On a cross in Golgotha,
Jesus' spirit had lifted; yet, his body remained. And time was fleeting. If
anything was to be done with Christ's body, it must be post-haste. In three
hours, the start of Sabbath would begin in which Jewish law dictated no work or
travel could occur.
For those who loved Jesus,
the mandate in Deuteronomy 21:23 clearly stated: "His corpse must not remain all night upon the tree; you shall
bury him that same day, for anyone hung on a tree is under God's curse."
Who would make this
happen? The disciples weren't around; the women who stayed were limited in what
they could do. Of all people, a respected member of the Sanhedrin -- Joseph of
Arimathea -- stepped forward. But that doesn't make sense, does it? Didn't the
Sanhedrin "rush vote" for Jesus' crucifixion?
In a middle of the night gathering,
not every member of the Sanhedrin voted in favor of Christ's death. In fact,
while opinions vary on Joseph's role, one thing is clear -- this man had been
spiritually inspired by Jesus, regardless of the "when and where." As
Norma* shared with the study group, "At some point in time, the door to
his heart opened that Jesus was the Way."
So, Joseph of Arimathea went
rogue. By choosing to give Jesus a proper burial, he put his reputation on the
line. Whereas previously a private advocate for Christ, Joseph would now be publicly
identified, which could cost him dearly. His reckless action would certainly
rile the Sanhedrin membership once they received word of what he had done.
Before Pilate stood this member
of the Jewish religious authority. At the draw of a long, chaotic day, the
prefect probably had his fill of anyone affiliated with the Sanhedrin.
"Will they just leave me alone?!?" Joseph's request for Jesus' body
though had to have intrigued the Roman governor. Only six hours had passed
before the Nazarene had died on the cross. Typically, those who were crucified
lingered as long as a few days in the throes of death.
At this juncture in the
gospel narrative, Mark wanted to make something abundantly clear. Notice the
use of one particular word in two verses: "Then
Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked
him whether he had been dead for some time. When he learned from the centurion
that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph."
Dead, dead, dead. The author of the gospel made no doubt about it -- Jesus was dead.
With this confirmed by the
centurion, Pilate "granted the body
to Joseph." But why? Although he portrayed a stoic image of imperial
authority, the emotions of excitement mixed with relief must've brewed within
the prefect.
When Pilate's hand had
been forced by the Jewish religious authorities earlier in the day, Jesus was
placed under Roman jurisdiction. To be presented with an opportunity to return
Jesus (even his dead body) into Jewish hands, Pilate would have the last laugh.
"The King of the Jews is ba-ack! Under your
jurisdiction!"
From that moment,… zoom,
zoom, zoom. Joseph bought a burial cloth, took down Jesus' body, wrapped and
laid it in a tomb, and rolled a heavy stone -- estimated to weigh between 2,000
and 4,000 pounds -- against the tomb's opening. All of this activity comes
across as if Joseph alone did all of the heavy lifting. Under the constraints
of time waning before the Sabbath began, others had to have been involved. The
Gospel of John stated Nicodemus -- a Pharisee and a fellow member of the
Sanhedrin -- was among those who assisted.
To bury Jesus would've
been coordinated by Joseph like an emergency drill. "Here's money to buy a
linen cloth." "We need a few individuals to help with Jesus' body and
move him to the burial place." "Someone prepare the tomb for
entry." "These are the directions to where you're going." "These
ointments and spices must be purchased." "We're running out of time;
we won't be able to prepare Jesus' body. That's all right; it'll happen after
Sabbath concludes." "Let's move it, people!"
Move it, they did. And who
participated and witnessed a portion or all of this activity? Joseph of
Arimathea, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James (son of Alphaeus) and
Joses, Nicodemus,…. Those persons named added strength to the story.
Isn’t it interesting Jesus
had a portent of what was to come when he had been at Bethany? It involved the
woman who "came with an alabaster
jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the
ointment on his head."[i] Her deed caused the
disciples to get bent out of shape. They felt it was a waste, to which Jesus
replied, "She has anointed my body
beforehand for its burial."[ii]
In an extremely limited
amount of time, Joseph of Arimathea and others may not have been able to
accomplish everything they had wanted to do, but… Jesus' body had been
anointed before its burial. Just not in the way it was expected to be done.
Nightfall arrived; the
Sabbath began. For the followers of Jesus however, their hopes for "a new
day" were buried in the tomb with Jesus.
NEXT
Surprise!
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