Lesson 239:  Friday evening 

Joseph of Arimathea

239.1  Satisfied that Jesus was dead, the chief priests left.  They had other things to do in the temple.  Imagine their shock when they saw the veil torn in half from top to bottom!  

The crowd had left earlier.  Now only the Roman soldiers, and the women, and Jesus' other friends, and John were left on the scene.

239.2  One of Jesus' friends was Joseph of Arimathea.  

Now when evening had come, there was a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.  This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him.  When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.  Matthew 27:57-60 

note:  The prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled.   "And He made His grave ...with the rich in His death."  Isaiah 53:9

239.3  The Bible tells us a lot more about Joseph of Arimathea.  We shall have to take a look, but first notice this...

And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.  Matthew 27:61  

Even death could not, and would not, separate these two women from their Lord!  They would love Him and cling to Him even now.  Surely, Mary Magdalene was one of the leaders of the early Church.  Her story looms large, her testimony even larger!

239.4  Now we return to Joseph of Arimathea.  

We learn from Luke that Joseph of Arimathea was a noble and good man (Luke 23:50),  and from Mark that He was a member of the Great Sanhedrin, in fact he was a prominent member of that council.  Mark also says that Joseph of Arimathea "was himself waiting for the kingdom of God."  (see Mark 15:43  [see also lesson 4a])  Luke says that Joseph of Arimathea had not consented with the decision to kill Jesus, or with that deed.  (Luke 23:51)   Yet, if he had been a disciple of Jesus, it had probably been a secret - till now.  Suddenly he took courage and went to Pilate, craving the body of Jesus.

Pilate gave his approval.  That was the normal courtesy.  The Romans usually let the relatives of the crucified bury their dead.  However, Jesus' relatives were from Nazareth, or Capernaum after they had moved there, so they would have no burial plot in Jerusalem.   But God had made arrangements.

239.5  Joseph of Arimathea took charge.   Getting Jesus' body down off the cross was not an easy task.  It would take at least four men.  It is possible, even likely, that the converted soldiers helped with the job.  Even though Jesus' cross was a short cross they still had to lift that patibulum off of the stipes, then lower the body down.  The nails had to be removed.  Then the body had to be washed.  Joseph took the oversight.  Finally, the body was wrapped in a new linen cloth and laid in Joseph's tomb.  

239.6  There was a problem.  The custom and manner of the Jews was to wrap the body in strips of linen swaddling cloth like a mummy.  As they were doing so they would add many pounds of spices between the strips.  That was not done in this case.  Jesus' body was simply wrapped in a shroud and laid in the tomb.  The Sabbath was almost upon them, they would have to come back after the Sabbath to complete the job of burial.  But it was not to be.

For one thing, Jesus had already been anointed for burial by Mary, the sister of Lazarus.  Nothing more would be needed.  Nevertheless, the women would return to the tomb, after the Sabbath, and find the tomb - empty!

It is marvelous to me to see how God orchestrated everything.  If all of the prophecies of Jesus, death, burial, and resurrection were lined up and read, any man or woman of His day would have said, "Impossible - that will never be."  And they would have been wrong!  

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