Mark Bradford's Bible Blog

Jesus’ Burial

⁵⁰Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, ⁵¹who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. ⁵²Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. ⁵³Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. ⁵⁴It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

All of the gospels give attention to the burial of Jesus. They were making sure that we know the details of his burial so that the credibility of his resurrection would be solid. This is where we are introduced to Joseph of Arimathea. Mark calls him “a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God” (Mark 15:43). John simply calls him a secret disciple of Jesus (John 19:38).

Luke fills in a few more details about him. He tells us, like Mark does, that Joseph was a member of the Council, or the Sanhdrin. It was the Sanhedrin who had conducted the illegal trial of Jesus during the night before, and had quickly met again at the crack of dawn to dispatch Jesus to Pilate. But Luke also tells us that Joseph was a good and upright man who had not consented to the decision the Sanhedrin had made. Maybe this means that the Council took a vote on Jesus’ guilt, and Joseph voted “not guilty.” Like Mark, Luke also says Joseph was “waiting for the kingdom of God.” Luke makes a similar comment about Simeon and Anna (2:25, 2:38). Joseph was waiting for the kingdom of God, and apparently thought Jesus might be the one to usher it in, but didn’t yet realize it had already begun in the person and ministry of Jesus. But he was sympathetic to the Jesus movement, and wanted to do something to help in this dark hour.

John tells us that Nicodemus was there as well. He was also a member of the Sanhedrin, and he is the one who came to Jesus by night and the one to whom Jesus famously said, “You must be born again.” (John 3:7) Nicodemus provided 75 pounds worth of myrrh and aloes to use in wrapping Jesus’ body (John 19:39), and Joseph provided the tomb. They were both men of means doing for Jesus what his family and friends could not do for him.

In my post on the burial of Jesus in Mark and John, I noted that normally the bodies of the crucified were left on the crosses to rot or be eaten by animals. In the Roman world, condemned prisoners were typically denied burial. But the Jews would not stand for that during Passover, so Rome allowed the bodies of those crucified during Passover to be given to the families for a proper burial. But even then, someone had to go and request the body. Joseph, at the very least, risked his reputation and prominent position to do so. His “not guilty” vote and his giving honor to the body of the one they had gone to so much trouble to get rid of would not stand him in good stead with the rest of the Council. Joseph took charge of taking Jesus’ body down from the cross, wrapping it for burial, and placing it in a brand new tomb. Why is it important that Jesus was buried in a tomb that had never been used? Because family tombs like this often had more than one body in them. Since it’s made clear that there were no other bodies in the tomb, there can be no case of mistaken identity later.

They had to hurry, because the sun was going down, which began the Sabbath. That’s why the women could not complete the process by adding the spices and perfumes. They had to wait until Sunday morning for that, but they never got the chance!

⁵⁵The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. ⁵⁶Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

The women who were there for the crucifixion watched as Jesus was taken down from the cross, wrapped for burial, and placed in the tomb. Luke says they “saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it.” John says there was a garden there (John 19:41). The gospel writers made sure that we knew these details so we would know that the womens’ testimony on Sunday morning was true. They knew exactly where and how Jesus was buried because they saw it for themselves. Because it was a brand new tomb in a garden, it was easy to identify later. There could be no mistake about which tomb Jesus was buried in. The stone that was rolled over the entrance was set into a groove, making it very secure. On top of that, a seal was placed on the tomb and a Roman guard posted (Matthew 27:65-66). A seal was a rope over the stone attached on both ends with a glob of wax. You couldn’t move the stone without breaking the seal. Roman soldiers would watch carefully while the seal was attached, because they were responsible for whatever was sealed. Their careers, and possibly their lives, depended on making sure that seal wasn’t broken. A Roman guard consisted of 4 soldiers, fully equipped with swords, shields, spears, daggers, and armor. The burial of Jesus could not have been more secure, which makes his resurrection undeniable.

Mark Bible burial, Jesus, Luke

The Burial of Jesus

³⁸Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. ³⁹He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. ⁴⁰Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. ⁴¹At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. ⁴²Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. (John 19:16-42)

⁴²It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, ⁴³Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. ⁴⁴Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. ⁴⁵When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. ⁴⁶So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. ⁴⁷Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. (Mark 15:40-47)

Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy man, and a prominent member of the Sanhedrin. John says he was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews (John 19:38). He must have been there at Jesus’ trial, but did nothing to stop it. Now, perhaps out of guilt, he goes to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body. When we feel we should speak up for Jesus, but don’t because we’re afraid, we may regret it bitterly later. By the time we find our courage, it may be too late. Even now, Joseph is taking a risk because of his position. Those who followed Jesus at that moment had good reason to fear for their lives.

