XXX

OUR LORD’S RESURRECTION; ITS RELATION TO HIS CLAIMS; ITS CERTAINTY AND HISTORIC PROOFS

Harmony, pages 215-217 and Mat 27:57-66 ; Mar 15:42-47 ; Luk 23:50-56 ; Joh 19:31-42 .

We have How come to the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. The theme of this discussion is “The Resurrection of Jesus.” This doctrine of the resurrection of the dead is fundamental and vital in the Christian system, and absolutely essential to its integrity so much so, that if a man denies the resurrection of the body, he denies the whole Bible; for, if the foundation be removed the whole superstructure falls.

The New Testament teaches both a spiritual and a bodily resurrection (Joh 5:25-29 ): “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself, even so gave he to the Son also to have life in himself.” That refers to the resurrection of the soul, or spirit. Then he adds: “Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation.”

That shows two resurrections the resurrection of the spirit, and that of the body. The body resurrection is literal; the spirit resurrection is figurative. The spirit resurrection is accomplished by the Holy Spirit in regeneration, that is, the soul, dead in trespasses and in sins, is made alive. That is soul resurrection. Whenever one is regenerated, he is made alive, as Paul says in Ephesians: “You hath he quickened [or made alive, that is, the soul is made alive], who were dead in trespasses and in sins.” The same matter is fully discussed in Eze 36:24-27 ; Eze 37:1-15 ; and Eph 2:1-6 . There, under the image of the body resurrection, the spirit resurrection of Israel is signified. It refers to the coming kingdom, the future salvation of the dispersed Jews; but it is presented under the image of the body resurrection. Both the literal and the figurative resurrection call for the exercise of supernatural, omnipotent energy, that is, it takes the Spirit of God to quicken a soul dead in trespasses and in sins; it takes the Spirit of God to quicken a dead body to make it alive.

But this discussion is limited to the resurrection of the body. By resurrection of the body is meant more than a resuscitation of the corpse to resume its mortal existence, as in the case of the daughter of Jairus, the widow’s son at Nain, and Lazarus. These all died again. It means to make alive, the body to die no more; in the case of the Christian, mortality puts on immortality; corruption puts on incorruption; weakness puts on strength; dishonor puts on honor; the natural body becomes a spiritual body; the image of the first Adam, who was the natural man, becomes the image of the Second Adam, who is the spiritual man, and Lord of glory 1Co 15:42-49 . Now we see the difference between the raising of the daughter of Jairus, the son of the widow of Nain, and Lazarus, and the resurrection of Christ’s body and our bodies.

But, while all these marvelous changes take place, the identity of the body raised is never lost. The body that dies and lies buried is the body that is raised, but it is changed to suit its new life. Yet, whatever the change, it is recognizable as the very body that died.

Even in the creation of man, God purposed the immortality of the body and provided the means in the fruit of life, but his access to that tree was forfeited by the sin of the first Adam; and so death reigned over the body. So access to immortality of the body was restored through Jesus Christ, the Second Adam, as Paul puts it: “Our Saviour, Jesus Christ, hath abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel”; life to the soul; immortality to the body. But this, Jesus did not, and could not do, unless he himself rose from the dead.

All Christianity is an imposture, a fraud, unless Jesus himself rose from the dead.

The relation of the Lord’s resurrection to ourselves, and its relation to all his claims and to all of our hopes, is thus expressed by Paul: “Now I make known unto you brethren, the gospel which I preached unto you except ye believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which also I received: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried; and that he hath been raised on the third day according to the scriptures; and that he appeared to Cephas; then to the twelve; then he appeared to above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain until now, but some are fallen asleep; then he appeared to James; then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to the child untimely born, he appeared tome also” (1Co 15:1-8 ). “Now, if Christ is preached that he hath been raised from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither hath Christ been raised: and if Christ hath not been raised, then is our preaching vain, your faith also is vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we witnessed of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up if so be that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, neither hath Christ been raised; and if Christ hath not been raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also that are fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable. But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the first fruits of them that are asleep” (1Co 15:12-20 ).

It is evident from that statement of Paul that everything in the whole Bible is dependent upon one single fact: the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

Let us now carefully consider in order the following facts:

1. Jesus repeatedly in his lifetime predicted that he must suffer death and that he would rise again on the third day: “Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou raise it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he spake this; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said” (Joh 2:18-22 ). “For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered up into the hand of men, and they shall kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he shall rise again. But they understood not the saying, and were afraid to ask him” (Mar 9:31-32 ).

I say that he did that repeatedly. In his early ministry in Judea, we read (Harmony page 20, Joh 2:18-22 , quoted above), this one: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” That is the sign. “When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he spake this; and they believed the scripture.” It is in his early ministry that he makes that statement.

Notice on page 91 of the Harmony (this is immediately after the great confession at Caesarea Philippi): “From that time began Jesus to show unto his disciples, that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up” (Mat 16:21 ). Take a still later occasion (page 110 of the Harmony) where he is discussing the Good Shepherd, Joh 10:17-18 : “Therefore doth the Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one taketh it away from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.” But we come to a still later instance (Harmony page 135, Mat 20:17-19 : “And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples apart, and on the way he said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests and scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him unto the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify: and the third day he shall be raised up.” Notice another (Harmony, page 145) the time when the Greeks wanted to see him: “The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it dies, it beareth much fruit. He that loveth his life loseth it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will the Father honor. Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour! But for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name” (Joh 12:23-28 ). The statement of the fact just cited is, that this first fact Jesus repeatedly predicted in his lifetime that he must suffer death and would rise again the third day. I have given some proof of it, spoken at different times in his earthly ministry.

2. Let us take up the next fact. He made his resurrection the sign and proof of all his claims. See page 59 of Harmony, Mat 12:38-40 : “Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee [You come claiming to be the Son of God; now give us a sign]. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet: for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

3. And thus we come to the third fact. Jesus instituted two perpetual ordinances, one to commemorate his death, and the other to commemorate his burial and resurrection. On this I cite just two passages of Scripture. I could cite a great many, but two will be enough: “For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread; and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my body, which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of me. In like manner also the cup, after Supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye proclaim the Lord’s death till he come” (1Co 11:23-26 ). The other passage is from Rom 6:3-5 : “Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.” We thus see what his ordinance commemorates; and it is the third fact in the order.

4. The fourth fact is that while only Mary, the sister of Lazarus, of all his disciples, understood the teachings concerning his death and resurrection at this time (Mat 26:12 ), yet his enemies distinctly understood what he meant. Let us see the proof. While he was hanging on the cross, Mat 27:39-42 : “They that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildeth it in three days, save thyself: if thou art the Son of God, come down from the cross,” that is, “Try to prove you are alive after we kill you.” “In like manner also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, he saved others; himself he cannot save.”

5. The next fact is, they so understood his teaching that they took all necessary precautions to guard against the theft of his body, until after the third day, and thereby hedged against any false claim of his resurrection. I give the proof (Harmony page 217) Mat 27:62-66 : “Now on the morrow, which is the day after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest haply his disciples come and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: and the last error will be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a guard: go, make it sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, the guard being with them.” That shows they understood his teaching better than the disciples did.

I have thus given five facts in their order:

1. Jesus repeatedly predicted in his lifetime that he must suffer death, and rise again the third day, though his disciples did not understand it.

2. He made his resurrection the sign and proof of all his claims.

3. He instituted two perpetual ordinances, one to commemorate his death, the other his burial and resurrection.

4. While only Mary of Bethany, of all of his own disciples, understood his teachings, yet his enemies distinctly understood them.

5. They so understood that they took all necessary precautions to guard against the theft of his body until after the third day, and so to hedge against a false claim of his resurrection.

Never was an issue more openly joined and understood. He risked all his claims and all Christianity on one fact his resurrection on the third day. His enemies accepted the challenge openly, and safeguarded against any fraud or delusion.

Let us now consider in order another relation of facts, answering this question: Did Jesus actually die, or was it only a case of swoon, trance, or other kind of suspended animation from which he subsequently revived?

The first fact is, as the record says, “He died,” that is, the body and soul were separated. All the historians say, “He yielded up his spirit.”

The second fact: To make sure that he was actually dead, one of the executioners pierced his heart with a spear, from which flowed water and blood, an unmistakable evidence of death Joh 19:33-37 .

The third fact: The centurion in charge, officially certified his death to Pilate (Mar 15:44-45 ). If a sheriff hangs a man now, the law requires that he make due report of the fact, and that is recorded as the act of the court executed; then the appointed officer signs it, then he goes and makes his first report that he has executed the man, and he is certified to be dead. So the record says, “And behold, a man named Joseph, who was a councillor, a good man and a righteous (he had not consented to their counsel and deed), a man of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews, who was looking for the kingdom of God: this man went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus” (Luk 23:50-52 ). “And Pilate marveled if he were already dead; and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. And when he learned it of the centurion, he granted the corpse to Joseph” (Mar 15:44-45 ).

