INTRODUCTION - ”JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA"
1. Easter has come and gone.
2. We have spent much time grieving over the cross and celebrating the resurrection of Christ.
3. Today, I’d like to tell you one more story about the resurrection.
4. If this part of the story of the resurrection had not happened, then the resurrection might not have occurred.
5. Today, let’s look at what happened after Jesus died and before He rose from the grave.
7. What I’m about to read is the account of what happened to the body of Jesus before He arose.
8. I have taken the four accounts of these events and combined them to form one cohesive reading.
Matthew 27:57-60; Mark 15:42-46; Luke 23:50-53; John 19:38-42
Now when evening had come, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs should be broken, and that they might be taken away. They did not want the bodies to remain on the cross on the Sabbath. It was Preparation Day, which was a high Sabbath.There came a rich man named Joseph. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews. He was a prominent council member and had not consented to their decision and deed. He was a good and just man. Joseph had been waiting for the kingdom of God and became a disciple of Jesus. He was a disciple in secret, for fear of the Jews. Joseph took courage and went to Pilate and asked that he might take away the body of Jesus. Pilate marveled that He was already dead. He summoned a centurion and asked him if Jesus had been dead for some time. When Pilate found out from the centurion that Jesus was dead, he granted the body to be given to Joseph. Joseph took the body of Jesus down. Nicodemus also came bringing about a hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes. Then they took the body of Jesus, bound it in strips of linen with the spices as the custom of the Jews is to bury.The body of Jesus was laid in a new tomb that Joseph had hewn out of the rock where no one had ever lain. So there they laid Jesus. They rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb and departed.
10. Now there are a few things going here, that were different from normal crucifixions.
11. First, the Jews asked Pilate to break the legs of the three men on the crosses so they would not be able to hold themselves up and they would suffocate to death.
12. Why did the Jews asked Pilate to do that?
13. Some think it was because they didn’t want the bodies to there on the Sabbath.
14. The Jews had no problem with Roman crucifixions or the bodies of the crucified remaining on the Sabbath or any other day.
15. So why was it important to them that Jesus and the two robbers’ bodies be removed before this particular Sabbath?
16. The Bible tells us plainly that this day was the “Preparation Day,” which was a “high Sabbath.”
17. Each year, the Passover would be immediately followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
18. The Passover was one day and the Feast of Unleavened Bread was seven days long.
19. The Jews observed seven different feasts.
20. These feasts were assigned by God to held at specific days during a month of the year.
21. For example, the Passover was to be held on the 14th day of the first month of the Jewish Calendar.
6. The Jewish calendar typically started in March or April.
7. And so the 14th day of the first month may have been any day of the week, not necessarily on the Sabbath.
8. Now when the Passover fell on a Sabbath, this was called
a “high Sabbath.” (Lev. 23:1-7)
9. This Sabbath was more important than others because it was the beginning of a feast.
10. And that’s what was happening here.
11. The Jewish Sabbath began on Friday at 6:00 pm, so something had to be done with these dead bodies because this was a special Sabbath day.
12. Now, we may be under the assumption that once a person was dead on the cross, that the family would take the body and bury it.
13. But that’s not what normally happened.
14. “The Romans often broke the prisoner's legs to hasten death and usually would not allow burial.” Wikipedia – Crucifixion
“Usually the body was left to rot on the cross and this was done as a deterrent to those who entered the city. Crucifixion was capital punishment and the sight of the crosses to those who came into the city was a grim reminder of the justice that awaited those who engaged in criminal activity.” allaboutjesuschrist.org; Jewish Burial Traditions and the Resurrection of Jesus
10. In this particular case, the bodies were allowed to be removed to please the Jews.
11. However, the removal of the bodies did not mean they would be buried.
12. Many bodies would be tossed into an area, like a landfill, outside of the city.
13. But that wasn’t God’s plan.
14. Jesus himself had said He would be buried and rise on the third day.
15. But under these circumstances, it would take a miracle for Jesus to be buried, much less to rise from the grave.
16. The miracle of God came through a man named Joseph.
17. The bible says that Joseph was a rich man from a Jewish city called Arimathea.
18. In addition to being a rich man, Joseph was also a person of influence.
19. He was a member of the Sanhedrin Council which had orchestrated the capture and crucifixion of Jesus.
20. But Joseph didn’t agree with their plan because he was a disciple of Jesus.
21. As a member of the Sanhedrin council, he did not make it known that he was a disciple of Jesus because he was afraid of what they might do to him.
22. But the Bible says that Joseph was a good and just man.
23. After Jesus was crucified, he knew that his body would not be given to the family for burial.
25. Since Joseph was on the Sanhedrin Council, Joseph was able to meet with Pilate.
26. And so, Joseph went to Pilate and asked that the body of Jesus be given to him.
27. Pilate was surprised that Jesus was dead so soon.
28. Before he would agree to release the body, he wanted to make sure that Jesus was already dead.
29. A centurion verified that Jesus was truly dead.
30. Based on that verification, Pilate gave Joseph permission to take the body.
31. The Bible tells us that it was Joseph who took the body down from the cross.
32. He may have had help from a friend.
33. Nicodemus was there as well.
34. You remember Nicodemus, don’t you?
35. He was also a member of the Sanhedrin Council.
25. In John, Chapter 3, we’re told that Nicodemus came to see Jesus at night.
26. As a member of the Council, he probably went at night so that he wouldn’t be seen.
27. And it was to Nicodemus, that Jesus said, in John 3:3, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
28. And here was Nicodemus at the cross, helping Joseph of Arimathea to take care of the body of Christ.
29. Both of these council members, who were secret disciples of Jesus, unashamedly attended to the body of Jesus in public.
30. They were no longer disciples of Jesus in secret.
31. The task at hand was more important than hiding their faith in Jesus.
32. They not only became publicly known as believers in Jesus at that time, their faith in Jesus has been on display for more than 2000 years since.
33. After they carefully removed the body of Jesus from the cross,
they tenderly moved Him to a new tomb that belonged to Joseph.
34. They prepared His body for burial in the manner of the Jews.
35. They wrapped him in linen cloth and spices.
36. Finally, they placed his body in the tomb and rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb and departed.
37. And now, the stage was set for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Three miracles.
1. There were at least three miracles of God in view.
2. The miracle of Jesus taking the punishment for our sins on the cross.
3. The miracle that the body of Jesus was even buried.
4. The miracle of His resurrection from the grave.
5. In order for Jesus to be resurrected from a grave, He had to be buried in a grave.
6. And God used Joseph of Arimathea to overcome the Roman roadblocks to the burial of the crucified.
7. And Jesus was buried, just as He said.
8. And Jesus arose from the grave, just as He said.
9. May we always remember the miracle of the cross and the resurrection.
10. But may we also remember the miracle of the burial of Jesus.
LET US PRAY.
