Jesus Buried in Joseph’s Tomb
(Matt. 27:57–61; Luke 23:50–56; John 19:38–42 )
Mark 15:42-47 NKJV – Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. 45 So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. 47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary [the mother] of Joses observed where He was laid.
V42 Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath…
Preparation day is to prepare the person and family for the coming Sabbath. It is my understanding that the people began their preparations about 3 p.m. Friday and finished by sunset to celebrate and remember the Sabbath. Jesus’s burial must be completed before 6 p.m. The evening of Friday would have been from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. At 6pm Sabbath would begin.
V43 …Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went into Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
The council is the Grand Sanhedrin, the final authority. Waiting for the kingdom of God refers to his eagerness for it. The Kingdom of God is when Messiah rules in Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:9).
Seeking any good for Jesus would take courage because any Jew who acknowledged Jesus was cut off from Israel. This is a shun and ban. See John 9:22, John 12:42, and Ezra 10:8.
He boldly walked into Pilate to plead for the body of Jesus. He wanted to honor Jesus for His burial instead of having the body thrown into a ditch and eaten by wild animals. Remember that the disciples had fled in fear (Matthew 26:31 and Matthew 26:56).
V44 Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time.
Because Jesus gave up His life (John 10:18), He was already dead. The other two needed their legs broken to prevent their breathing, which brings death.
V45 So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.
He gave his permission for Joseph to have Jesus’s body. Joseph is a secret disciple who came out boldly exposing himself.
V46 Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.
He = Joseph. He would be considered unclean by the Law and would have to follow Mosaic law in order to be clean (see Numbers chapter 19).
All was witnessed. Jesus truly was buried.
V47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary [the mother] of Joseph observed where He was laid.
This is important, for when the women went to the tomb early Sunday morning, some teach that they went to the wrong tomb, but they did see where the tomb was.
Comments:
Constable on Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses—The writer mentioned the presence of these two women at the tomb during Jesus’ burial to prepare for his statement that they were present to witness the empty tomb (Mark 16:1, 5). They had seen Jesus die (Mark 15:40), and now they saw Him buried. There was no question that they went to the right tomb on Sunday morning since they had been there Friday afternoon. Again Mark guarded against any wrong conclusion that the disciples were mistaken about Jesus’ resurrection. The Servant of the Lord had paid the ultimate price for the sins of humankind, His own life. Mark’s narrative stressed Jesus’ exemplary service and the reality of His death. (Expository Notes – Mark)
We learn:
- The boldness of a secret disciple.
- The women saw where Jesus was buried.
- The details of Jesus’s burial are fulfillment of prophecy (Isaiah 53:9).
Questions:
- How bold are we for Jesus and His teaching?
- Would we risk everything to honor God?