The fourth fact: He was actually embalmed and buried, and the mouth of the tomb was barred with a great stone (Joh 19:38-42 ): “Joseph of Arimathaea, . . . came therefore, and took away his body. And there came also Nicodemus, he who at the first came to him by night, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. So they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. Now, in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new tomb wherein was never man yet laid. There then because of the Jews’ preparation (for the tomb was nigh at hand) they laid Jesus.” Now you see that the dead body was taken down and that a hundred pounds of embalming spices, a long linen cloth was brought, and myrrh was spread on that cloth, which they wrapped around, and rolled and swathed about the body. If you find a mummy of the Egyptian days now, it has still that linen robe, buried over one thousand years ago, and shows that these spices preserve the body. There was Jesus, proved to be dead, embalmed as they would have him, in many folds of linen, and buried.

The fifth fact is that a very great stone was placed at the door of the tomb to bar it a stone so great that when the women came they did not know how they could get that stone rolled away. It was so big that a man on the inside could not have pushed it away.

The sixth fact: This stone entrance was sealed with the Roman seal, and to break that seal was death.

The seventh fact is that a guard was stationed to watch the sepulcher and protect it day and night from interference, until the third day had passed (Mat 27:62-66 ). The eighth fact: On the third day came an angel of the Lord and with a great earthquake rolled away that stone, while the guard fell as dead men (Mat 28:2-4 ). As we want the facts all in order, let us see the proof of this (Mat 28:1 ff, Harmony page 218): “Now late on the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it. His appearance was as lightning, and his raiment white as snow: and for fear of him the watchers did quake, and became as dead men.”

The ninth fact is that the guard faithfully reported the facts to the Sanhedrin, and with a large sum of money were bribed to say that his body was stolen by his disciples while they (the guards) slept. A protection from Pilate was promised, if the matter came to his ears. Let us see the proof on this point (Mat 28:11-15 ): “Some of the guard came into the city, and told unto the chief priests all the things that were come to pass. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, his disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and rid you of care. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continueth until this day.”

The tenth fact is that the angel told his disciples that he was risen, according to his promise, and reminded them to meet him at the previously appointed place in Galilee (Mat 28:5-7 ). Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all tell that. And the eleventh fact is that the disciples themselves saw that the tomb was empty.

We are now ready to discuss his resurrection. I have led up to it in an orderly way, proving that he said he would suffer death; that he would rise on the third day; that while his disciples did not understand that, his enemies did; that he made that the sign of all his claims; that he did die; that he was embalmed and buried; that his tomb was guarded; that at the appointed time an angel came and rolled away the stone, and the guard fell as dead; that the guard faithfully reported the facts; that they were then bribed to say that his disciples stole him while they slept; that the angel told his disciples that Jesus was risen, and reminded them of the appointment that he had made with them, both the women and the men, and we will see about that appointment a little later.

Now we have come to the place where the tomb is found empty, and there are just two reports about that empty tomb. Nobody disputes any fact thus far, not even an infidel or Jew. The report prevails that his disciples stole his body, and reported that he was raised from the dead, and the other fact is that Jesus rose from the dead.

How do we account for the tomb being empty in which Jesus was buried? Some of the guard testified that the body was stolen by the disciples while they (the guard) slept. The objections to this testimony are manifold: (1) It contradicts their original testimony. They told the facts to the chief priests and elders. That was their testimony. (2) Their second testimony was the result of bribery, and therefore should have been thrown out of court. (3) It was false on its face, since they could not know that it was stolen, or who had stolen it, as on their own story it had disappeared while they slept; and since it was contradictory to all history that a whole Roman guard slept while on the post of duty, and equally contradictory that such a capital offense against military law should be passed over without even a reprimand. (4) It was contradictory to the state of the minds of the disciples, who counted all lost by his death and were in terror for their lives; who did not believe at this time in his resurrection, and who had not the faith and courage to preach what they knew was false; and it is contradictory to the simplicity of their character, and their own natural, unbounded surprise when apprised that the tomb was empty and to their slowness to believe in the resurrection. In a word, they had no use for a dead body. And it is contradictory to their subsequent lives and sacrifices. (5) It leaves unexplained the resurrection and appearances of the saints who were recognized by many in Jerusalem. No court in the world would accept that testimony, and no jury in the world would believe it.

Now, on the other hand, the angel testified that Jesus was risen according to his promise and prediction. But the disciples were unable to accept the angel’s testimony. They must see him for themselves; or, as John puts it, they must see him with their eyes, hear him with their ears, and handle him with their hands. As Luke has it, they must recognize him with the inner spiritual sense as he talked with them, so that their hearts would burn within them, and they must note his old-time mannerism as in “the breaking of bread.” The proof of identity must be repeated often, and for many days, and under varied circumstances, and at different places, and to different groups, so as to be absolutely infallible and all-convincing. His mother must recognize him; his unbelieving brothers must recognize him; his friends and companions for years must recognize him. In other words, just what Act 1:3 declares: “To whom he also showed himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them by the space of forty days, etc.”

QUESTIONS 1. What is the importance of the doctrine of the resurrection?

2. What two kinds of resurrection taught in the Bible?

3. Cite one Old Testament and one New Testament proof that the restoration of a people may be called a resurrection.

4. Cite one New Testament proof that regeneration may be so called.

5. Cite a New Testament proof that a revival of the martyr spirit may be so called.

6. In the resurrection of the body, what four things are involved?

7. What is the glorification of the body?

8. What are the five characteristics of a natural body?

9. What are the five characteristics of a spiritual body?

10. Does the change from a natural to a spiritual body destroy its identity?

11. How was provision first made for the immortality of the body, how did man forfeit that right, and how was it regained?

12. Show the relation of Christ’s resurrection to ourselves, and how Paul makes it fundamental in Christianity.

13. Cite orderly and connected proof from the Gospels that Jesus, from the beginning and repeatedly, foretold his death and resurrection.

14. Prove that he made his resurrection on the third day the supreme sign and test of his divinity and messiahship.

15. What perpetual ordinance did Christ institute to commemorate his death?

16. What other to commemorate his burial and resurrection?

17. Cite the proof that the enemies of Christ understood the test he submitted of his claims.

18. What precaution did his enemies take to guard against any false claim of his resurrection?

19. Restate the five facts concerning his resurrection in order.

20. What seven facts prove that Jesus was dead?

21. What three facts bear on his resurrection?

22. Give a summary of the discussion leading up to the resurrection.

23. What two reports concerning the empty tomb?

24. What were the objections to the report that the disciples came and stole him while the guard slept?

25. What four earth senses were employed in recognizing the identity?

Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible

42 And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,

Ver. 42. The day before the sabbath ] Their preparation to the sabbath began at three o’clock in the afternoon. The Jews of Tiberias began their sabbath sooner than others; those at Tsepphore continued it longer; adding de profano ad sacrum. (Buxtorf.) Among our forefathers, at the ringing of the bell to prayer on Saturday evening, the husbandman would stop his labour in the field, and the tradesman his work in the shop, and set themselves to prepare for the sabbath. Among the Jews to this day in many cities, there is one goes about and proclaims the approaching of the sabbath, about half an hour before it begins, that they may prepare.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

42 47. ] JOSEPH OF ARIMATHA BEGS, AND BURIES, THE BODY OF JESUS. Mat 27:57-61 .Luk 23:50-56Luk 23:50-56 . Joh 19:38-42 . For all notes on the substance of the common narrative, see Matt.

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

42. ., . ] The Friday afternoon ( ., “the name by which Friday is now generally known in Asia and Greece.” Wordsw.) before sunset , at which time the Sabbath would begin, and the taking down, &c. would be unlawful . The three Evangelists do not imply that this . had any thing especial in it, as John does Joh 19:31 . It is very remarkable, that occurs only here in this Gospel, but is found in the corresponding clause of Joh 19:31 , shewing perhaps in this place a community of source in two accounts otherwise so essentially distinct.

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

Mar 15:42-47 . Burial (Mat 27:57-66 , Luk 23:50-56 ).

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

Mar 15:42 . : omitted by Mt., but important, as indicating that the business Joseph had on hand that of obtaining and using permission to take down and bury the body of Jesus must be gone about without delay. It was already the afternoon of the day before the Sabbath, , called (here and in the parallels in this technical sense). It must, therefore, be done at once, or it could not be done till Sabbath was past.

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mar 15:42-47

42When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. 44Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. 45And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was laid.

