The Burial of Jesus
Sermon Notes
Context:
Here’s your context. At this point in John ch 19 Jesus has already been crucified. Vs. 30 states, “Then bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.” So Jesus is dead. Now just to make sure he’s dead, vs. 34 says one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, they pierced him in the heart with a spear. So there’s no doubt that Jesus is dead. But what happens next? What happens between the events of his death on the cross, and the resurrection? Let’s find out.
The Word:
John 19:38-42 states, “After this...” Meaning after Jesus died, after he gave up his spirit and breathed his last. Jesus died on a Friday afternoon around 3:00, so at this point he’s hanging dead on the cross, and his disciples, his followers have fled in fear and confusion. They’re afraid they’re next, and they’re confused over how this could happen to Jesus, how this could happen to the one who caused the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the paralyzed to walk. They thought this was their Messiah, their Savior, but now he’s dead...Its a very scary, confusing, dark, silent time.
Again vs. 38 states, “After this, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because of his fear of the Jews...” Okay so who’s Joseph of Arimathea? What do we know about Joseph of Arimathea? Here’s 5 things we know about him...
#1 He’s from Arimathea = It’s a place we know very little about. Scholars believe it was a place situated in the Judean hills roughly 22 miles of Jerusalem.
#2 He’s a disciple of Jesus = We don’t know exactly when or how he became a disciple, we just know he eventually becomes a disciple, a follower of Jesus.
#3 He’s a secret disciple = The text says he was a secret disciple, meaning he kept his faith in Jesus hidden because he fears the Jews. He specifically fears a powerful group of Jewish leaders, who’s power is seen in the fact they manipulated Pilate into crucifying Jesus. They’re like a powerful Jewish mafia, and if you get on their bad side, you could be persecuted and killed like Jesus. So Joseph’s a disciple, but he’s a secret disciple because he fears the Jews.
#4 He’s rich = Matthew 27:57 states, “When it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph came, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.” Matthew says he’s rich, he’s wealthy. He’s even wealthy enough to own his own king like tomb, which we’ll see later.
#5 He’s a prominent member of the Sanhedrin = Mark 15:43 states, “Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Sanhedrin.” The Sanhedrin were a group of 71 Jewish leaders who functioned as the Supreme Court of Israel. But Joseph isn’t just any member, he’s a ‘prominent’ member of the Sanhedrin, a ‘prominent’ member of the Supreme Court. It’s possible this is another reason he’s keeping his faith a secret. It’s because he’ll lose his reputation and seat in the Supreme Court if they knew about his faith in Jesus. Now what’s interesting is it’s the high priest and Sanhedrin who are the ones that pressured Pilate to crucify Jesus. It’s this very group that Joseph’s a prominent member of, they’re the ones responsible for Jesus being crucified. But Luke tells us Joseph didn’t agree with their decision and plans. Luke 23:50-51 states, “There was a good and righteous man named Joseph, a member of the Sanhedrin, 51 whohad not agreed with their plan and action. He was from Arimathea, a Judean town.” Did Joseph speak up? Did he contend and debate against other members of the Sanhedrin? If he did it was more judicial arguments than spiritual arguments since he’s keeping his faith a secret. But what we’re learning here is incredible, because it means not only did the Roman Governor Pilate recognize Jesus was innocent. We also know this prominent member of the Sanhedrin recognized Jesus was innocent. It’s such a big deal that all 4 gospels record this event. Joseph is mentioned in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It’s because having a member of the Sanhedrin turn to Christ was a big deal and a big risk. Joseph was a true Sanhedrin, a prominent Sanhedrin, who came to faith in Jesus. He’s been keeping it a secret, but he’s about to go public with his faith.
Again vs. 38 states, “After this, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might remove Jesus’s body. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and took his body away.” Notice the text says he ‘asked’ Pilate for Jesus’ body. Some scholars say the Greek can translate as he dared to ask Pilate for the body. Mark 15:43 says he boldly asked Pilate for the body. It’s certainly a daring bold ask of Joseph, because associating himself with a convicted criminal in the Roman Empire was risky. Even though Pilate recognized Jesus as innocent, the reason he ended up crucifying Jesus was because the Jews accused Jesus of wanting to overthrow Caesar. The Romans killed anybody threatening to overthrow Caesar, and Joseph could’ve been considered guilty by association. So asking for Jesus’ body is a daring bold risk that could’ve led to his own crucifixion. It’s exactly why all the other disciples are hiding. It’s because they’re afraid of both the Jews and the Romans.
