Living Beyond Fear of the Grave

“The Body of Jesus”

(John 19:38-42, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, September 5, 2010)

38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. 39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

Is it finished?

Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished.” That is true, but it is also true that much was still unfinished. He had accomplished everything that He came to do in His mortal life, but the death of our mortal bodies is never the end of our story, and it is important to see what Christians have confessed for centuries. Christ not only lived and died. He was also buried, rose again from the dead, and ascended into heaven. He now rules and reigns at the right hand of the Father.

You may be wondering about the phrase that Christians confess, “He descended into hell.” What do we mean when we say those words? The Westminster divines addressed this issue in the Larger Catechism under the question “Wherein consisted Christ's humiliation after his death?” Their conclusion concerning the biblical evidence is this: “Christ's humiliation after his death consisted in his being buried, and continuing in the state of the dead, and under the power of death till the third day; which has been otherwise expressed in these words, he descended into hell.” In addition to that helpful and practical answer, John Calvin summarizes what many throughout the history of the church have concluded, that this expression means that Christ “endured the horrible rigor of God's judgment.” Christ endured more than bodily torment. He suffered the pains of hell for us. When you confess that Christ was buried, remember that this is what could be seen by men, but when you confess that He descended into hell, let your heart consider that the suffering of Jesus for you was more than anyone could have seen, since He faced the horror of the eternal justice of God that we deserved. This too, is now finished.

After these things Joseph of Arimathea... (38)

But our passage at the end of John 19 focuses on the burial of the body of Jesus Christ. Joseph of Arimathea is a central figure in these events, since He went to Pilate to ask for the Lord's body, and since it was in His tomb, the tomb of a rich man (see Isaiah 53:9, “with a rich man in his death”) that Jesus was buried. This Joseph is mentioned in connection with the burial of Jesus in all four gospels. From these sources we know that Joseph was a rich man, a respected member of the ruling council of the Jews, and amazingly, a disciple of Jesus. He is called by Luke, “a good and righteous man.” We are told that he did not consent to the decision and action of the council concerning Jesus. We are also told that he was looking for the kingdom of God. Joseph of Arimathea believed in the kingdom of heaven, and he was looking for the fulfillment of God's promises from the Law and the Prophets, the fullness of heaven brought down upon the earth.

This Joseph was secretive about following Jesus. He understood the danger of being too closely associated with our Lord, and he feared the consequences that might come to him from his fellow leaders who hated Jesus. Yet in fulfillment of Isaiah's prophesy, He finds the courage to go to Pilate, to receive necessary permission, and finally to take away the body of the Lord.

Nicodemus also... (39)

Only John's gospel records the fact that there was another religious leader with Joseph of Arimathea, a man who appears in John 3 and 7, as well as this chapter, Nicodemus. Some of the facts are the same for him as for Joseph. He also is a leader of the Jews, he is wealthy, he has shown interest in Jesus, and he is afraid. This Nicodemus had visited Jesus by night, trying to complement the Lord whom he calls a great prophet sent be God. But Jesus had said to him, “Unless you are born from above you cannot even see the kingdom of God.”

He had been courageous enough to have that conversation with Jesus. Later, in chapter 7, he was brave enough to question the procedural fairness of declaring Jesus guilty without even hearing from Him in a trial. Now he is bringing a very large quantity of burial spices in order to treat the body of Jesus with respect, and he is associating himself with the burial plan of Joseph of Arimethea despite the fact that their actions can hardly remain a secret for very long.

So they took the body of Jesus... (40)

“So they took the body of Jesus.” John wants us to understand that these two very respected men were very involved in the proceedings that took place. From a factual standpoint, this should help us to consider the worth of the testimony of Jesus' actual death, particularly when we consider the actions of the soldiers described in the previous verses.

But there is something more in these words than a pure testimony of fact. There is something in the loving and respectful treatment of the body of a deceased man according to the customs of a society. There is something profound here that cannot be reduced easily to words; something of the cry of a heart that believes and wonders, “Lord, how could this be right? We are burying a truly good man.” This is a different heart than those who wanted to see the legs of the crucified broken so that his body could quickly come off the cross. There is a time to be born, and a time to die. When these events come to those we love, we stop, and we wonder, and we are changed.

Now in the place... (41)

The place of this burial is mentioned, and the fact that it was a new tomb, a special grave where no one else had been buried. The body of Jesus was in a clean tomb. But a grave is still a grave.

So because of the Jewish day of Preparation... (42)

There was no time to do anything more than what these men did. The Sabbath began Friday at sundown, and they were observant Jews who kept the Sabbath. We are told that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus placed the body of Jesus there in the tomb. Those are heavy words.

We see in those words the fact of His burial, with details for those who would want to investigate that fact. But what is the significance to us of this moment? The account of the burial of Jesus helps establish the reality of His death, which means so much to the Christian message. This is a religion of grace, but grace that satisfies the demands of law. The sacrifice happened. The Lamb is dead and even buried. Reliable, respected people were involved, even providing a tomb, linen, and spices. They had the courage to honor the One that they admired and secretly followed.

This moves us beyond fact to feeling and to faith, a faith that moves us past the grave. Jesus traveled a road for us, a road that we will follow one day. We die. Our bodies are buried. Our souls are brought to God in heaven. We look to the promised resurrection. Jesus has sanctified the lowest place on the face of the earth, the grave. Because He satisfied the justice of God for us, the grave will not have the last word for Him or for us. We do not celebrate the grave. We see it for what it is. But we will not be ruled by it. We choose life and a level of faithful engagement in this world that makes sense for those who have a hope that man cannot take away.

1. What do we know about Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus?

2. What is the significance of the handling of the body of Jesus?

3. How is the detail of Jesus' burial in this grave a fulfillment of prophesy?

4. What is the religious significance of the burial of Jesus?

OT Passage: Ecclesiastes 3