Thank God, Jesus Did Not Purchase A Grave

This text begins a few hours after the death of Jesus Christ. Understand that Jesus died around 3:00 o’clock in the afternoon or what they called in the King James version of the Bible the 9th hour. The evening was coming, but this evening was not an ordinary evening because it was the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath. Understand that the Jews celebrated their Sabbath, or what we as Christians called Sunday worship, beginning on Friday evening and ended it on Saturday evening. One must understand on the Jewish Sabbath all work must cease, all must rest, and worship and praise the Lord only according to the Law of Moses.

Now there was one problem at the beginning of this Sabbath day. According to the law of Moses, one could not bury any of the dead on the Sabbath. And currently there are three people still hanging on a roman cross. One is dead, two are still alive, and it did not look like they were going to die anytime soon. So the people began to ask the roman government to hurry and killed the men so they may bury them before they celebrated the Sabbath. This is made clear in

Saint John 19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, (for that Sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

Now why would three men hanging on the cross cause so much trouble on this day? According to the law in the book of

Deuteronomy 21: 22 – 23 And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: [23] His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

The roman government did not like the Jews and nothing would please them more then to insult the Jews and their GOD to leave three curses hanging on the cross all night and all through the week. They have all ready ridicule the Jews when they crown Jesus head with a crown of thorns and place a sign above his head that stated, “Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews”. Is not it funny how one suppose to be the curse, but the truth is you know they are blessing. Let me tell something right now; no matter how much you aid satan in hindering, cursing out, insulting one of your brothers or sisters in Christ. You will always look like a fool. You will look like an even bigger fool to find out everybody been treating you like a fool and the other was the blessing. And you will look like the biggest fool when you lift your eyes in hell unable see those pearly gates, street paved in gold, and Jesus. Amen. Today, the world wants to make a GOD a curse. Today, Christians are often displayed as ignorant and unintelligent to common knowledge and their surroundings. Unfortunately, there are not many church folk to disprove this theory. Many jobs today that are considered being a good and solid job require you to work on Sunday (Your Holy Sabbath) and I do not mean Sunday night. This in turn forces a Christian to choose ether to praising GOD, or losing a job. Since this is true, many develop and base their faith and integrity on a job, and not in GOD.

Now Joseph of Arimathaea went and begged Pilate for Jesus body. What would be so strange about this request?

1. Joseph was a very rich man, and the rich do openly show that they have ties with criminals, for they could be executed themselves under roman law.

2. He had strong political and religious ties. Understand that Joseph is a religious leader and honor among the Sanhedrin. The knowledge of him picking up a curse and honor him by burying him in his grave would have him excommunicated from the Synagogue and he would have lost some political influence.

But when you take care of the things of GOD, you do not have to worry about losing anything.

Now Joseph took Jesus with Nicodemus, wrap Jesus in new clothing, and bury him in his newly purchase tomb. This was the fulfillment of

Isaiah 53:9

And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

Now by tradition a rich man would honor a close friend or servant by allowing them to be buried in their tomb, but strangely, he buried Jesus as a rich man. Understand only rich men and religious leaders, in those days, were bury with newly purchase clothing with expensive perfumes and spices. The poor and criminals were warp in what available and used hyssop if it was near by or nothing at all. Understand that clothing was an expensive commodity during this time. Understand that Jesus was considered a blasphemer by the Jews, which took away his religious ties. A malefactor or criminal of the roman government, and if that was true your assets was siege by the government, so you died poor. And he forsook the life of a carpenter to preach the word of GOD and though he gained much from preaching, he gave it all to the poor and needy. Funny how many preachers can drive a brand new Benz, Lexus, and Escalades; can live in a four, or five-bedroom house; and have all their bills paid. Yet their members are stranded on Sunday morning; waiting on approval of government housing; the lights are off, and the water is not on.