But you know what all this means? You know what all this tells us about Joseph? It’s that he’s going public with his faith...Joseph is finally going public with his faith...He’s no longer hiding, no longer being secretive, no longer afraid of losing his reputation, losing his prominent seat in the Supreme Court, losing his life at the hands of the Jewish mafia or Romans. He knows the risks of going public with his faith and does it anyways. By asking to bury Jesus’ body he’s publicly identifying himself as a follower of Jesus. He displays incredible courage and boldness considering how much he had to risk. Makes me wonder why we don’t display more courage and boldness, considering how little we have to risk. Joseph remains courageously faithful, in the silence.
Vs. 39, “Nicodemus (who had previously come to him at night) also came...” I preached on Nicodemus when we started this series. He’s a Pharisee, a well respected religious teacher, and another prominent member of the Sanhedrin. He’s considered one of the smartest, most ethical, moral, holy people in all of Israel. In John ch 3 we learn Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night, because like Joseph he’s afraid of what the Sanhedrin will think if they see him with Jesus during the day. So he comes at night asking Jesus some questions, and Jesus is like “Nicodemus you think you’re getting into heaven based on your morality, but you’re not. You couldn’t possibly be perfect enough to earn your way to heaven.” Then he says the famous words of John 3:16 that we see at sporting events. Jesus says “Nicodemus, God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but shall have eternal life.” It’s an invitation for Nicodemus to put his faith in Jesus instead of his own morality and good works. It’s an invitation for him to put his faith in Jesus for eternal life, and what we see happening in John 19 is he accepts! Nicodemus, another Sanhedrin, accepts and puts his faith in Jesus! It’s incredible because the people you’d expect to be displaying faith at the tomb aren’t there, and the people you wouldn’t expect, 2 members of the Sanhedrin, are the one’s displaying faith. I mean where’s Peter? Where’s Matthew? Where’s James and John, the sons of Thunder? They’re all hiding, but these 2 members of the Sanhedrin aren’t hiding anymore. Nicodemus is right there next to Joseph helping to bury Jesus’ body. He’s remaining courageously faithful, in the silence.
Again vs. 39 states, “Nicodemus (who had previously come to him at night) also came, bringing a mixture of about seventy-five pounds of myrrh and aloes. 40 They took Jesus’s body and wrapped it in linen cloths with the fragrant spices, according to the burial custom of the Jews.” The myrrh and aloes were used to reduce the stench of the body decomposing, and once again we see their wealth by the fact they used 75 lbs of it! Its an amount worthy of a king! They aren’t just burying Jesus, they’re burying Jesus in a manner worthy of a king. But they’re also the ones personally wrapping Jesus’s body which isn’t something wealthy educated men didn’t do back then. They didn’t wrap messy, smelly, dead bodies, they paid somebody else to do it. But they don’t care about their wealthy elitism anymore, they care about honoring the one they love, honoring Jesus for dying for their sins. They’re remaining faithful, in the silence.
Vs. 41, “There was a garden in the place where he was crucified. A new tomb was in the garden; no one had yet been placed in it. 42 They placed Jesus there because of the Jewish day of preparation and since the tomb was nearby.”Notice the text says it’s a new tomb, meaning it’s a tomb nobody’s ever been buried in. That sounds weird to us, but tombs were very expensive back then, so they’d use the same tombs over and over again. They’d basically cut out a tomb, create shelves in the tomb, and put bodies on the shelves. Then after the bodies decomposed, they’d put the bones in a box called an ossuary, and place another body in the tomb. But Joseph is giving Jesus a new tomb nobody’s ever been buried in. It’s because he believes Jesus is his King who deserves a king’s burial. Jesus died a criminal’s death, but received a king’s burial.
Joseph and Nicodemus remained faithful in the silence, but what about us?...What do we do when we’re facing the despair of Friday and the painful silence of Saturday?...What do we do when we’re crying out to Jesus, and all we’re getting is...silence?...You can soak in your despair, but that’ll only make you feel worse. You can deny your despair, but that’ll only last for so long. You can’t deny your despair, you have to address your despair. So what do we do when we’re facing despair, when we’re facing the silence of the tomb? We don’t know exactly how Joseph and Nicodemus remained faithful in the silence, but if you study the life of Jesus, you know the things he taught. You know the things he taught and what he’d tell his disciples to do in the silence of the tomb. He’d tell them and us to trust the bible, pray, and find hope in the future deliverance that’s coming. It’s 3 things we can do individually and in community together. We can...
