John 19:38-20:9 The Burial

It was getting close to sunset on Friday.  In a few hours, Passover Sabbath would begin, and missing the Passover meal was something no Jewish believer desired to do.  My commentary wonders therefore, if Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus didn’t spend a considerable amount of time and resources preparing for Jesus’ death.  After all, if they waited until Jesus had died to do anything, they’d most likely have run out of time.  Pilate had to be petitioned to release the body.  A tomb had to be located and purchased, if already hune out of the rock.  There’d certainly not be time to create a new tomb!  Merchants selling the spices to be used in burial would probably be shutting down early to insure that they made it home before sunset, and likely the great influx of people who’d come to Jerusalem for Passover would have greatly depleted supplies.  They may have even transported the spices and aloes to the tomb in anticipation of Jesus’ death once His crucifixion began.

This allowed them to move quickly when Jesus’ actual death occurred.  Nicodemus waited with the body on the cross while Joseph secured permission from Pilate to remove the body for burial.  They’d selected a tomb nearby, allowing them time for a rushed and somewhat incomplete burial preparation.  But in doing this, both men became ritually unclean for the Passover meal by handling a dead body.  It mattered not the least.  They’d just prepared their Savior for burial and secured His body within the tomb.

They’d thought it out, not caring about the risks.  Their reputations didn’t matter.

My commentary also noted that in the phrase secret disciple describing Joseph, the Greek word for secret “is a perfect passive participle and could be translated ‘having been secreted,’ or ‘have been kept secret.’  In other words, Joseph was God’s secret agent in the Sanhedrin!  From the human standpoint, Joseph kept undercover because he feared the Jews, but from the divine standpoint, he was being protected so he could be available to bury the body of Jesus.”

Father, help me to always be ready to tell people about Your Son.  Thank You for giving me the awesome privilege of teaching youth what You want to show them about their Savior.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford