107. Burial

[Pastor Ralph]

Please share your thoughts on one or more of the questions in this lesson. 

[hanks]

1. What do we learn about Joseph of Arimathea? What kind of character does he possess? 
Combining information from the 4 gospels. Up to now, Joseph had been a secret disciple of the Lord Jesus – waiting for the kingdom of God. He was a rich man who lived in the Judean town of Arimathea - a good and righteous man. A distinguished, highly respected, prominent member of the Sanhedrin, who did not agree with their hatred of Jesus and them wanting Him dead. His fear of the Jews must have kept him from confessing Christ openly. But now he has a change of heart, and boldly went to Pilate requesting permission to bury our Lord. By this action he shows that he now insists on being openly counted on the side of the disciples of Jesus, and that he will no longer be merely a secret disciple. In doing this he took the risk of exposing himself to excommunication, persecution, and violence. Pilate granted permission and Joseph lovingly embalmed the body by wrapping it in a clean linen cloth and then he placed it in his own new tomb, carved out of solid rock. Finally, rolling a big stone in front of the entrance. 
 

[hanks]

2. Why has Joseph been a secret disciple, do you think? Why does he come forward now when identifying with Jesus can only hurt his standing with his peers? 
I think Joseph had secretly been a disciple of Jesus, because if he openly admitted this, he would have faced drastic consequences. He must have been fearful of the Jewish leaders knowing these consequences, which would have included being dismissed from the Sanhedrin, and not only from their council but even from the synagogue (John 9:22). I feel that if the centurion, who most probably was a Gentile, had come to the decision that Jesus was innocent and a righteous man, this would have been also extra confirmation for Joseph, who was a disciple of Jesus, that Jesus was the Messiah. 
Combined with the love of Jesus and the support of Nicodemus (John 19:39), Joseph became very courageous, and had a change of heart. He goes to Pilate and requests the body of Jesus. Mark 15:43 stresses the boldness of the act. 
 

[hanks]

3. What do the Gospels tell us about the tomb and Jesus' burial? Why are these details important? 
Joseph of Arimathea with the help of Nicodemus removed the body of our Lord Jesus from the cross. They promptly wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was carved out of solid rock, which had never been used before, and which belonged to Joseph. The mouth of the tomb was closed by a large stone, shaped like a millstone and standing on its edge in a channel also carved out of stone. Jesus had died in the company of criminals and normally the soldiers would throw His body into a common grave, the Valley of Hinnom, with the other two criminals (John 19:31). Centuries before, Isaiah had predicted: “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death” (Isa 53:9a). This is exactly what happened, wicked men plotted to bury Him with the criminals, but God overruled, and He was with the rich at His death - in the new tomb of Joseph of Arimathea (Matt 27:57-60). Men plotted a shameful burial for Him although He had done no wrong, spoken no lie. “Though He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth” (Isa 53:9b). This shows that even in His death, even in His taking the transgressions of God’s people, the Messiah never sinned. He remained the Holy One, despite all the pain and suffering. The details are important because almost every detail concerning our Lord’s burial was a fulfillment of prophesy. 
 

[hanks]

4. Why is the timing important? Why the mention of the Sabbath? 
The timing is important because the Jews wanted all the bodies taken down, dead, and buried before the start of the Sabbath which would be at sunset. Jesus had been put on the cross at 9:00 a.m., and He had given up His life at 3:00 in the afternoon. Since He was in control of His own death, He had only been on the cross for six hours. All three, if not dead, taken down, and buried would have desecrated the Sabbath Passover day. To hasten death, they requested Pilate to have the legs of the three broken (John 19:31). Death would happen very rapidly, within a few minutes. The two criminals legs were broken because they were both still alive. Jesus was already dead, so His legs were not broken, instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear (John 19:34). “But He was pierced for our transgressions” (Isa 53:5a). Jesus’ burial took place between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m., that is on Friday, the day of the Preparation, before sunset, that is before the Jewish Sabbath which begins on Friday at sunset. 
 

[hanks]

5. What do we know about these women who followed Jesus? Why do they follow the body to the tomb? 
These were faithful women from Galilee who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases, and who out of gratitude were helping to support Jesus and the twelve. They were able to supply the daily necessities of Jesus and His disciples, and helping to support them out of their own means. They followed closely so that they saw exactly where the tomb was and how the body was laid. Being so close to the beginning of the Sabbath they were unable to make all the necessary preparations before the beginning of the day of rest. Then they went home and prepared spices and fragrant oils so that they could come back and embalm the body of the One they loved. In strict obedience to the commandment, they rested, and in accordance with Jewish burial customs, they were to go to the tomb the very next morning and anoint Jesus’ body. 
 

[hanks]

6. Why are Jesus' followers so extravagant at His death? What does that teach us? 
As believers we may feel that there isn’t much we can do, out of gratitude, to thank Jesus for dying on the cross for our sins. Nothing can compare to His sacrifice. But I feel we must take advantage of the opportunities given to us by doing what we can, and not worry about the things we cannot do. Given the opportunity we should make our resources available to expand His Kingdom and to glorify our Lord. To do what we can. To witness, to be obedient. To love Him, and our fellow believers. Living the life of a true believer, living to serve Him, trying to live a life of imitating our Lord Jesus Christ, loving and forgiving others as God has loved and forgiven me. 
 

[Irmela]

1.  What do we learn about Joseph of Arimathea? What kind of character does he possess? 

Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin, who was not in favour of the way Jesus was taken into custody, tried and punished unfairly, and finally crucified. He went and asked Pilate for the body of Jesus so he could wrap it in burial cloths and place it in a tomb. He used his own means to do this. 

Joseph was a good, righteous and upright man. A man of integrity. He was expecting and waiting for the kingdom of God. Up till now it was as if he had been a secret follower of the Lord. 

[Irmela]

2.  Why has Joseph been a secret disciple, do you think? Why does he come forward now when identifying with Jesus can only hurt his standing with his peers?

If he would have been open before, he would no longer have been part of the Sanhedrin. He did make it known though that he disagreed with the way Jesus was treated. I guess if they would have wanted to, they could have added things together and realized that he indeed loved the Lord. Be that as it may, Joseph's position on the council was now needed so his influence could be used with Pilate so that the body of the Lord was given to him to be given a proper burial. In the Roman world condemned criminals were denied burial. Joseph's going to Pilate put him in danger, which he was no longer worried about. He was ready to stand as being one of Christ's followers. Nicodemus stood with him in this. 

[Irmela]

3. What do the Gospels tell us about the tomb and Jesus' burial? Why are these details important?

It is important because rumors could easily be spread and have been spread, that He was never dead in the first place. But Joseph and Nicodemus took Him down from the cross after the centurion assertained and confirmed that He was indeed dead when He was pierced in the side. 

Not only did they take Him down but they wrapped Him in burial cloths with spices, (myrrh and aloes), as was customary for the Jews to prepare for burial. 

He was placed in a new tomb hewn out of the rock. (No ways could the body have been mistaken for another) and a big stone was rolled in front of the entrance way. 

The details are important because like that no one can deny the fact that Jesus was indeed dead and had indeed been laid in a tomb and the tomb was closed up and even sealed. 

 

[Irmela]

4.  Why is the timing imporrant? Why the mention of the Sabbath?. 

Preparation day was the day used to prepare everything for the Sabbath. The Sabbath was a day of rest and it was taken or practiced to be exactly that. This particular Sabbath was a very "solemn and important one". 

They did not want the bodies still hanging on the crosses. It takes many hrs before death finally takes over at a crucifixion. So it was ordered that the legs be broken. As Jesus was already dead (as was confirmed by piercing His side) His legs were not broken. 

The Sabbath is mentioned for that is the day Christ's body rested in the tomb. 

No one was about and no one would have taken the body on the Sabbath. 

 

[Irmela]

5.  What do we know about these women who followed Jesus? Why do they follow the body to the tomb?

These were women who had followed Jesus and His disciples from Galilee. They supported them out of their own means. 

Among them were, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, the mother of Zebedee's sons, Salome, and many others. 

They followed the body to the tomb so that they could see where the body was laid. They knew the exact location . There was no mistaking it. They then went to prepare spices and perfumes to be able to complete the burial process to their satisfaction on the first day of the week, as they could not do that on the Sabbath. 

[Irmela]

6.  Why are Jesus' followers so extravagant at his death? What does that teach us?

They showed by this that there was nothing too good for Him. Or too much. They gave their all and thereby showed their love for Him. 

We are to live for Him, no matter the cost. We are to use our possessions and our talents for His glory. 

 

[Katy]

Q1. We are told in Luke 23v 50 that Joseph was a member of the Council, a good and upright man.He had not consented to the things that had been decided and carried out on Jesus. We are also told that Joseph was “waiting for the kingdom of God”. Joseph has been a secret believer up until this point but now he goes to Pilate he asks for the body of Jesus. Joseph was a rich man and owned a new tomb which had never been used. Joseph helped take Jesus off the cross , wrapped His body in linen cloth and placed Him in the new tomb. 
Q2. I can imagine it would be difficult to show your allegiance to Jesus when your peers are going around spreading false rumours about Him, trying to decide how they are going to stop this movement that has overtaken Jerusalem and surrounding areas. Finally coming to the conclusion that they were going to manipulate words and events to accuse Jesus of deeds He has not committed and to work towards having Him crucified, nothing less would satisfy them. I am sure if Joseph had proclaimed his belief in Jesus he would have been treated badly and probably put out of the temple and dismissed from the Council.Finally Joseph can contain himself no longer and his love for Jesus spills over and he doesn’t care about the consequences. He goes to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus. In doing this he can give Jesus some of the care, dignity and respect which He has been denied off for the previous few days, and at times even before that.