Mar 15:42 “When evening had already come” Mark is the only Gospel that mentions this. Exo 12:6 has “evenings” as if there were two: (1) 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. and (2) 6:00 p.m. and later. Context implies it must have been after 3:00 p.m. (the time of the evening sacrifice), but before 6:00 p.m. (the start of the Passover Sabbath).

“the preparation day” This refers to the day everything had to be made ready for the high holy Sabbath of Passover week (i.e., Passover and Unleavened Bread was an eight-day feast, therefore, it had two Sabbaths), not the Passover meal itself.

Mar 15:43 “Joseph of Arimathea” He seems to have been a secret disciple, along with Nicodemus (cf. Mat 27:57; Joh 12:42). However, after Jesus’ death he went publicly to ask Pilate for Jesus’ body (cf. Joh 19:38). It was dangerous to be identified as a friend of a crucified insurrectionist.

As an orthodox Jew of his day Joseph would have made himself ceremonially unclean to observe the Passover Sabbath by:

1. going into a Gentile house

2. touching a dead body

However, he may have been attempting to remove the curse of Deu 21:22-23. Usually the Romans let the bodies of the crucified remain unburied at the place of death, but because the Jews were so squeamish about unburied bodies, the Romans allowed them to bury their dead, but usually not immediately.

The term Arimathea means “height” and apparently is another name for the city of Ramah, which was five miles northeast of Jerusalem.

“prominent member of the Council” Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin, as was Nicodemus. See Special Topic: Sanhedrin at Mar 12:13.

“waiting for the kingdom of God” Joseph was a religious man (cf. Mat 27:58). The Kingdom of God was a common Jewish expectation among Pharisees and the common people. Jesus often preached on this subject. It was the subject of His first and last sermons and the focus of His parables. See Special Topic at Mar 1:15.

In what sense Joseph was waiting for the kingdom is uncertain. How could he be a disciple and not know the kingdom had come? Perhaps he was still expecting an earthly kingdom (like the disciples, cf. Act 1:6).

“went in before Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus” This would have made him ceremonially unclean to participate in the high Sabbath of Passover week. This would also have identified him with Jesus, a crucified insurrectionist. This was a bold and decisive act.

“asked for the body” Normally the Romans left the bodies on the cross to decay, as a deterrent to rebellion. These bodies were the property of Rome. They were usually not given back to the families for proper burial, which was especially important to Jews. This was a special, unusual request. It was granted because of the Jewish sensibilities about dead bodies ceremonially polluting the land especially during the Passover season.

Mar 15:44 “Pilate wondered if He was dead at this time” Crucifixion was a very slow painful death. Often it took several days. The Roman soldiers gave the victims water or wine from time to time, not out of mercy, but to prolong their death. However, this time the condemned had to die quickly because of the upcoming Passover Sabbath, so the soldiers broke the two criminals’ legs (cf. Joh 19:31 ff). This was so that they could not push up on their legs to breathe properly. They would have died quickly after this. Jesus, however, was already dead, so His legs were not broken. This fulfills prophecy (cf. Joh 19:36, quoting from Exo 12:46. See hermeneutical comment at Mar 15:27).

“If” is not a marker for a conditional sentence, but an indirect question. Pilate was amazed Jesus had died so quickly, therefore, he asked his attendants this indirect question.

Mar 15:45 “body” The Greek word is not soma, but ptma, which means corpse. Jesus was dead!

Mar 15:46 “Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth” Nicodemus was also there (cf. Joh 19:39-40). They quickly prepared Jesus’ body (i.e., because of the rapid approach of the Sabbath at 6 p.m.) according to Jewish tradition. The Jews did not practice embalming as the Egyptians did, but they had a set procedure involving linen wraps and spices.

“laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock” This fulfills the specific prophecy of Isa 53:9. Mat 27:57-60 tells us it was Joseph’s personal tomb.

“hewn out in the rock” Jesus was not buried in the ground, but in Joseph’s family crypt. It was hollowed out of a rock cliff and would have included several burial slabs. There were many of these in the Jerusalem area.

“stone” This large hewn round slab of rock was shaped like a grinding stone. These graves were regularly robbed so they were sealed with a heavy stone. The size of the stone showed it was a rich man’s grave.

Mar 15:47 “were looking on to see where He was laid” This term means “to view with interest and attention.” They wanted to make sure that Jesus was properly prepared for burial. However, this also provided the needed two witnesses (i.e., Deu 17:6; Deu 19:15) to confirm a legal testimony. Jesus was dead and they did not go to the wrong tomb!

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

when the even was come evening already having come. Compare Mat 27:57.

the preparation: i.e. the 14th of Nisan, the day before the Passover (on the 15th), which took place on the 14th at even, and ushered in the High Sabbath, which commenced after sunset on the 14th.

the day before the sabbath: i.e. the day before the High Sabbath. See App-156.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

42-47.] JOSEPH OF ARIMATHA BEGS, AND BURIES, THE BODY OF JESUS. Mat 27:57-61. Luk 23:50-56. Joh 19:38-42. For all notes on the substance of the common narrative, see Matt.

Fuente: The Greek Testament

Mar 15:42. , the day before the Sabbath) When there was the beginning made of resting.

Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament

Mar 15:42-47

18. THE BURIAL OF JESUS

Mar 15:42-47

(Mat 27:57-66; Luk 23:50-56; Joh 19:31-42)

42 And when even was now come,–The time after three o’clock in the afternoon.

because it was the Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,–The following day was to be a day of peculiar solemnity with the Jews, called “the great day of the feast.” More than ordinary preparation was therefore made for the Sabbath on the day before. Hence the day was known as a day of preparation. This preparation consisted in food, etc., to be used on the Sabbath. It had become a preparation day by custom, and not by force of law; for there is nothing in the law on the subject. The fact that it was the preparation is given by Mark as the reason why Joseph went to Pilate and asked for the body; John states it as the reason why “the Jews” besought Pilate to have the legs of the crucified broken and their bodies taken away. (Joh 19:31.) The same cause operated on both the friends and the foes of Jesus, each party having, in other particulars, a different object in view. It was not the preparation for the Passover, which had already been celebrated the evening before, but for the Sabbath of the Passover week, which was a “high day.” (Joh 19:31.) Mark explains it thus by adding, “That is, the day before the sabbath.”

43 There came Joseph of Arimathaea, a councillor of honorable estate,–It is thought by some that Arimathaea, the home of Joseph, was the ancient Ramah, the birthplace and home of the prophet Samuel, about five miles north of Jerusalem. He was a distinguished man who probably held a high office among the Jews, as one of their great council or a Jewish senator. The word “honorable” here is not a mere title of office, but is given in reference to his personal character, as being a man of integrity, and blameless life. Matthew says of Joseph personally no more than that he was a rich man and a disciple of Jesus. Mark adds that he was an honorable councilor–that is, a member of the Sanhedrin; Luke, that he was “a good and righteous man” who “had not consented to their counsel and deed”; and John, that though a disciple of Jesus he was secretly so for fear of the Jews.

who also himself was looking for the kingdom of God;–He was waiting and expecting the kingdom of God to come. It had not come–established at this time, for surely Joseph would have known it. Then to find the time the kingdom of God did come, one must come on this side of the cross.

and he boldly went in unto Pilate,–God used this rich distinguished and secret disciple for a special and most important purpose. The outspoken male disciples of Jesus had fled, and if they had not, they had no influence with Pilate.

and asked for the body of Jesus.–Jesus was poor and left no finances for his burial expenses. Joseph was “a rich man” (Mat 27:57) and though he had not heretofore the courage to express his friendship and discipleship, he now steps forward with his finances desiring to bury Jesus at his own expense. Men who are ordinarily timid sometimes exhibit great boldness in a trying crisis. The boldness of Joseph in identifying himself at this crisis as a friend of Jesus is the more apparent when we contrast his actions with those of the other male disciples, not one of whom seems, so far as the record shows, to have taken any steps for the proper care and burial of the body of Jesus. It required much moral as well as physical courage to act as his friend when his cause appeared hopeless and when most all men seemed to be his enemies. If there had been no special appeal to Pilate in behalf of Jesus, his body would have been buried that night in the common grave with the two thieves: for it was a law of the Jews that the body of an executed man should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath.

44 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.–Wondered if he was so soon dead. It was not common for persons crucified to expire under two or three days, sometimes not until the sixth or seventh. Joseph had asked Pilate for the body, which implied that he was dead. That he was had been ascertained by the soldiers. (John 19 33.) Joseph had learned this but it seems Pilate had not. So before granting the request of Joseph, he called the centurion unto him to ascertain whether he was dead. He proceeded cautiously.

45 And when he learned it of the centurion, he granted the corpse to Joseph.–Being informed by the centurion of the fact that Jesus was really dead, Pilate gave the body, freely, as a present to Joseph, without demanding money for it.

