth. He was becoming concerned about the deep divisions in the church, the crumbling of Christian marriages and the constant influences of paganism polluting their thinking and Christian walk. Paul also penned one of the earliest confessions of faith. In chapter 15:3-4 Paul wrote (about 23 years after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus); For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, (4) and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. Paul goes on and writes (vv.5-6); And that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. And after that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. Many of you are familiar with the Apostle s Creed: I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. Faith rooted in history says, Christ lives. Faith rooted in a firm salvation says, Christ lives in me! The disciples had not really planned for the death of Jesus. And the followers of Jesus did not really anticipate a resurrection from the dead. They apparently had not made funeral arrangements. The religious leaders hoped the body of Jesus would be thrown on a trash heap and eaten by wild animals. Birds and dogs haunted the trash heaps looking for scraps The Roman government didn t care. The women hoped death would come quickly so they could prepare the body for burial. But where would they take him? God was prepared. He had moved on the heart of one Joseph of Arimethea to come forward and bury His Son. He would fulfill prophecy; "And they made His grave with the wicked But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. " (Isaiah 53:9, NKJV) Love s Request (vv.50-52) 50 Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man. Joseph is introduced into the gospel narrative. 1
honorable counselor ; the Greek adjective euschemon means prominent, of high standing. The noun bouleutes (only here and in Mark 15:43) means member of a council. Joseph was a prominent member of the Council the Great Sanhedrin. Luke describes Joseph as good and just; not just in the external observances but internal character. 51 He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. The expression not consented is very interesting. The verb consented is synkatatithemi and appears only here in the New Testament. In the middle (as here) it means to deposit one s vote with, hence, to agree with, assent to. "You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think? And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death." (Mark 14:64, NKJV) "Then they all said, Are You then the Son of God? So He said to them, You rightly say that I am. And they said, What further testimony do we need? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth. " (Luke 22:70-71, NKJV). Joseph it would seem was not there for the trial. Jesus was condemned by a unanimous vote. It may be that Joseph was left out of the trial because there was some suspicion of his loyalties. Joseph is described as being from Arimathea. This is the country called Ramah in Jeremiah 31:15 and Matthew 2:18. Ramah was a part of Samaria and the Northern Kingdom. It was later annexed or incorporated into Judea and is therefore called a city of the Jews. The fact Joseph is described as waiting for the kingdom of God means he had a real hope for spiritual renewal and national repentance. At the beginning of Jesus life you will recall the story of Simon and Anna the prophetess, both looking for the consolation of Israel. There were still devout Jews who longed to see Messiah s Kingdom. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. "After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus." (John 19:38, NKJV) John s gospel tells us that Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. 2
"For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father s, and of the holy angels." (Luke 9:26, NKJV) "The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. " (Proverbs 29:25, NKJV). The death of Jesus changes Joseph. Mark s gospel says Joseph coming and taking courage went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus! The death of Jesus brings Joseph out of the closet and into the open. Joseph is now willing to go public in his love, respect and acknowledgment of Jesus. The moment Joseph asked Pilate for the body of Jesus, Joseph knew the rest of the Sanhedrin would turn on him. It s official: Joseph is a Jesus Freak. We have to assume a few things. We probably need to assume that Joseph asked the Roman Centurion to release the body to him. Since the Centurion could not authorize such a thing, he must have physically taken Joseph to Pilate. "So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph." (Mark 15:45, NKJV) When Pilate found out from the centurion, that Jesus was really dead, he granted the body to Joseph. Many Christians are secret disciples. Some fear family, friends, business partners. Some are afraid of their teachers at school. Why won t Christians come out of the closet and take a bold stand for Jesus? Fear? Rejection? Ridicule? Rejection and ridicule are sometimes painful, but they are rarely fatal. For some exposure means death. There are places in the world where public declarations of faith result in death. Are you taking a stand for Jesus? I would rather accept rejection and ridicule from this world and be accepted by Jesus Christ the Lord. When we stand for Jesus, when we stand for righteousness, we are most secure. It is when we are silent that we are in greatest danger, not only in this life, but in the next. Jesus said, If you confess me before men, I will confess you before my Father in heaven. Love s Observance (vv.53-55) 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. Because bodies decomposed rapidly, mourners were allowed to anoint, wash and wrap the body in its shrouds even on the sabbath. More elaborate arrangements that these loyal 3
women disciples wish to bestow on Jesus, however, might wait until the sabbath (sundown Friday evening to sundown Saturday evening) has passed. 1 John s gospel (19:39-42) adds; And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby, He carefully and quickly washes the body. By touching Christ s dead corpse Joseph is rendered ceremonially unclean. Joseph doesn t care. They struggle to remove the ugly nails and rope so they can get Jesus body down from the cross. Tears are flowing and sobs can be heard from the women nearby. The gaping wounds have left puddles of blood and they smear the outer robes with the blood of the young rabbi. They wrap the body is swaddling clothes like a child. When he was a baby they laid him in a manger. a trough hewn from stone in a cave. They will lay him in another cave, hewn from stone. Joseph places the body in a tomb, hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. Warren Wiersbe in his commentary (TBEC Vol. 1; p.385) asks and answers some important questions; (1) Why did he have a tomb so near to a place of execution? Most pious Jews wanted to be buried in the Holy City, but a rich man like Joseph could certainly afford a better site for his final resting place. Imagine his relatives coming to pay their respects and having to listen to the curses and cries of criminals on crosses not far away!(note John 19:41). Matthew, Luke, and John all tell us that the tomb was new and had never been used. It was his (Joseph s) own new tomb (Matt.27:60); he had hewn it out for himself. Or did he hew it out for Jesus? The word for tomb in Matthew s gospel is more a memorial or monument. The monument was carved out of solid rock and was meant to say, Look at me. See how rich I was in life that I can be buried with such splendor in death. Joseph was no longer interested in perpetuating his own glory. It was his desire that Jesus not be forgotten. Is that your desire? Are you building a future based on your own glory? Have you included Jesus in your funeral arrangements? Jesus will be remembered. But how will He remember you? How many people s name do you remember from the Sanhedrin? 1 Keener, C. S., & InterVarsity Press. 1993. The IVP Bible background commentary : New Testament. InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, Ill. 4