Q3. The details in the gospels about Jesus burial and His tomb are of vital importance because they are documented for all time for readers throughout the centuries. In this detail is the proof that these things did take place and no mistakes were made. There will always be those who will try to bring discredit on Jesus especially in matters as important as these are. Two Godly men took Jesus gently down from the cross, wrapped Him in Linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb. The women followed them to the tomb so they didn’t make a mistake when they came with the spices to dress the body of Jesus. This was a new tomb and Jesus was the only body that was laid there, no mistakes could be made by mixing up identity of the bodies. 
Q4. The days that Jesus trial , death and burial are all recorded for generations and we also can put them into the context of the week because we are told about the hurry there was to have the job done and completed before sundown because that was the beginning of the Sabbath which in Biblical times was taken seriously. The two criminals beside Jesus had their legs broken to hasten death, so that they could be removed from their crosses and buried. Jesus was already death so they didn’t break His legs. John 19v 36 “Not one of His bones will be broken”. It was against the law to touch a dead body on the Sabbath, at any time a person would be made unclean by touching a dead body. This would require separation from everyone and ritual cleaning of oneself. 
Q5.These women were some of Jesus’s faithful followers who had been with Him during His public ministry. Many of them supported Jesus and His disciples by providing for their practical needs, food accommodation etc. Many of them had originally been cured by Jesus of either illness or from evil spirits, they decided then to follow Jesus and help wherever they could. Some of them follow Joseph to the new tomb to see where Jesus was laid. Their plan was to return after the Sabbath to anoint Jesus with spices and perfume. It was too late to do this before the sun went down. They went home and started to prepare the spices and perfumes they intended to use.

Q6.Jesus’s friend were extravagant in their care of Him because they loved Him and this was the last act of love they could carry out for Him. Maybe they also realised the full reason Jesus has died, that it was for each one of us for forgiveness of our sins and an opportunity for us to spend eternity in His presence. We should react in the same way everything we have comes from Him and belongs to Him. We should praise and thank God daily for all He gives us and the many ways He blesses us. We also must spill over with this love and share this with those who don’t know or love Him. We must prove our love for Him by being obedient to Him at all times. 

[haar]

1.    What do we learn about Joseph of Arimathea? What kind of character does he possess? 

We told that “"Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God." (Luke 23:50-51)”

Furthermore, though he love Jesus and was a secret disciple, he came out openly to identify with him and was bold enough to ask for his body for burial.

2.    Why has Joseph been a secret disciple, do you think? Why does he come forward now when identifying with Jesus can only hurt his standing with his peers?

Joseph was a secret disciple probably he waited for the right time to come before he comes out. And the right time was now when what could be described as the worst had happened, the Lord has been crucified. He believed in him and the certainty of his resurrection. So he no longer cared about what could be done to him by his colleagues for coming out to identify with Jesus.

3.    What do the Gospels tell us about the tomb and Jesus' burial? Why are these details important?

The tomb was new and never been used. It also confirms prophesy of being buried in a rich man’s grave. Furthermore, the tomb was well guarded by soldiers, his lifeless body was washed and buried. These and many more facts are meant to authenticate that Jesus really died, resurrected and thus all false allegations such as stealing his corps by his disciple would not stand.

4.    Why is the timing important? Why the mention of the Sabbath?

5.    What do we know about these women who followed Jesus? Why do they follow the body to the tomb?

The women were friends of Jesus and the disciples as per: "The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means." (Luke 8:1-3)

[George L]

1. What do we learn about Joseph of Arimathea? What kind of character does he possess? He is resolute concerning respect for Jesus the Teacher, the one who carried the power of the kingdom of heaven to the helpless and downtrodden.
2. Why has Joseph been a secret disciple, do you think? A devout man would have spent much time in the temple if wealthy. Able to absorb many of his teachings.  Why does he come forward now when identifying with Jesus can only hurt his standing with his peers? If a disciple then he received the training couse that they were to carry on Jesus ministry.
3. What do the Gospels tell us about the tomb and Jesus' burial? Why are these details important? It was unused therefore ritually clean. It was secure properly sealable.
4. Why is the timing important? It must match the prophetic. Why the mention of the Sabbath? No work could take place on the Sabath. No one could, within Jewish practice do any work. Disturbing the tomb etc.
5. What do we know about these women who followed Jesus? They all had direct interaction with Jesus messianic ministry. Why do they follow the body to the tomb? Witness to see all was properly done. I remember my mothers ensuring, overseeing  concerning my fathers wishes, and mine of hers.
6. Why are Jesus' followers so extravagant at his death? He gave his very best. All is the seed planting principle. They are planting in the messiahs word received as from the messiah. Therefore may expect to receive the messiahs reward.  What does that teach us? Do the same, bring our very best to the Lord in His service. We may expect his very best to us.