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The Gospel of John, The Period of Consummation, Part XVI, John 19:38-42 - Lesson 193
Read Verses John 19:38, And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.
According to Mark and Luke this Joseph of Arimathaea was a member of the Sanhedrin.
Matthew said he was rich.
Mark called him an honorable counselor.
Luke said he was a good man and just.
He said that Joseph had not consented to the counsel and deed of the Sanhedrin regarding Jesus Christ.
John adds to this knowledge the fact that he was a secret disciple of Jesus.
Secret for fear of the Jews but at this time his fear is apparently overcome by faith.
Don't you suppose he wondered if his reluctance to defend Christ before the Sanhedrin contributed to the crucifixion of Christ.
But he was the right man for this duty. Had not Isaiah prophesied in:
Isa 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.
This can be translated "His grave was appointed with the wicked, but with the rich man was his tomb"
The Jews would have liked his body treated as if it were the body of a wicked man, but God intervened with a servant named Joseph of Arimathaea.
God had said "His body shall not see corruption" so God saw to it that Joseph was ready to receive the body of Jesus and place it in a tomb where a man had never lain.
Joseph of Arimathaea was an influential member of the Sanhedrin and as such would of had ready access to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus Christ.
This was not the case of any of the open disciples of Christ.
God even uses a man who up to this time was a secret disciple of Christ.
John 19:39,40 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.
John is the only Gospel writer who mentions Nicodemus.
He reminds us that this was the Pharisee that came to Jesus by night and heard the great truth concerning the kingdom of God.
He had heard this same Jesus tell him that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so shall the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Most likely he had witnessed the crucifixion.
As a teacher of Israel he knew the scriptures.
He had heard the scriptures expounded by Jesus Christ and he now beheld how the scriptures were fulfilled in this man.
Perhaps it was on this occasion that he believed and had been born again for Jesus Christ had told him in:
John 3:3 Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Something had happened to him for he boldly participated in honor to the body of the one that was hated by his peers.
He at first had come to Jesus by night but now he is not ashamed to openly show himself as one who loves Christ, now crucified.
He comes bringing a mixture a myrrh and aloes, about one hundred pound weight to be used for the embalming process.
We are not told what relationship he had with Joseph of Arimathea.
We are not told if the action of Joseph caused him to come out publicly and confess Christ.
Together they took the body and wound it in linen cloth brought by Joseph as Mark records, mingling the spices into the cloth as the linen was wound about the body.
The spices were used to hold back corruption of the body but they did not know that this body would not see corruption.
Corruption is in this world because of sin and Jesus Christ had no sin therefore corruption of his body was impossible in fulfillment of the prophesy of Psalm 16.
John 19:41, Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulcher, wherein was never man yet laid.
Jesus told the scribe in Mat 8:20: .... The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
Our Lord had no home, he had no place of his own to lay his head and he had no cemetery plot, paid for ahead of his death.
He had no tomb of his own so he was buried in another's tomb.
He did not need it but for three days and its use did not hinder the owner one whit!
Matthew tells us that this was Joseph's tomb that was hewn out of the rock and a great stone was used as the door of the tomb.
It was very near the crucifixion site and there his body was laid as prepared by Joseph and Nicodemas.
John is careful to tell us that it was a new tomb wherein was never a man yet laid.
An old tomb that had seen corruption was not be be used by our Lord whose body was not to see corruption.
And this infers he was not even to come into contact with corruption.
John 19:42, There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.
Not much time was available to bury Christ because of the sabbath and God had seen to it that the tomb was close by.
It is inferred that this sepulcher was chosen because of the limited time left before sabbath and therefore it may have been in interim place of burial in Joseph's thinking.
We do not know but things had to go fast and Christ was left in the tomb as Joseph and Nicodemas and the Jews left to go about their various preparations for the passover.
Pilate went home to supper and to make a report to his wife of the day's events.
The high priests presided over the passover feasts.
Peter wept as he pondered his own disloyalty.
John comforted his new mother.
The other disciples hid themselves from public eye.
Perhaps the Roman solder was showing off his new robe that had been won at the foot of the cross.
Life continued as it had but Jesus Christ was not to be held long in the grave.
What was Mary of Bethany thinking now?
Did she have a sense of expectation in her heart?
Hadn't she been the one who had anointed the Lord with the box of ointment against his burial?
Hadn't she had an understanding of his resurrection?
Perhaps she alone was rejoicing in her heart looking for the appearing of that glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. |