Now we need to look at the accounts of Jesus’ burial. Let me remind you of the timeline. When Jesus let out His last breath and gave up His spirit (John 19:30), it was approximately 3 PM on Wednesday afternoon. The next day (Thursday) was a Sabbath (Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:6) and would have started at 6 PM, in just 3 hours (see Mark 15:42).
Mark 15:43 tells us Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus, as under normal circumstances He would have been buried with criminals. This would not have fulfilled Isaiah 53:9 (see also Matthew 27:57-60). It is also interesting to note that Mark says Joseph “went boldly” to Pilate to ask for the body. Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin and had not consented to their plot to kill Jesus (Luke 23:51). So, this was an act of courage on his part, though it appears he may have at least tried to be discreet about it (see John 19:38). Nonetheless, Joseph was a disciple of Jesus (Matthew 27:57), was a respected member of the council that “waited for the kingdom of God” (Mark 15:43) and was a righteous man (Luke 23:50).
Pilate was surprised that Jesus could be dead already and sent for the centurion to have it confirmed. And when he found that Jesus was, in fact, dead; he gave the body to Joseph. The word “gave” is from doreo, meaning, “made a gift” (compare II Peter 1:3-4, where it is translated “given”). This is important because it tells us Pilate didn’t have to do this, but allowed it as a gesture of good will, further indicating that he really didn’t want Jesus to be crucified as we have already discussed. It also tells us that God always has men in place to fulfill what He has already determined, as both Pilate and Joseph were instrumental in fulfilling Isaiah 53:9.
In John’s account we see that Nicodemus was involved as well (John 19:39). This was the same Nicodemus that came to Jesus secretly in John 3:1. He was also a member of the Sanhedrin and one of the richest men in Israel. His growth is noted in John. In John 7:50-51 he opposed the council as they conspired to kill Jesus. And now he comes openly to assist in Jesus’ burial by contributing 100 pounds of expensive spices (actually “pounds” is from litra, about 12 ounces, so it was more like 75 pounds). Not to minimize what he did, that amount of anointing spices could have cost him as much as $2,000.00, a virtual fortune in those days.
So Jesus’ body was prepared for burial. The common practice was to anoint the body with some of the spices, then wrap it in linen, putting more of the spices in the folds of the linen as it is wrapped around the body. This was vastly different from the Egyptian method of burial, where the internal organs were removed and the body slowly baked, rendering it virtually imperishable, or from the Roman method of ritual cremation.
This brings us to John 19:41-42, “Near the place where Jesus was crucified there was a garden, and in this garden there was a tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. So, because of the impending Jewish day of preparation, and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Him there.” The way John expresses this it seems as though Joseph and Nicodemus may have had other plans, perhaps a better tomb more fitting for the burial of a great prophet, as they considered Jesus to be. But, due to the press of time with the coming Sabbath, they had no choice but to bury Him where they did.
The “place where Jesus was crucified” (Golgotha) was just outside the city on the northwest side. The traditional site of the garden tomb may have been about a half mile north, though this cannot be specifically verified. For centuries now various religious groups have practiced all manner of deception, fraud and superstition regarding the location of this tomb.
And, if you remember, since space inside the city walls was so scarce, many of the more wealthy citizens had private gardens outside the city. These gardens were mostly orchards and were places away from the city where they could go and enjoy times of quiet relaxation. Matthew 27:59-60 tells us the “garden” actually belonged to Joseph. This gives us an easy explanation of how Joseph and Nicodemus knew about the location and availability of the tomb.
There is another aspect of Jesus’ burial we need to look at. This is Matthew 27:61, “And there was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary sitting there opposite the tomb.” The “other Mary” is the mother of James and Joses (Matthew 27:56). Then, when we look at Luke 23:55-56, 24:1, we get a better explanation. “The women who came with Him from Galilee followed (Joseph) and saw the tomb and how His body was laid in it. Then they went back and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. Then on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they went to the tomb, taking with them the spices they had prepared.”
So, from this it is obvious the women had planned to participate in Jesus’ burial, but did not get the opportunity at first. The passage in Luke above tells us they followed Joseph to the tomb and knew where Jesus had been laid. Then they went to prepare spices for His burial, but did not have time to return that day. As already mentioned the next day (beginning at 6 PM) was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a Sabbath.
Then we see what some would call a problem. They didn’t return to the tomb the next day (Friday), which was not a Sabbath. Why? Probably because to observe the Sabbath “according to the commandment” they could not obtain and prepare the spices until Friday and then, again, did not have time to return to the tomb and do what they had planned before the beginning of the next Sabbath, which would have been the regular weekly Sabbath that Saturday at 6 PM. So, they finally returned to the tomb early on the first day of the week (Sunday), three full days and nights since the burial and, as we will see in a later lesson, found the tomb empty!