The Passion Week of Christ: A Study from the Book of Mark
Week 11: The Servant Finishes - His Burial
Mark 15:42-47
I. Introduction
A. Have you ever passed a funeral home, saw the parking lot overflowing, and thought "Wow, who died?" - they must have been important? Take the following: Babe Ruth (75k came to The House that Ruth Built), Rudolph Valentino (100k mourners & the line stretched 11 NY city blocks), Michael Jackson (1.6 million entered lottery to win 1 of 17,500 tickets which sold for $10k on EBay), Princess Diana (4 mile funeral procession, coffin passed 1 million people, 2.5 billion watched on TV).
B. Rewind to 30 A.D. A King has been crucified on a Hill called Calvary. His name is Jesus. His broken, bloody body hangs lifeless and dead. The crowds depart, beating their breasts in remorse and anguish. His mother, Mary, and beloved disciple, John, leave the scene utterly heartbroken. The soldiers are preparing to leave. It is a sad scene of death, pain, sorrow, aynd anguish. Perhaps the saddest aspect - neither 10s nor 100s of thousands, nor millions stand in line to pay their respects to the King of Kings. In the end, out of all the people who passed by that Good Friday as Jesus gave His life as a ransom for many, only one man remained. Only one man was willing to identify himself with the Lord Jesus. He alone was willing to claim and minister to the body of our Lord. It is this man that we want to consider together today. His name is Joseph of Arimathea and 2000 years after he prepared our Lord's body "according to the burial custom of the Jews," he has much to teach us about our own treatment of our beloved Lord and Savior Jesus.
II. Scripture Reading & Prayer
A. Stand with me to honor the reading of God's Word. Read Mark 15:42-47.
B. Pray - Father, our hearts are heavy this AM as we reflect on that day that our Lord, your Son, was buried. Yet we know whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction and so we ask you to teach us invaluable lessons that we, like Joseph, may have courage to serve you in these last days.
III. Joseph of Arimathea: Beholden to the World (v.43a)
A. The first thing I would have us to consider is that much good could have been said, and indeed is recorded in Scripture, about Joseph. He was...
#1 Prominent: ESV = "respected," KJV = "honourable." Greek = "euschemon" lit. "good figure," Koine Greek = person who properly uses influence, esp. serving in high (respected) position; outward godliness, being winsome.
#2 Prestigious: member of the Council - aka Sanhedrin, this was THE supreme religious body in the Land of Israel. 70 members, appointed for life. This no doubt carried with it a certain amount of influence and respect.
#3 Pious: Mark tells us Joseph was in tune with spiritual things - who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God = "looking," Greek "prosdechomai," meaning ready & willing to receive all that is hoped for, always in the middle voice = high level of personal involvement. Luke adds - read Luke 23:50-51. He was good & righteous; He was unwilling to lie, to condemn an innocent man, Jesus. He practiced what he preached.
#4 Prosperous: Matthew's contribution to the picture of Joseph is that he was a rich man. We know this from the amount of burial spices he and Nicodemus used to embalm our Lord; we know this from the sheer size of the stone rolled in front of our Lord's tomb, which Joseph provided. In the economy of that day, this would have marked Joseph as a man blessed by God.
#5 Pursuing: Both Matthew and John tell us that Joseph was a disciple of Jesus. We don't know the specifics but at some point in Jesus' ministry, he began to not only take an interest in but also follow Jesus. As such, he had a very real share in writing the Gospel story - think about it....where did all the info about the trial before the Sanhedrin come from? None of the disciples were there! Must have come from some member of the Sanhedrin, probably Joseph! As we consider all of these aspects of the character of Joseph, most all of us would likely say "THAT'S the kind of guy we want in our church," yet like most people in churches today something was affecting his walk with the Lord.
B. Despite all this good, we read of at least one miscoming of Joseph - F-E-A-R! Only John writes that Joseph was a disciple of Jesus but secretly because of his fear of the Jews. After listening to Stephen Tuesday night I think we can understand why. Explain for those not there. He had much to lose from identifying and associating with Jesus, and so he held onto the world tighter than he did Jesus. He allowed FEAR to cripple him, at least for a time.
C. App. Don't we allow fear to do the same in our walk with Christ - cripple us? "Fear is a self imposed prison that will keep you from becoming what God intends for you to be. You must move against it with the weapons of faith and love." In what ways are you allowing fear to cripple you, spiritually or otherwise? #1 reason Christians don't witness = FEAR. Max Lucado = "The presence of fear does not mean you have no faith. Fear visits everyone. But make your fear a visitor and not a resident." This has been the case in my own life - discuss Africa & resigning youth. Read 2 Tim. 1:7. And so it was with Joseph - once in a self imposed prison called fear that had kept him from becoming all God intended, he was about to make fear a visitor and not a resident.
IV. Joseph of Arimathea: Beholden to the World, Bold at Last (v. 43b)
A. Mark is the only Gospel writer who mentions what it took when Joseph went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus...it took courage...boldness! MSG: "working up his courage," NASB: "gathered up courage," NLT: "took a risk." Greek = "tolmao," root = bold courage, properly to show daring courage necessary for a valid risk, putting fear behind and embracing the fruit ahead for taking a risk. We would say "put it all on the line"! I imagine if I asked you to write down or tell me some of the greatest acts of courage in Scripture you would cite the familiar - Moses before Pharaoh, Joshua into Canaan, Daniel in the lion's den, David & Goliath, Peter on the Day of Pentecost and so on. Very few would think of Joseph of Arimathea little less mention him. Yet here we see one of the greatest acts of valor and boldness in the Bible! How so?
B. Think of all the risks Joseph took in identifying himself with Jesus: #1 Pilate was not exactly very happy with the Sanhedrin at that moment - having forced his hand to put an innocent man to death he would not exactly been like, "Hey, Joe, good to see ya, come on in!" Not to mention his hate and disdain and known cruel treatment of the Jews as we've discussed. To ID with Jesus, an insurrectionist, could mean a charge of treason of his own for Joseph. #2 His fellow Jews would likewise be far from happy. He was already on thin ice having dissented from their decision & action. Now he would likely lose his life long appointment to the Sanhedrin, kicked out of the synagogue, disowned by his family, abandoned by his friends, squeezed financially as others refused to do business with him, popularity out the window! What prompted him?
C. Scripture is silent on Joseph's motivation but I believe it was nothing more than love! Read 2 Cor. 5:14. One pastor said, "It sometimes requires a severe shock to arouse a decent man to action." And so having seen the Lamb of God give His life to take away the sins of the world, all the while treated with no more compassion than a dog run over in the road, Joseph was spurred to action. No doubt he recalled the words of Moses - read Deut. 21:22-23. And so, loving Jesus as he did and wanting to give our Lord at least a proper burial, Joseph was willing to put it all on the line, even his own life, that Good Friday and ask Pilate for Jesus' body.
D. App. Jesus is still looking for courageous disciples today! He desires a generation of Joshua's. Read Joshua 1:9. Discuss acts of courage - youth, men & women (read Resolution).
V. Joseph of Arimathea: Beholden to the World, Bold at Last, Benefactor of Means
A. Having freed himself through a great act of courage to become all God wanted him to be, Joseph began to use his God- given means for the very kingdom of God he had not only been so readily looking for but also had heard his beloved Master teach and preach on. Notice three:
#1 Influence: The bodies of crucified prisoners belonged to Rome. They typically were left on the cross to continue to serve as a deterrent to crime or were taken down and simply left on the ground for wild dogs to scavenge. Discuss Golgotha - "Skull," littered with skulls? Occasionally the body would be granted upon request to relatives, but we have no sign Jesus' brothers or sisters are in Jerusalem; His mother is exhausted; His disciples have fled (unlikely Pilate would have given the body to them anyway). And so perhaps using his influence to persuade Pilate, Pilate granted the corpse to Joseph.
#2 Wealth: We've already read that Joseph was a rich man. And having heard our Lord say - read Matt. 6:19-21 - Joseph & Nicodemus get busy doing just that. Read John 19:39-40. Then and now myrrh and aloe were extremely expensive spices. This would have cost 30,000 denarii - 83.33 years worth of wages for the common man. At $4000/lb, it would be $300k today! Further - historical records = more respected, larger the quantity, Josephus 40# used at funeral of highly respected elder R. Gamaliel, amout here = enough for 100 common burials.