Normally, the bodies of the crucified were left on the crosses to rot or be eaten by animals. But the Jews would not stand for that horror being on display during Passover, so Rome allowed the bodies of those crucified during Passover to be given to the families for a proper burial. But even then, someone had to go and request the body. Since Jesus’ mother, Mary, was a widow, and probably poor, they might not have had a tomb available, or at least not one this nice. But Joseph of Arimathea did, and he offered it to Jesus. This was probably a tomb he had had cut out of the rock for himself, the way we buy grave plots in advance for ourselves and family members. Grave sites are not cheap. They are like family heirlooms. And it’s not like Joseph knew he was going to get the grave back in a few days. He thought he was losing the use of it forever. Are we willing to give our most precious things to Jesus, not expecting repayment?

Death by crucifixion normally took much longer than it took for Jesus, so Pilate was surprised that Jesus was already dead. After confirming it with a centurion who was there, he gave the body of Jesus to Joseph. According to John, Nicodemus went with Joseph, and bought myrrh with aloes to treat Jesus’ body for burial (John 19:36). Two prominent members of the Sanhedrin who believed in Jesus, but who were afraid to stand up for him while he was alive, now did what they could for his body. But they were also helping Jesus’ family. As men of means, they could give Jesus a better burial than Mary could have given him. Even if we have missed “God’s best” for us, there is always something we can do for Christ and his kingdom. It could well be that the generosity of Joseph and Nicodemus helped legitimize the testimonies of Jesus’ resurrection. Because of how secure Jesus’ burial was, in a tomb cut from rock with a stone over the entrance, and a Roman guard posted, stealing Jesus’ body was impossible. Even though the authorities spread that rumor after the resurrection, their story had less credibility than it would have had if Jesus was buried in a pauper’s grave, which anyone could dig up. Would Joseph and Nicodemus have been able to stop Jesus’ death if they had defended him at his trial? Probably not. But by coming forward after his death, and doing what they could for him and his family then, they probably caused more people ultimately to believe.

Mark Bible burial, Jesus, John, Joseph of Arimathea, Mark

⁴⁰Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. ⁴¹In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

The identities of some of the women who were present at the crucifixion of Jesus are revealed here.  John also lists Mary the mother of Jesus as being there with them, but he says they were close enough for Jesus to talk to them (John 19:25-26). The other gospels all say they were watching at a distance. In any case, most of these women were probably wives and relatives of the apostles. It would not have been considered proper for a bunch of single women to be following a bunch of single men around. It makes sense that the wives, mothers, and sisters of the disciples would travel with the group and take care of their needs. By this time, they were all family.

The Burial of Jesus

⁴²It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, ⁴³Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. ⁴⁴Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. ⁴⁵When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. ⁴⁶So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. ⁴⁷Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy man, and a prominent member of the Sanhedrin. John says he was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews (John 19:38). He must have been there at Jesus’ trial, but did nothing to stop it. Now, perhaps out of guilt, he goes to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body. When we feel we should speak up for Jesus, but don’t because we’re afraid, we may regret it bitterly later. By the time we find our courage, it may be too late. Even now, Joseph is taking a risk because of his position. Those who followed Jesus at that moment had good reason to fear for their lives.

Normally, the bodies of the crucified were left on the crosses to rot or be eaten by animals. But the Jews would not stand for that horror being on display during Passover, so Rome allowed the bodies of those crucified during Passover to be given to the families for a proper burial. But even then, someone had to go and request the body. Since Jesus’ mother, Mary, was a widow, and probably poor, they might not have had a tomb available, or at least not one this nice. But Joseph of Arimathea did, and he offered it to Jesus. This was probably a tomb he had had cut out of the rock for himself, the way we buy grave plots in advance for ourselves and family members. Tombs like this were not cheap, and Joseph didn’t know he was going to get the tomb back in a few days. He thought he was losing the use of it forever.

Death by crucifixion normally took much longer than it took for Jesus, so Pilate was surprised that Jesus was already dead. After confirming it with a centurion who was there, he gave the body of Jesus to Joseph. According to John, Nicodemus went with Joseph, and bought myrrh with aloes to treat Jesus’ body for burial (John 19:36). Two prominent members of the Sanhedrin who believed in Jesus, but who were afraid to stand up for him while he was alive, now did what they could for his body. But they were also helping Jesus’ family. As men of means, they could give Jesus a better burial than Mary could have given him. Even if we have missed “God’s best” for us, there is always something we can do for Christ and his kingdom. It could well be that the generosity of Joseph and Nicodemus helped legitimize the testimonies of Jesus’ resurrection. Because of how secure Jesus’ burial was, in a tomb cut from rock with a stone over the entrance, and a Roman guard posted, stealing Jesus’ body was impossible. Even though the authorities spread that rumor after the resurrection, their story had less credibility than it would have had if Jesus was buried in a pauper’s grave, which anyone could dig up. Would Joseph and Nicodemus have been able to stop Jesus’ death if they had defended him at his trial? Probably not. But by coming forward after his death, and doing what they could for him and his family then, they probably caused more people ultimately to believe.

Mark Bible Bible, burial, Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea, Mark