46 And he bought a linen cloth,–A winding sheet in which the body was wrapped.

and taking him down,–The body from the cross. Jesus’ enemies nailed him to the cross, but Joseph, his friend, took his body down.

wound him in the linen cloth,–The cloth he had just purchased for this purpose. John (Joh 19:39) states that Nicodemus now joined Joseph, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. The cloth was wrapped about the body in such a way as to enclose the spices next to the body.

and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of a rock; –Matthew and John tell us it was a new tomb. It was God’s wisdom that the body of Jesus be buried in a tomb where no one had before been buried. It would also prevent a false statement, after his resurrection, that some one else had been raised. Matthew tells us that it was Joseph’s tomb. John (Joh 19:41) locates the tomb in a garden, and in the place where Jesus was crucified. The tomb of Joseph was doubtless a family vault. Thus was fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah (Isa 53:9): “And they made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.”

and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.–It was a large stone and so heavy that the women, on going to the tomb after the Sabbath had passed, were perplexed to know how to move it. (Mar 16:1-4.)

47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses be-held where he was laid.– [Jesus was nailed to the cross at twelve noon, and died at three o’clock Friday afternoon. (This is the generally accepted time; others dissent from the chronology, making all the events of the week a day earlier than we have given; but we know of no good ground to dis-sent, and give the commonly accepted count.) Saturday was the Sabbath. It was a desecration of the Sabbath for dead bodies to remain on the cross during the day. So the Jews, anxious to get them down that day, besought Pilate that their legs might be broken to hasten death, that they might be buried.

Touching the question, “On what day was Jesus crucified?” I do not have the least ambition to write on that subject. I do not think that salvation of any soul depends upon the decision of the question. The scholarship of the world for nearly two thousand years decided that Jesus was crucified on Friday. I think they decided rightly. The Bible says seventeen times that he was raised on “the third day.” I never could count so as to make Sunday the third day from Thursday, counting both days, as we must. The scriptures say that he was buried three days or raised within three days five times. I had as soon contradict five statements of the Bible as seventeen. But when I examine the Bible and its habit of speech, I find that “after eight days” means on the eighth day; “after three days,” on the third day. So when I adopt this method of interpretation I contradict none of the Bible statements save it say “three days and three nights.” But a part of a day sometimes passes for a day and night in their count. So I do not think my writing or my brethren’s will have any weight in settling a question that has been settled for nearly two thousand years. Let us study something practical. How can we convert a sinner?J

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

Mat 27:57, Mat 27:62, Luk 23:50-54, Joh 19:38

Reciprocal: Mar 14:8 – she is Mar 16:1 – when Joh 12:7 – against Joh 19:14 – the preparation Joh 19:31 – because

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Chapter 23.

Joseph of Arimathea

“And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. And Pilate marvelled if He were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether He had been any while dead. And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. And he bought fine linen, and took Him down and wrapped Him in the linen, and laid Him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.”-Mar 15:42-46.

An Unsuspected Friend.

All His life through Christ had more friends than the world dreamed of. Had you asked one of the leaders of His day, what friends and followers Jesus had, he might have replied scornfully and contemptuously, “Just a handful of ignorant Galileans of no account.” The Jerusalem Pharisees noted the fact, that none of the rulers or the Pharisees believed on Him. They tried to create prejudice against Christ by making it out that no person of intelligence or standing accepted His claims; that it was only amongst the ignorant, uncultivated, credulous people of the North that He found followers. Yet all the time Christ had His followers even in Jerusalem, and numbered friends amongst people of culture and station. In the days of Christ’s popularity they did not obtrude themselves very much. They kept modestly, or, if you prefer so to put it, timidly, in the background. But when troubles came and the day of the Lord’s distress dawned, they came out of their hiding places, stood by His side and comforted Him with their devotion and love. They were like the stars, they only revealed themselves when the darkness fell. Here in the paragraph we read of an “unknown friend” who charged himself with the care of the last tender offices of respect and love; it was Joseph of Arimathea, an honourable councillor, but a secret disciple, who provided the Lord with a grave. But before we concentrate our attention on Joseph, let us run through the story.

The Death of the Crucified.

It was a Friday on which our Lord was sacrificed, that is, it was the Preparation or the day before the Jewish Sabbath; and the Sabbath that followed the day of our Lord’s death was one of especial sanctity because it was the Paschal Sabbath. Now it was the cruel Roman custom to leave the bodies of the crucified hanging on their crosses for a length of time, exposed to sun and rain and to the attacks of carrion birds and beasts of prey. But the more humane Jewish Law commanded (as you will see from the concluding paragraph of Deut. xxiii.) that the bodies of executed people should not remain a night upon the tree, but should be taken down and buried the same day. I do not know whether the Romans always respected the Jewish prejudice in this respect: I do not even know whether the Jews asked them in ordinary cases to make this concession to their prejudices. But this was not an ordinary case. It was the Eve of the Passover. And they did not want their city on the day of the great Feast to be defiled by the vision of those three corpses hanging on their crosses. So they went to Pilate and begged that the legs of the crucified might be broken in order to hasten death (for death by crucifixion was a slow and even prolonged agony), and that their bodies might be taken away. In the case of the two robbers this was done; but in the case of Christ it was unnecessary, for death had taken place already, though the soldier to make assurance doubly sure thrust his sword into the Lord’s side, and so drew out that stream of blood and water which by some has been taken as evidence that our Lord died literally of a broken heart.

The Intervention of Joseph.

Now Joseph knew full well what happened to the bodies of crucified criminals, unless friends came forward and by gifts of money to the authorities purchased the privilege of affording them decent burial; he knew that they were cast out as refuse to be devoured by pariah dogs or indecent birds. And so he plucked up courage to intervene just at this point. “When even was now come,” that is, in the space between afternoon and sunset, Joseph took his courage in both hands, went boldly in unto Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. The “boldness” came in here, his preferment of this request meant the open avowal to Pilate and probably also to the Jews, that he was a friend and disciple of Jesus. And that was an avowal which required some pluck for a man in Joseph’s position to make. But he made it. He risked everything and made his request to Pilate.

Pilate’s Compliance.

Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead. He could not believe it was true until he had called the Centurion who was in charge of the execution, and had verified the fact. But when he knew it was even so, “he granted the corpse to Joseph.” The words in this phrase are arresting. The verb translated “grant” means “gave as a free gift.” The word I render “corpse” is also significant. Though used in the New Testament much as we use “body”; it here seems definitely to imply a dead body. Looking at these two words, commentators give two completely opposite accounts of Pilate’s conduct. Fastening on that word corpse Dr Chadwick sees in this another illustration of Pilate’s incurable frivolity. “He gave away the corpse as if it was a worthless thing.” “Take it, I make you a free gift of it.” On the other hand, commentators, emphasising the word “gave freely,” see here again another proof of the deep impression Christ had made upon Pilate. Everything was extraordinary about this person. His bearing at the trial had been extraordinary. His character was extraordinary. Now the manner of death was extraordinary. Pilate was so deeply impressed that for once in a way he forgot to be avaricious; he declined to take the money which it was usual for Governors to demand, and probably was offered by Joseph for the right of taking Christ’s body down and burying it. On the whole I incline to this second explanation. Pilate had been impressed by Christ all the way through. It would be strictly in line with his conduct throughout the trial that he should show this much respect for the dead body of the Man, the like of Whom his eyes had never beheld before, to grant it freely without bribe or price to this honourable councillor when he asked for it. At any rate, Pilate granted the petition of Joseph who immediately hurried back to Calvary, and with reverent hands took the body of Jesus down from the Cross.

The Burial.

Joseph was joined in the sad task, according to St John’s account, by Nicodemus. Together they wrap the Lord’s body in a clean linen cloth, placing the spices, which Nicodemus had brought, in the folds of the linen, as they wrapped it round. There was need for haste, as the Sabbath was swiftly drawing on (for Sabbath, as you remember, always began at sunset on the preceding day). But happily Joseph had a garden near at hand, and in that garden a tomb hewn out of the solid rock, in which Joseph intended that one day his own body should lie. To that garden they hurry with the sacred body; in Joseph’s new tomb they reverently lay it, and then they roll a great stone into the mouth of the tomb.

Now look at the character of Joseph as here revealed.

Joseph looking for the Kingdom.