" If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God." (Deuteronomy 21:22-23, NKJV) People say you can t put God in a box. The glory of God dwelt on the Ark of the Covenant. Jesus comes to the earth and God pitches a tent in an earthly tabernacle. The dead body of Jesus is placed in a dark, empty box. You can put the dead body of Jesus in a box. Jesus reserves the right not to stay. God allowed Joseph of Arimthea and Nicodemus to give Jesus a decent burial and also to insure God s plan would be ultimately fulfilled. On earth Jesus possessed nothing. When he died he was placed in a borrowed tomb. 54 That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. The Day of Preparation is Friday. In both Luke s gospel and Mark s gospel, many Gentile readers would have no idea what that meant. "Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath," (Mark 15:42, NKJV) Before the Sabbath there would be preparation, food would be cooked, supplies would be bought, cleaning would be done, all things would have to be done so there was no work from sunset of Preparation until sunset of sabbath. The text says the Sabbath drew near or the Sabbath was beginning or even literally, the Sabbath was dawning how strange! We think of the dawning as the day the sun comes up. The Jews begin the day with sunset and the dawning or appearance of the first star. That was what Luke meant it was nearing sunset when the mouth of the cave was closed. 55 And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. There are those who suggest that Jesus did not really die. Some suggested Jesus swooned or passed out. John s gospel gives graphic detail how the soldiers came and broke the legs of the other men who hung by Jesus and how the soldier thrust the spear into Jesus side and John watched as blood and water poured from the huge gaping wound (John 19:32-33). The very next verse reads (v.34) But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so you may believe. John saw what happened. The whole in Jesus chest was large enough to stick your fist in it. Elvis Presley died in August 1977. 5
He was pronounced dead by several physicians. He was autopsied and the cause of death determined. He was prepared for burial by two morticians, dressed by his wardrobe manager, made-up by his personal cosmetologist, his hair colored to jet black by the famous Larry Geller, and then viewed by his entire family before closing the seamless copper casket all this from an article in The American Funeral Director appropriately entitled Elvis Has Really Left the Building. Love s Rest (v.56) 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. The women returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. The spices would have been powerful, aromatic and in powder form. fragrant oils is the translation of the word for myrrh, a kind of gummy or oily product used in the preparation of dead bodies for burial. Joseph and Nicodemus had already washed and rubbed the body once but it was not unusual for this to happen several times over the course of days. They do this to mask the odor of decomposition. The women still do not comprehend the resurrection. They do demonstrate love and loyalty in spite of danger. They purchase the spices and fragrant oils with their own money. Why is it that women often are more likely to stand up for Jesus than men? The women are faithful Jews. They will rest on the Sabbath according to the commandment. The body of Jesus has been laid to rest with some dignity and honor. The execution of Jesus lasted six hours. God made the world in six days. At the end of the sixth hour the body of Jesus was laid to rest. At the end of the sixth day, the Bible says that God rested from all His labors. Joseph, Nicodemas, the women from Galilee, the disciples, do not know it yet, but Jesus has defeated death. Not cheated death, defeated death. Paul writes (1 Cor.15:50-58) "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us 6
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 15:50-58, NKJV). Jesus has defeated death for us. Paul in effect says, when our perishable earthly bodies have been transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die then at last the Scriptures will come true: Death is swallowed up in victory. Death is still a source of dread for many. Jesus has overcome death. Death has been defeated there is hope beyond the grave. Conclusion Joseph Bayly, in his book, The View From A Hearse tells the story of his attempt to offer hope to a woman whose very small son was dying. It s good to know, isn t it, I spoke slowly, choosing my words with unusual care, that even though the medical outlook is hopeless, we can have hope for our children in such a situation. We can be sure that after our child dies, he ll be completely removed from sickness and suffering and everything like that, and be completely well and happy. If I could only believe that, the woman replied. But I don t. When he dies, I ll just have to cover him up with dirt and forget I ever had him. It is sad, but more often than not, this woman s words express the hopeless plight of so many people all around us. Some have suggested the Church fabricated the resurrection of Jesus in order to allow the memory of Jesus to continue, or to give false hope, or to allow a mechanism for early church leaders to manipulate foolish followers. If that is the case, the Evangelists have certainly found an unusual way to describe the preparation. The testimony of the Gospels is the resurrection of Jesus Christ takes all disciples by surprise. When Jesus died they figured Jesus was gone for good. I am certain Joseph knew he would be seen as identifying himself with a false and failed messiah. The depression and despair must have been overwhelming for the faithful few who were there. Joseph used to be afraid but not anymore. G.K. Chesterton; Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die. Jesus died. But something died in Joseph that day. Something that allowed him to live free from what other men think about him. Saul Alinsky wrote: Once you accept your own death, all of a sudden you re free to live. You no longer care about your reputation, you no longer care except so far as you life can be used for others. The Psalmist wrote; Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints (Ps.116:15). 7