Truth Exposed 71 Men for the Time, John 19:37-42. (508). (499)

at the moment of Jesus death, respect is shown from some unlikely sources.

John 19: 37-42

Middle Eastern custom dictates of burial take place within 24 hours after the moment of death. The poor, or in this case criminals, would’ve had their bodies tossed into a common unmarked grave. The exception being that if family or friends had the means to give them a proper burial they could ask for the body. It rarely happened, but sometimes it did.

The Burial of Jesus

After these things: after Christ had breathed his last on the cross. The thieves had their bones broken, but Jesus did not. He was made a public spectacle, and both water and blood flowed out of him when he was pierced.

The expositor’s Bible commentary (EBC) states:
Joseph of Arimathea is mentioned in all four Gospels

Matthew says he was wealthy:

57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.
58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.
59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away.
(Matthew 27: 57 NASB)

Mark, that he was a member of the Sanhedrin (“Council”) and was “waiting for the kingdom of God”:

42 When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,
43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.
44 Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead.
45 And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.
46 Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.
(Mark 15:42-46 NASB)

Luke, that he had not concurred in the vote of the council to condemn Jesus:
50 And a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council,
a good and righteous man
51 (he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for the kingdom of God;
52 this man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
53 And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever lain.
54 It was the preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.
55 Now the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid.
56 Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes And, on the Sabbath, they rested according to the commandment.
(Luke 23:50-56)

The EBC continues:

Joseph’s action was courageous, for his petition was a tacit admission that he was a friend of Jesus and consequently an associate in whatever supposed subversion Jesus might have advocated. Joseph took the initiative and petitioned Pilate for permission to remove the body. His request was an open confession of his faith, for up to this time he had been a secret believer.

but.

• People feared the Pharisees, and being put to death for supporting Jesus. John 9:22;
• many of the rulers believed, but stayed silent for fear of the Jews. John 12:42;
  

spotlight on Nicodemus.

The EBC has this to say:

Nicodemus, another distinguished member of the Jewish aristocracy, shared the responsibility for receiving Jesus’ body with Joseph.

This marks Nicodemus’s third appearance in the Gospel:

1. at his initial interview with Jesus (Ch. 3),
2. at his defense of Jesus before the council (7:45-52),
3. at the burial.

Like Joseph, Nicodemus was a secret disciple whose faith grew slowly. As a member of the Sanhedrin, he had more at stake than the Galilean fishermen who had become followers of Jesus early in his career. His cooperation with Joseph in the burial shows that his faith had finally matured. Neither of these men appears in the Jewish records or traditions of the time. For that reason, some have regarded them as legendary; but were that so, there is no obvious reason for introducing them gratuitously into the narrative. If they had been regarded by their Sanhedrin contemporaries as traitors to Judaism, their names would have been erased from the records.

The mixture of spices that Nicodemus provided was a very large quantity. Spices were generally imported and were very expensive.

Myrrh is a gum exuded by a tree that grows in Arabia and is prized for its perfume. It was one of the gifts of the wise men to Jesus (Matt 2:11).

Aloes are derived from the pulp in the leaves of a plant that belongs to the lily family. The spice is fragrant and bitter to the taste. Used with myrrh, it acts as a drying agent; and the fragrance would counteract the odor of decaying flesh. The quantity of one hundred Roman pounds (75 lbs. avdp.) revealed both Nicodemus’s wealth and his appreciation of Jesus.

Nicodemus was not entirely in the closet. He defended Jesus in the past.

50 Nicodemus (he who came to Him before, being one of them) said to them,
51 “Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?”
52 They answered him, “You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.”
(John 7:50-52 NASB)

rising to meet the need.

the EBC states:

The burial of the body was hasty and had to be completed before sundown. The process is uncertain. The spices, being of somewhat gummy character, may have been laid in the folds of the cloth to provide a rigid casing for the body, or they may have been ground and mixed with oil to form an ointment to rub on the body. The former procedure agrees better with the text. “Strips of linen” is a translation of othoniois.

the EBC states:

The place of burial was a private garden, not a public cemetery. The privacy of this garden allowed the women to visit the tomb. No doubt they would have been hesitant to enter a public cemetery at any time—especially before daylight. Matthew states that the burial place was Joseph’s own rock-hewed tomb (Matt 27:60). The location was near the place of execution and was probably just outside the Second North Wall of the city.

Joseph, as a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin, apparently owned property in this area.

A private grave cut into the stone was only merited by the wealthy, and kings.

The EBC notes:

The allusion to the “day of Preparation,” which was ending, creates the impression that the burial was hasty. The number of spices used militates against an expected temporary burial; it is more likely that as far as Joseph and Nicodemus were concerned, it was final. On the other hand, they may not have completed all they wished to do. The women had observed the place of the entombment. Consequently, they knew where to go in order to fulfill their desire for a part in the burial of Jesus.

Prophecies:

His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
Isa 53:9
• for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights
  in the heart of the earth.
  Matthew 12:40

Early beliefs and teachings:

29 “When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him,
they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb.
Acts 13:29
• and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day
  according to the Scriptures,
  1 Corinthians 15:4

• having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up
  with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
  Colossians 2:12

what was the purpose of it all?

but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me Get up, let us go from here. John 14,31

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