There are two facts about Joseph upon which the evangelist lays emphasis. He was himself looking for the Kingdom of God; and he was a councillor of honourable estate, that is to say, he was a man of rank and standing in the councils of the nation. Now those two facts in themselves suffice to explain Joseph’s spiritual history. The first explains how he came to be a disciple of Christ at all, and the second explains why it was that for a long time Joseph feared to declare himself, and was content to remain a secret disciple for fear of the Jews. Let us take the first fact to begin with. “He was himself also looking for the Kingdom of God.” In other words Joseph was one of those faithful souls in Palestine who longed for the coming of Messiah and expected His speedy advent. There were in Jerusalem many who belonged to this noble order of expectant souls. While, perhaps, the majority of the people allowed themselves to be absorbed in the business and pleasures of this life, the eyes of these people were always on the watch for the first sign of Messiah’s approach. They watched for Him more eagerly than they who watch for the morning. Now there is a promise that everyone that seeketh findeth. The man who waits and watches for the Lord does not wait and watch in vain. The vision he has watched for comes at length to gladden his eyes and bring peace to his soul. And how did it fare with Joseph? When the first reports about Jesus got noised abroad, they may have stirred strange feelings in Joseph’s soul. I believe, nay, I will go further and say, I am absolutely certain that Joseph journeyed North to see and hear for himself. I am quite sure that he made one in those crowds that hung on his lips; that he was amongst the wondering multitude who beheld His works of mercy upon the blind and lame and the leprous and the possessed; that he was one of those who held that no one could do the works that Jesus did unless God was with Him. Yes, in his soul, Joseph said, “I have found Him of Whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets did write.”

-But Unwilling to leave all for Christ.

But how was it, if what I have been saying is true, that Joseph is not mentioned in the list of Christ’s disciples? How was it that the rulers in Jerusalem were obviously unaware that he had become a friend and disciple of Christ? The answer to these questions is to be found in the second fact about Joseph which the evangelist emphasises. He was one who looked for the Kingdom of God, but he was also a councillor of honourable estate, a man of rank and position, and as Matthew adds, rich into the bargain. All this explains why, though Joseph was sure in his soul that Jesus was the Messiah, he was not to be found in the circle of His disciples, and openly, at any rate, he was not seen in the Lord’s company.

Secret Discipleship.

You remember how Christ, commenting on the departure of the rich young ruler, says, “How hardly,” that is, with what difficulty, “shall they that have riches enter into the Kingdom of God” (x. 23). Joseph’s conduct will serve as a commentary on that word! Had Joseph been a poor man, he would, I believe, have been among Christ’s open and avowed disciples. He might perhaps have been a member of the glorious company of the Apostles. But he was an honourable councillor: he was rich, and he was not willing to pay the price of open discipleship. The Jews had agreed that if any one confessed Christ, he should be put out of the Synagogue; excommunicated, treated as an outcast. And Joseph, the honourable councillor, was not prepared to make that sacrifice. He had not got to the point when he was ready to count all things but loss for Christ. And so he was a disciple, but secretly, for fear of the Jews.

-Its Failure.

Can a man be a secret disciple? They try to be. There are plenty of timid, trembling souls who really love the Lord, and yet are afraid to declare their love. But in the long run, no man can be a secret disciple. A man came to his minister once and asked him, “Can I be a disciple of Jesus without anybody knowing it?” “No,” replied his minister, “whoever wants to be in partnership with Christ, must write his name upon the sign-board.” The attempt to be a secret disciple is trying to get the Crown without the Cross, to get the palm without the dust, to get the reward of discipleship without paying the price. As a matter of fact, it cannot be done, for at least two reasons. If a man is a disciple, the fact will reveal itself. The Christian character does not need a label to make it known. “How can a man be concealed?” cries Emerson. Character evermore declares itself. No, it is impossible for a man to conceal himself. And it is certainly impossible for a Christian man to conceal himself. If the love of Christ is in a man’s heart, it will reveal itself in word and act and life. “They took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus,” it is said of Peter and John. And if we have really been with Jesus, all the world will know. Discipleship, if it is real, simply cannot be kept secret. Moreover, Jesus refuses to acknowledge the secret disciple. He knows that discipleship means suffering and sacrifice. He knows that a big price has to be paid. And He summons men to pay the price, and make the sacrifice. You remember Mazzini’s cry to young Italy, “Come and suffer.” And Christ’s call to man took a similar tone. Christ never for a moment disguised the fact that discipleship was a costly business. But He never hesitated to ask men to pay the cost. But Joseph was not willing to pay the cost. And as I think of him, believing in Christ in his soul and yet clinging to his riches and his honourable councillorship, I begin to tremble for Joseph. For there is another solemn and almost menacing word of the Lord. “Whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words… the Son of Man also shall be ashamed of him when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mar 8:38).

Joseph, the Brave Confessor.

But happily for Joseph, if, at the beginning, his fear overcame his love, in the end his love cast out his fear. And strangely enough it was in the day of our Lord’s shame and defeat that Joseph declared himself. It was when the disciples forsook Him and fled that Joseph came and stood by His side. Upon fine natures danger acts like a call to courage and high resolve. Men who on ordinary days seem hesitant and timid, in days of crisis get nerved to a pitch of daring that knows no shred of fear. When Christ hung on the Cross scorned and dead, Joseph went in boldly unto Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. “He ventured to go in,” for it took courage to do what Joseph did. It took courage to face Pilate, sore as he was after his defeat in the morning. It took courage to concern himself with a dead body at that particular time, for it meant that Joseph would incur defilement and would, therefore, be allowed no participation in the great Paschal celebration. And above everything, it took courage to declare to his fellow-countrymen, to all the members of the council with whom he had been accustomed to associate, in the very hour of their insolence and triumph, that he was a follower and a friend of the Jesus Whom they had crucified.

The Call for Courage.

And still it requires courage to become a disciple of Jesus. Not courage of the sort Joseph showed. It is not the opposition and hate of the outside world we have to fear. Our difficulty comes in dealing with our own appetites and lusts and passions, in crucifying our flesh, in deliberately laying self upon the altar. But even this difficulty can be overcome. We shall have courage even to lay self on the altar if we have Joseph’s passionate and whole-hearted love.

Fuente: The Gospel According to St. Mark: A Devotional Commentary

2

The day before the sab-bath is a general explanation, meaning that every sabbath or holy day is preceded by a preparation day. Whatever manual exercise would be needed in preparing food and other necessary articles for life must be done on these preparation days. The regular Passover came on Friday the fourteenth. Jesus was crucified on the day before, which was the reason for saying this was the preparation.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath.

[The preparation, that is, the day of the sabbath.] You will ask, whether any day going before the sabbath was called the preparation. Among the Hebrews, indeed, it is commonly said the eve of the sabbath. But be it granted; whence is it called the preparation? Either that they prepared themselves for the sabbath; or rather, that they prepared provisions to be eaten on the sabbath; and that by the law, “On the sixth day they shall prepare, etc. Whatsoever ye will bake, bake today; and whatsoever ye will seethe, seethe today,” etc. Exo 16:5; Exo 16:23. Hence preparation is a very usual word with them in this sense “a common day prepares for the sabbath, and a common day prepares for a feast day.” “But those reasons do not hold good to forbid the preparation; while as yet there remains much of the day”: preparation.

But you will say, If a feast day prepares not for the sabbath (which Maimonides saith), such an interpretation will not suit with the words which we are now handling, that it should be called the preparation; in respect of provisions prepared for the sabbath on that day. Let the masters themselves answer.

“On a feast day, which happens on the sabbath eve; let not a man in the beginning seethe food after the feast day for the sabbath day, but let him seethe for the feast day, and if any remain, let it be reserved for the sabbath. But (according to the letter, Let him make a boiling; but the sense is) Let him prepare food on the eve of the feast day, and let him depend upon it for the sabbath. The school of Shammai saith, a twofold food; that of Hillel saith, One food.”

Maimonides speaks plainer: “On a feast day that falls in with a sabbath even, they do not bake nor seethe on the feast day what they eat on the sabbath.” And this prohibition is from the words of the scribes: namely, That none seethe on a feast day for a common day; for this is arguing from the greater to the less; if a man seethe not for the sabbath day, much less for a common day. But if he provides food on the eve of the feast day, on which he may depend; then if he bake or seethe on the feast day for the sabbath, it is permitted: and that on which he depends is called the mixing of food. And why is it called mixing [a mingling together]? Namely, as that mixing which they make concerning the courts or the vestries on the sabbath eve is for acknowledgment, that is, that they should not think that it is lawful to carry any thing from place to place on the sabbath; so this food is for acknowledgment and remembrance, that they should not think or imagine that it is lawful to bake any thing on a feast day which is not eaten that day: therefore this food is called the mixing of food.