#3 Property: Read Mark 15:46. Matthew adds that it was Joseph's own which fulfilled Isaiah 53:9. Luke & John note that no one as yet had been buried in it (suited for holy purpose like the colt). This too was expensive.
B. App. Part of our becoming all God wants us to be involves using these same three things for the kingdom of God, just as Joseph did. #1 You may not be a member of the Sanhedrin, but God gives each of us spheres of influence whether we're the janitor, in 5th grade, in college or lead man/woman at our jobs - family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances, strangers. #2 You may not have $300k worth of spice to donate to the Lord, but God has entrusted each and everyone of us with a certain amount of treasure in this life. Remember what James taught us - Money Talks - what will it say about you on Judgment Day? #3 God is not asking you and I to donate a tomb to the kingdom (that was once in an eternity), and you may say I'm 15/16 I don't have any property. You've got old clothes, old shoes, old toys you no longer use. Donate them to the kingdom!
VI. Joseph of Arimathea: Beholden to the World, Bold at Last, Benefactor of Means, Brother of Mercy (v. 45-46)
A. Discuss scene of Passion of the Christ - Jesus taken off cross, Mary holds his body, caresses his hair, kisses his cheek. It's one of the most tender pictures in the whole movie. And so we see and read the same of Joseph. In the 1st century, when a person breathed their last breath and their heart stopped beating, the eyes of the deceased were reverentially closed, the entire body was washed and anointed with oil, and the hands and feet were then wrapped in linen bands. The body, clothed in a favorite garment, was then wrapped with winding sheets. Spices of myrrh and aloes were placed in the folds of the garment to perfume the body. Think of all that this wonderful act of mercy involved that Joseph performed in preparing our Lord's body:
1) It was messy. Soiled & bloody. 2) It was intimate. Body had to be washed. 3) It was unfamiliar. Normally done by women. 4) It was heavy. To move the body. 5) It was defiling. Dead body - render ceremonially unclean with Sabbath mere minutes away.
B. App. All of these same things can be said of the Lord's work today. Discuss Africa (messy = orange dust, sweaty, stinky; intimate = one on one, making new relationships; unfamiliar = 7k miles from home, strange food & beds; heavy = spiritually & physically exhausting; defiling = touching & hugging people with TB, leprosy, worms; exposing yourself to malaria, diarrhea, etc.) Discuss church work here (messy = fixing plumbing & flooded bldgs; intimate = developing & nurturing relationships; unfamiliar = now leaving The Comfort Zone; heavy = spiritually & physically exhausting; defiling = spiritual attacks, persecution, Jesus Freak). But oh what an act of service and worship Joseph gave and we too can give by offering every fiber of our body to Him. Read Romans 12:1 (NLT).
VI. Joseph of Arimathea: Beholden to the World, Bold at Last, Benefactor of Means, Brother of Mercy, Benevolent Intermediary
A. Think of how poor our Lord was in this life - born to poor parents in a stable, Mary & Joseph offered two pigeons, no place to lay His head, no gold sandals, no elaborate funeral service, no fulsome eulogy. Yet by the days' standard He had one of the richest burials EVER! $300k worth of spice covered His body, laid in the finest of tombs. Why?
B. God set limits! That dear body had been desecrated enough (spit on, mocked, blasphemed, beat with fists, whipped with cat of nails, crucified) - He was NOT going to have it thrown to the jackals. Further, the Servant's Work Finished, it now could be honored. And God used Joseph & Nicodemus to do just that! Read Spurgeon sermon excerpt.
C. App. God continues to set limits on the extent to which the church is persecuted and individual Christians suffer. And He continues to use us as His intermediaries! We're to bear one another's burdens, love another, build each other up, encourage one another, help the weak, serve one another, count others more significant than ourselves. What would our homes, our schools, our workplaces, our world, our churches look like if they modeled Romans 12:9-13? Would we have empty pews?!