#1 Read the Bible = Read the bible because the bible’s God’s word, and God’s word is always true, which means what the bible says is true about God in the past, is still true for us in the present. This is critical because it means God isn’t really ever silent. It might feel like He’s silent, but technically He isn’t ever silent since we have access truths He’s declared in the past, which can speak truth to our lives in the present! I’m not saying play bible roulette, where you just open the bible, point your finger on a spot, thinking that’s God’s word for you in the present. It doesn’t work like that, because we have to study God’s word in context. But if studied in their right context, the books of the bible teach us truths that relate to everyday life. If you don’t know your bible well, ask somebody who does to study the bible with you. My point is you can read what God’s said in the past, to break the silence you’re feeling in the present!
#2 Pray the Psalms = You can pray the prayers in the Bible called the Psalms. The reality is sometimes we’re filled with so much grief and despair we can’t find the words to say or pray. The Psalms can give us those words and help normalize our struggles, because they’re written by faithful people who wrestled with despair and the silence of the tomb just like us.
ï Psalm 83:1, “God don’t keep silent. Don’t be deaf. God don’t be quiet.”
ï Psalm 28:1-2, “Lord I call to you; my rock, don’t be deaf to me. If you remain silent to me, I’ll be like those going down to the Pit. 2 Listen to the sound of my pleading when I cry to you for help.”
ï Psalm 13:1-6, “How long Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long will I store up anxious concerns within me, agony in my mind every day?...3 Consider me and answer Lord my God. Restore brightness to my eyes...5 I have trusted in your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in your deliverance.”
Notice this last psalmist doesn’t say “My heart might rejoice in your deliverance.” They
say “My heart will rejoice in your deliverance.” They’re crying out in despair, but with hopeful anticipation of God’s deliverance. It’s the transition we need to make in our own hearts. We need cry out to God in despair, but with hopeful anticipation of God’s deliverance, which is #3.
#3 Remember the silence is temporary = As hard as it is, we need to remember the silence of the tomb is temporary. Friday was despair, Saturday was silent, but Sunday was filled with great rejoicing over the resurrection. Friday and Saturday felt like hell was victorious, it felt like Jesus’ light was snuffed out, but hell wasn’t victorious and his light wasn’t snuffed out! Instead the silence of the tomb was broken by the glorious light of the resurrection! When you’re in the despair of Friday and silence of Saturday it feels like deliverance isn’t coming, but it’s coming! You don’t realize it, but you can wait with hopeful anticipation because the resurrection proves deliverance is coming! It’s exactly what Katherine said to her husband, the great reformer and theologian Martin Luther. Luther was walking around all discouraged one day, so she dressed in black funeral clothes. Luther asked “Why are you dressed like that? Did somebody die?” She said, “Yeah! It seems God must’ve died!” Her point was that Jesus is alive, so Luther should stop living as if he’s dead...It’s okay to grieve and cry out in despair, but let’s not live as if there’s no hope in despair, because our deliverance is just around the corner, and the resurrection proves it.
The Big Idea:
The big idea is to remain faithful to Jesus like Joseph and Nicodemus, even in the silence of Jesus...Does it feel like Friday?...Are you living in the despair of Friday, perhaps even feeling the grief and despair of a sin you committed?...There’s deliverance at the cross, because Jesus died for your sins on the cross. He’ll forgive you if you ask him to. Does it feel like Saturday?... Are you experiencing grief, unanswered prayers, silence from Jesus even though you’ve been crying out to Jesus? Let his love on the cross remind you that he hasn’t abandoned you, and let his resurrection remind you that deliverance is coming for you. Does it feel like Sunday? Are you in a season not of despair and silence, but of hope and joy? Praise Jesus for giving you a season of hope and joy, and help encourage others who are experiencing a difficult season.
Whether you’re a skeptic, a believer, feeling the silence of Jesus or not, listen to Jesus speaking to you today. Listen to Jesus speaking, through our study of the silent tomb. Listen to him speaking, to you personally saying “I love you so much that I died for your sins on the cross, and I rose again to prove there really is joyful deliverance coming beyond the silence of the tomb.” There’s joyful deliverance coming, for all who trust in his name. So trust in Jesus today. Trust he has a plan, he’s fulfilling that plan, and there’s great rejoicing included in that plan. Let’s remain faithful to Jesus like Joseph and Nicodemus, even in the silence.