Of the mixing of courts; we speak 1Co 10:16. The sum of the matter is this, many families dwelt by one common court. Now therefore when it was not lawful to carry out any thing on the sabbath from a place which was of one right and condition, to a place which was of another; therefore it was not lawful for any one of those families to carry out any thing out of his house into the court joining to his door, and on the contrary; all partook of the communion and mixture of the right, and that by eating together of that food which was brought together by them all; and then it was lawful. So in this case whereof we are now treating. Since it was not lawful by the canons of the scribes to prepare any food on a feast day for the sabbath that followed on the morrow, and since of necessity something was to be prepared for the sabbath, they mollified the rigour of the canon thus; that first some food should be prepared on the feast day, which was a mixture as it were of right, and depending upon this thus prepared, they might prepare any thing for the morrow sabbath.

Of the mixture of foods; mention occurs in the Talmudists infinite times; and these things which have been spoken concerning them afford not a little light to the clause which we are now handling, and to others where the word preparation occurs; and make those things plainer which we have said concerning the preparation of the Passover; namely, that it denoteth not either the preparation of the Paschal lamb, nor the preparation of the people to eat the lamb; but the preparation of meats to be eaten in the Passover week. Nor in this place, if it be applied to the sabbath, doth it denote any other thing than the preparation of food for the sabbath now approaching. So that that day wherein Christ was crucified was a double preparation in the double sense alleged: namely, the whole day, but especially from the third hour, was the preparation of the Passover; or of the whole week following; and the evening of the day was the preparation of the sabbath following on the morrow.

Of that sabbath John saith, which we cannot let pass, that the day of that sabbath was a great day; Joh 19:31. For it was the day of the people’s appearance in the Temple; it was the day of the offering of the sheaf of firstfruits: and I ask, whether before that day Christ’s persecutors had offered their Chagigahs?

Fuente: Lightfoot Commentary Gospels

Mar 15:42. The Preparation. Comp. Mat 27:62.

The day before the Sabbath, i.e., Friday. Joseph and the Jews (Joh 19:31) desired that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath. The Sabbath of the festival week was, as usual in such cases, a high day (Joh 19:31).

Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament

The circumstances of our Lord’s funeral, and honourable interment in the grave, are here recorded by the evangelist; such a funeral as never was since graves were first digged.

Where observe, 1. Our Lord’s body must be begged before it could be buried; the dead bodies of malefactors being in the power, and at the disposal of the judge. Pilate grants it, and accordingly the dead body is taken down, wrapped in fine linen, and prepared for the sepulchre.

Observe, 2. The person that bestows this honourable burial upon our Saviour, Joseph of Arimathea; a disciple no doubt, though he did not make a public and open profession; a worthy, though a close disciple.

Grace doth not always make a public and open shew where it is; as there is much secret riches in the bowels of the earth, which no eye ever saw, so there is much grace in the hearts of some Christians, that the eye of the world takes little notice of. Some gracious persons cannot put forward, and discover themselves, in discourse as others; and yet such weak Christians, as the world counts them, perhaps shall stand their ground when stronger run away.

We read of none of the apostles at Christ’s funeral; fear had chased them away; but Joseph of Arimathea appears boldly: if God strengthens the weak, and leaves the strong to the prevalency of their own fears, The weak shall be as David, the strong as tow.

Observe, 3. The mourners that followed our Saviour’s hearse, namely, the women which came out of Galilee, particularly the two Marys; a very poor train of mourners; the apostles were all scattered, and afraid to own their Lord and Master, either dying or dead. And as our Lord affected no pomp or gallantry in his life, so funeral pomp had been no ways suitable, either to the end or manner of his death. Humiliation was designed in his death, and his burial was the lowest degree of humiliation, therefore might not be pompous.

Observe, 4. The grave or sepulchre where our Lord was buried: it was in a sepulchre hewn out of a rock; in a new sepulchre; in a new sepulchre in a garden.

1. Our Lord was buried in a garden: as by the sin of the first Adam we were driven out of the garden of pleasure, the earthly paradise; so by the sufferings of the second Adam, who lay buried in a garden, we may hope for entrance into the heavenly paradise.

2. It was in a sepulchre hewn out of a rock; that so his enemies might have no occasion to cavil, and say, that his disciples stole him away by secret holes, or unseen passages underground.

3. It was in a new sepulchre, in which never man was laid: lest his adversaries should say, it was some other that was risen, who was buried there before him; or that he arose from the dead by touching some other corpse.

Observe, 5. The manner of our Lord’s funeral; it was hasty, open, and decent; it was performed in haste, by reason of the straits of time; the sabbath was approaching, and they lay all business aside to prepare for that.

Learn hence, How much it is our duty to dispatch our worldly business, as early as we can, towards the end of the week, that we may be the better prepared to sanctify the Lord’s day, if we live to enjoy it. Hence it is that we are called upon to remember that day before it comes, and to sanctify it when it is come.

Again, Thae Lord was buried openly, as well as hastily; all persons had liberty to be spectators, lest any should object the there was deceit and fraud used in or about our Saviour’s burial; yet was he also interred decently, his holy body being wrapped in fine linen and perfumed with spices, according to the Jewish custom.

Observe, 6. The reasons why our Lord was buried, seeing he was to rise again in as short a time as other men lie by the walls; and had his body remained a thousand years unburied, it would have seen no corruption, having never been tainted with sin. Sin is the cause of the body’s corruption; it is sin that makes our bodies stink worse than carrion when they are dead. A funeral then was not necessary for they Christ’s body upon the same account as it was necessary for ours.

But, 1. Our Lord was buried to declare the certainty of his death, and the reality of his resurrection; and for this reason did God’s providence order it, that he should be embalmed, to cut off all pretensions; for in this kind of embalming, his mouth, his ears, and his nostrils were all filled with odours and spices, that there could be no latent principle of life in him: his being thus buried then, did demonstrate him to be certainly dead.

2. Christ was buried to fulfil the types and prophecies that went before concerning him. Jonas’s being three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, was a type of Christ’s being three days and three nights in the heart of the earth; yea, the prophet Isaiah, Isa 53:9. declared our Lord’s funeral, and the manner of it, long before he was born; He made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; pointing that by that expression at this tomb of Joseph’s, who was a rich man, and laid him in a tomb designed for himself.

3. He was buried to complete his humiliation; They have brought me to the dust of death, says David, a type of Christ. This was the lowest step he could possibly descend in his abased state; lower he could not be laid, and so low his blessed head must be laid, else he had not been humble to the lowest degree of humiliation.

4. Christ went into the grave that he might conquer death in its own territories and dominions. His victory over the grave causes his saints to triumph and sing, O grave where is thy destruction! Our dear Redeemer has perfumed the bed of the grave by his own lying in it, so that a pillow of down is not so soft to a believer’s head as a pillow of dust.

Observe, lastly, Of what use the doctrine of our Lord’s burial may be unto us his disciples and followers;

1. For instruction. Here were seen the amazing depths of our Lord’s humiliation; from what, and to what, his love brought him; even from the bosom of his Father, to the bosom of the grave. O how doth the depth of his humiliation shew us the sufficiency of his satisfaction, and therein the heinousness of our transgression!

2. For consolation against the fears of death and the grave: the grave received Christ, but could not retain him; death swallowed him up, as the fish did Jonas, but quickly vomited him up again: and so shall it fare with Christ mystical, as it did with Christ personal.

As it was done to the head, so it shall be done to the members: the grave could not long keep him, it shall not always keep us; as his body rested in hope, so shall ours also; and although we see corruption , yet shall we not always lie under the power of corruption. In short, Christ’s lying in the grave has changed and altered the nature of the grave; it was a prison before, a bed of rest now; a loathsome grave before, a perfumed bed now; he whose head is in heaven, need not fear to put his feet into the grave; Awake, and sing, thou that dwellest in the dust, for the enmity of the grave is slain by Christ.

3. For our imitation: let us study and endeavour to be buried with with Christ; in respect of our sins, I mean, Buried with him unto death Rom 6:4.

Our sins should be as a dead body in several respects.

Are dead bodies removed out of the society of men? So should our sins be removed from us.

Do dead bodies in the grave spend and consume by degrees? So should our sins daily.

Will dead bodies grow everyday more and more loathsome to others? So should our sins be to ourselves.

Do dead bodies wax out of memory, and are quite forgotten? So should our sins also, in respect of any delight that we take in remembering of them; we should always remember our sins to our humiliation, but never speak of them with the least delight or satisfaction; for this, in God’s account, is a new commission of them, and lays us under an aggravated guilt and condemnation.

Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament

Mar 15:42-44. And now, &c. , And the evening being now come. The word , answering to evening, is used with some latitude in Scripture. The Jews spoke of two evenings, (see notes on Mat 14:15; Mat 14:23.) It is probably the former of these that is meant here and Mat 27:57; for at six the preparation ended, and the sabbath began, when they were no longer at liberty to be employed in the manner mentioned in the subsequent verses. Therefore, that the bodies might not be hanging on the sabbath day, (or after six that evening,) they were in haste to have them taken down. Joseph, an honourable counsellor A man of character and reputation, and a member of the sanhedrim; who himself waited for the kingdom of God Who expected to see it set up on earth under the Messiah, and to partake of the blessings of it. Observe, reader, those who wait for the kingdom of God, and hope to obtain an interest in the privileges of it, must show it by their forwardness to own Christs cause even then, when it seems to be run down and crushed: came and went in boldly unto Pilate Though he knew such an action must necessarily draw upon him the enmity and contempt of his brethren; and craved the body of Jesus That he might preserve it from further insults, and bestow on it an honourable interment. Probably, as Dr. Doddridge observes, the prodigies attending Christs death, had been the means of awakening this rich and noble senator to greater courage than he had possessed before, and of inducing him thus to stand forth and publicly own his friendship to Jesus in the midst of his greatest infamy; which certainly was a courageous act at such a time, and in such a situation of affairs. And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead For though he had given orders to break the legs of the crucified persons, Joh 19:31-32, he knew that they might live some hours in that condition: and calling the centurion, he asked whether he had been any while dead Whether it was so long since they perceived any sign of life in him, that they might conclude he was actually dead, past recall. It was through the special providence of God, that Pilate was so strict in examining into this matter, that there might be no pretence for saying that he was taken down from the cross and placed in the tomb while he was yet alive; and so for disproving his resurrection. And the reality of his death was so fully determined, that an objection of that kind was never started. Thus the truth of Christ sometimes obtains confirmation even from its enemies.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

CXXXIII.

THE CRUCIFIXION.

Subdivision D.

JESUS FOUND TO BE DEAD. HIS BODY

BURIED AND GUARDED IN THE TOMB.

aMATT. XXVII. 57-66; bMARK XV. 42-47; cLUKE XXIII. 50-56; dJOHN XIX. 31-42.

d31 The Jews therefore, because it was the Preparation, that the bodies should not remain on the cross upon the sabbath (for the day of that sabbath was a high day), asked of Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. [According to rabbinical writing a few hours before the Sabbath were called the Preparation; but afterwards the term was applied to the entire day preceding the Sabbath. The Romans left the bodies of criminals hanging upon the cross until beasts and birds of prey, or putrefaction, removed them. But the Jewish [733] law forbade that a body should hang over night; for a dead body was accursed, and so the day following might be polluted by the curse which attached to it ( Deu 21:23, Jos 8:29, Jos 10:26; Jos. Wars iv. 5. 2). The context suggests that the Jews had grown lax with regard to this law on account of the trouble of obtaining the consent from the Romans required to carry it out. But as the Sabbath in this instance was that of the passover week, and as they were ready enough to do anything to show that Jesus was an extraordinary criminal, they asked Pilate that their law might be observed. Instead of killing the criminals, they broke their legs, which rendered recovery impossible, since putrefaction almost immediately set it.] 32 The soldiers therefore came, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with him: 33 but when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: 34 howbeit one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side [to insure death in case they might be mistaken], and straightway there came out blood and water. 35 And he that hath seen hath borne witness, and his witness is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye also may believe. [Many able men have argued learnedly that this flow of blood and water was evidence that Jesus died of a ruptured, or literally broken, heart; but they confess themselves involved in difficulties, for it is hard to reconcile the idea that Jesus died a voluntary death with the idea that he died of any natural cause whatever. Can anything be at once natural and supernatural? However, John’s asservation that he was an eye-witness of this shows that he attached importance to it. To him the body of Jesus gave evidence that it differed from other dead bodies. We enter with hesitancy the realm of symbolism, knowing how flagrantly it is abused, but we offer this as a suggestion. Jesus died for our sins, and his death was therefore to provide a means for the cleansing of sin. But, under the terms of his gospel, sins are visibly and physically washed away by water, and invisibly and spiritually by blood ( Heb 10:22). Now, since both these means were seen [734] by a faithful witness to issue from the side of our crucified Lord, contrary to the ordinary law and course of nature, we have additional reason to believe that things out of the course of nature, namely, the cleansing of sin, etc., were accomplished by his crucifixion.] 36 For these things came to pass, that the scripture might be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. [ Psa 34:20.] 37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced. [ Zec 12:10. Even after his death divine power went on fulfilling the prophecies concerning Jesus. He hangs upon the cross as one of a group of three, yet, in the twinkling of an eye, he is separated from the other two by the fulfillment of a brace of prophecies which point him out as the chosen of God.] 38 And after these things bwhen even was now come, because it was the Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, cbehold, athere came a rich man from Arimathaea, ca city of the Jews, anamed Joseph, bof Arimathaea, cwho was a councillor, bof honorable estate, ca good and righteous man 51 (he had not consented to their counsel and deed), bwho also himself was looking for the kingdom of God; awho also himself was Jesus’ disciple: {dbeing a disciple of Jesus,} but secretly for fear of the Jews [ Joh 12:42, Joh 12:43], a58 this man bboldly went in unto Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. dasked of Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus [Joseph’s town has been variously identified with Ramleh in Dan, Ramathaim in Ephraim ( 1Sa 1:1), and Ramah in Benjamin ( Mat 2:18). It was a fulfillment of prophecy that the one who buried Jesus should be rich ( Isa 53:9). It is strange that those who were not afraid to be disciples were afraid to ask for our Lord’s body, yet he who was afraid to be a disciple feared not to do this thing]: b44 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead [instances are cited where men lived one whole week upon the cross, and men rarely died the first day]: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while [735] dead. 45 And when he learned it of the centurion, aThen Pilate bgranted the corpse to Joseph. acommanded it to be given up. dand Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took away his body. 39 And there came also Nicodemus, he who at the first came to him by night [ Joh 3:2], bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. [Myrrh was a resin and the aloe was pulverized wood. Both were aromatic– Psa 45:8.] a59 And Joseph bbought a linen cloth [a sindon–see Act 5:6. The spices were wrapped between the folds of the linen in order to partially embalm the body. Thus two members of the Sanhedrin unite to bury Jesus, each showing his reverence in his own way: Joseph by buying a sindon instead of cheaper cloth, and Nicodemus by a wonderful wealth of spices–twelve hundred ounces. Possibly the heart of Nicodemus smote him for his tardiness in honoring Christ, and he desired to appease his conscience by giving the Lord a royal burial– 2Ch 16:14.] 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden [belonging to Joseph]; and in the garden a {ahis own} new tomb which he had {cthat was bwhich had been} chewn in stone, bout of a {athe} rock: dwherein was never man yet laid. {cwhere never man had yet lain.} [To the sindon Joseph adds the honor of a burial in his own tomb. The unused state of the tomb is mentioned to show that there is no shadow of doubt as to whose resurrection opened it.] 54 And it was the day of the Preparation, and the sabbath drew on. d42 There then because of the Jews’ Preparation (for the tomb was nigh at hand) they laid Jesus. aand he rolled a great stone to {bagainst} the door of the tomb. aand departed. c55 And the [736] women, who had come with him out of Galilee, followed after, and beheld the tomb, and how his body was laid. a61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, bthe mother of Joses asitting over against the sepulchre. cand beheld the tomb, bwhere cand how his body was laid. 56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. And on the sabbath they rested according to the commandment. [As Jesus died about three o’clock in the afternoon, and as all work had to stop at sunset, which was the beginning of the Sabbath, Joseph was much hurried in his efforts to bury Jesus. The context, therefore, shows that our Lord was not completely embalmed by him. The body of Jesus might have been kept elsewhere until after the Sabbath; but because the tomb was near it appears to have been used temporarily, and the preparation of spices by the women shows that even that part of the burial was not, in their estimation, completed. This unfinished burial led the women back to the tomb early on the first day of the week, and thus brought to the disciples the glad news of the resurrection without any needless delay.] a62 Now on the morrow, which is the day after the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together unto Pilate [This was not the whole Sanhedrin, but members of it. When did they come to Pilate? Meyer, Cook, etc., say that the Greek word translated “morrow” precludes any other idea than it was after daylight Saturday morning, but Michaelis, Paulus, Kuinoel, etc., say that they came Friday night, and we think their view is correct. The word translated “morrow” also means “the next day.” As the Jewish day began at sunset, we know of no other Greek adverb by which Matthew could have expressed the beginning of a day. Had it been the Sabbath morning there is no reason why Matthew should not have said so. By mentioning, instead, the Preparation, he draws the mind back to what we would call Friday night. It is highly improbable that the Jews would leave the tomb of Jesus unguarded for one whole night. Their gathering thus to Pilate in the shades of evening presents a gruesome picture], 63 saying, Sir, we remember [737] that that deceiver said while he was yet alive, After three days I rise again. [For this saying, see Luk 23:48), and judging the disciples of Jesus by themselves–full of all subtlety and cunning–they grasped at once the idea that the disciples could make a great stir among the people by stealing the body and proclaiming the predicted resurrection. The apostles, on the other hand, when the actual resurrection had taken place, did not learn for fifty days what use to make of it, thus showing they could not have planned a pretended resurrection.] 65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a guard [The Greek here may be the indicative or the imperative; it is clearly the latter. If the Jews had possessed a guard, they would not have asked for one. Pilate consents to their request by saying, “Have ye a guard:” thereby fully sanctioning their idea]: go, make it as sure as ye can. 66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, the guard being with them. [They sealed the stone by drawing a string or tape across it and fastening the ends with wax or clay to the surface of the rock on either side. If either seals were broken, that fact would show that the tomb was entered from without.] [738]