VII. Joseph of Arimathea: Beholden to the World, Bold at Last, Benefactor of Means, Brother of Mercy, Benevolent Intermediary, Beyond Suspicion
A. Other than to set limits on the desecration of His Son's body and to allow His Son to be honored now that His work was finished, why else might God have allowed His Son to be buried? Because Sunday was coming! The Apostles Creed = "Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: The third day he rose again from the dead" For Jesus to be raised, the greatest miracle ever, the linchpin of our faith, that without, you and I meet in vain, two things MUST be true:
#1 Jesus died! Before you say Duh, hear me out. This very popular idea, Swoon Theory, takes many notions - Islam (Ahmed Deedat, "Crucifixion or Cruci-fiction"), 18th-19th centuries (Karl Bahrdt = Jesus feigned death using drugs from Luke, Karl Venturini = coolness of tomb revived Jesus, Heinrich Paulus = temp coma, revived without help), 20th century ("Holy Blood, Holy Grail" = Pilate bribed to take Jesus down before died). Yet, Jesus died! Read & discuss Mark 15:43-45. Pilate surprised (crucifixion victims lingered for days). Pilate summoned (common soldiers not above temptation to accept bribes, cf. Matt. 28:12-15, centurion = head honcho, face death if lied). Pilate learned (fx'd legs of other two NOT Jesus, spear in side). Pilate granted (official proclamation of death, Roman death certificate!)
#2 Jesus buried! Again, hear me out. Again theories of all sort abound and the books sell like hotcakes! "The Passover Plot" = 1965, Jesus planned everything, Joseph to get Him off cross before died, plan awry thanks to Roman soldier's spear, John appeared at the Tomb Sunday AM; "Jesus Scroll" = 1972, Jesus died at 80 at Masada; "Jesus Papers" = 2006, Jesus removed from tomb by Joseph and Nic, smuggled to Egypt with wife, Mary Magdalene. Yet, Jesus was buried and everyone knew where! Matt. = newly cut, Luke = no one ever been, John = near site of crucifixion. Tomb known & easy to identify! And multiple witnesses were available to testify! Read Mark 15:47. Saw = Greek, "theoreo," root = theatre, where people concentrate on the meaning of an action. This alone established by OT law (Deut. 17:6, 19:15) the required 2-3 witnesses to a matter. Listen to what else Matt. says - read Matt. 28:11-15. Those closest in time and with the most to lose said the correct tomb was empty, His body was simply stolen and that explanation is still told today just as Scripture said it would be! When Joseph laid Jesus' cold, lifeless body, wrapped at death just as it had been at birth, in that newly hewn tomb, it was beyond suspicion!!!
VIII. Conclusion
A. 11 weeks we have been tracing the footsteps of our Lord all over Jerusalem during the last week of His life here on earth - the week when the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. And so this AM we end with our Lord lying in a tomb. That is a sad place to end any message. When Joseph rolled that stone across that tomb, when the last light escaped from the horizon and the women could no longer make out the entrance, the darkness was not only in the air, it was in their hearts. All hope seemed to be lost; their beloved Rabbi, Teacher lay cold and lifeless inside a newly hewn tomb. We call it Good Friday, but to them it must have been anything but. Had they truly heard the words of Jesus? Read Mark 10:32-34a. Ill. A family was watching a movie of the life of Jesus on television. Their six-year-old daughter was deeply moved as the film realistically portrayed Jesus’ crucifixion and death. Tears ran down the little girl’s face as they took Him from the cross and laid Him in a borrowed tomb. She watched as a guard was set. Suddenly, a big smile broke on her face. She bounced up on the arm of the chair and said with great anticipation, "Now comes the good part." Read Mark 10:34b. It was not the end, it was merely the beginning. Yes, it was Friday, yes our Lord lay dead and buried, but Sunday was coming!!!
IX. Invitation and Benediction
A. One day every man, woman and child in this room will likewise be dead and buried, bar the return of our blessed Lord Jesus. What will be done and said at YOUR funeral? Ole Joe never accepted the Lord, how sad, his chance at eternal life is gone forever? Ole Sally loved the Lord with all her heart, she must be dancing with Jesus!? If your lost today, which do you want to hear?
X. Lord's Supper