[FFG 733-738]

Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)

THE INTERMENT

Mat 27:57-61; Mar 15:42-47; Luk 23:50-56; Joh 19:31-42. Then the Jews, in order that the bodies may not remain on the cross on the Sabbath, since it was the preparation (for the day of that Sabbath was great), asked Pilate that they may break their legs, and take them down. Then the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first, and the other one who had been crucified along with him. It seems that the soldiers had a veneration for Jesus, as they passed Him by after breaking the legs of the one, going on to the third, and returning to Him, as He was in the middle. And having come to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs; but one of the soldiers pierced His side with his spear, and blood and water immediately came out. Roman law was terribly rigid, taking the life of a soldier for apparently trivial delinquency in duty. Hence the soldier felt it important to be sure that He was dead before he consented to intermit the verification of the order given to break their legs. Consequently he plunged the spear into His heart, thus making sure that He was dead. The Bible is a wonderful book, never relaxing its ipse dixit. If you are going up to heaven to live with Jesus, you must walk in His footprints by way of Gethsemane, the judgment-hall, and Calvary. This wicked world will plunge the spear of ridicule, contempt, and persecution into your side. Jesus died so dead that He did not feel this awful cruelty. Lord, help us to do likewise! Let me die so dead

That no desire shall rise To pass for good or great or wise, In any but my Saviors eyes.

The entire constituency of salvation came out of the Saviors side in the blood and the water. The blood redeems and sanctifies; the water regenerates, nourishes, and purifies. Hence you have the true works of grace represented by the water and the blood.

Let the water and the blood, From Thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure:

Save from wrath, and make me pure.

O what a pity the millions run after the priests, who at best are nothing but saved sinners, forgetting that they need nothing but the blood and water flowing out of the Saviors side! Then fly for a sale retreat in His clefted side.

And the one having seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he speaks the truth, in order that you may believe. You see from this that John was an eye-witness of all he wrote in his Gospel. The same is true of Matthew; while Mark is believed to have served Peter as an amanuensis, receiving his narrative from the senior apostle; Luke being the amanuensis of Paul. Hence the literary culture manifested in the latter, and the straight, solid, flinty truth in the former.

Luk 23:54. And it was the preparation day, and the Sabbath drawing nigh. Vv. 50-52: Behold, a man by name Joseph, being a senator, a good and righteous man, who was not consenting unto their counsel and deed, from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who also himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; he, having come to Pilate, begged the body of Jesus.

Mar 15:44-46 : And Pilate was astonished if He was already dead, and calling a centurion, asked him if He were dead a long time. And learning from the centurion, he delivered the body to Joseph. And purchasing linen, and taking Him down, he wrapped Him in the linen, and placed Him in a sepulcher which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone to the door of the sepulcher. Mat 27:59-60 : And Joseph taking the body, wrapped it in clean linen, and placed it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. and rolling a great stone to the door of the sepulcher, departed. Luk 23:53 : And taking it [the body] down , he wrapped it in linen, and placed it in a hewn sepulcher, where no one had ever been laid. Joh 19:38-42 : After these things, Joseph from Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, and having been concealed on account of the fear of the Jews, requested Pilate that he may take the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted him. Then he came, and took the body of Jesus. And Nieodemus also, the one having in the first place come to Jesus by night [John 3], came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about one hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and wrapped it in the linen, along with the aromatics, as it is customary to the Jews to embalm. And in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new sepulcher in which no one was yet deposited. Then they placed Jesus there on account of the preparation of the Jews, because the sepulcher was nigh. Luk 23:55-56 : And the women following along, who had come with Him from Galilee, saw the sepulcher, and where His body, was placed; and turning away, they prepared aromatics and myrrh; and they kept the Sabbath according to the commandment.

a. Such was the punctilious rigor with which the Jews kept the Sabbath that they postponed the completion of His embalmment till the day of sacred rest had passed away; however, in order to expedite the embalmment as much as possible, they procured the materials on Friday evening, so that, all things being ready, they may proceed at the early dawn of the incoming week, and perfect the work begun on the preceding Friday by Nicodemus and Joseph.

b. I passed through the city of Ramlah, in the Plain of Sharon, on the road from Jerusalem to Joppa. Though, like other cities in that land, it went into utter desolation, in the last few years it has been colonized by Jews, who have made it very prosperous, like all of their colonies in that land. It now contains eleven thousand inhabitants, and is growing rapidly. This is said to be the ancient home of Nicodemus and Joseph, by whose kindness our Savior received a royal interment. John says they were secret disciples of Jesus on account of the fear of the Jews. This is an instance in which we see the power of death signally revealed, as these two great and good men never publicly confessed Him during His life, but when they saw Him die, covered with shame and popular contempt, calumniated as a malefactor (and not only executed in the most disgraceful method, such as hanging in this country, but, in order to augment His ignominy, actually crucifying Him between two robbers, thus proclaiming to the world His identity with the worst criminals), they became more courageous than ever before, coming out boldly, and Joseph furnished a valuable new sepulcher, hewn out of the great, precipitous rock at the base of Mount Calvary, and Nicodemus brought one hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes, both very costly, and especially the former, which was not native in Palestine, but transported from Arabia Felix; and the latter, though indigenous, was rare and costly. Thus these two wealthy theologians actually favored Him with a royal interment. This courageous public intervention on the part of these men, who were so prominent in the Theocracy, really warrants the conclusion that their faith had received a wonderful impetus during those memorable hours when the powers of darkness dominated earth and hell, and heaven veiled her face in sable night rather than behold the awful tragedy. If the trend of things at that time had continued, both of these men would have been executed as accomplices in the treason, heresy, and imposture with which Jesus was charged.

c. Down at the base of the skull-shaped summit on which our Lord was crucified, as here specified, there is a garden, and in it there is a sepulcher hewn out in the perpendicular rock, really constituting a part of Mount Calvary; and in that sepulcher there are three tombs, cut out in the solid stone. As it is said that the tomb in which they deposited the body of Jesus was new, no one ever having been laid in it, therefore we conclude that the one of these three which looks newest was the identical tomb in which the body of our Lord was laid. As this is the only sepulcher in that garden, we conclude that it is the identical one honored by containing the crucified body of our Lord.

d. The fine linen with which He was wrapped was made in Egypt, and used by kings for underwear, the Tyrian purple constituting their external robes. Thus we see our Lord received a royal burial in every respect. O how contrastive with His humble and lowly life, having no temporal estate, no money, no living, no home, not as much as a place to lay His head, thus vividly symbolizing the glorious victory won by His expiatory death, and at the same time adumbrating His brilliant royalty in His second coming!

Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament

Mar 15:42-47. The Burial of Jesus.Deu 21:23 enjoined the burial of dead criminals before nightfall (cf. Josephus, Wars, IV, v.2). The day of the Crucifixion being the preparation for the Sabbath, i.e. Friday, the carrying out of the law was doubly desirable. It required courage to approach Pilate, but Joseph of Arimatha enjoyed sufficient distinction to venture. Pilate granted him the corpse (the brutal technical word is used). Joseph hastily placed the body in a rock-tomb, the characteristic mode of burial at that time and place. The stone which covered the entrance to the tomb was a protection against wild beasts and thieves (Menzies). The women marked the spot and prepared to render the last offices of love.

Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible

Verse 42

On the day now called Friday. The Jewish Sabbath was the seventh day of the week.

Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament

The burial of Jesus 15:42-47 (cf. Matthew 27:57-66; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:31-42)

The burial of Jesus was an important part of the preaching of the early church (cf. 1Co 15:3-4). It forms a connection between Jesus’ death and His resurrection. More important, it demonstrated the reality of Jesus’ death.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

By evening Mark meant late afternoon. Friday was the day the Jews prepared for their Sabbath observance that began with sundown on Friday. Mark took special pains to explain this for his Gentile readers.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)