Audio - The Death and Burial of Christ
Play Audio
MP3 Download (18.9mb)
Palm Sunday
The Death and Burial of Christ
March 16, 2008
TEXT: NKJ Mark 15:42 Now when evening had come, because it was the
Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a
prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming
and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate
marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if
He had been dead for some time. 45 So when he found out from the centurion, he
granted the body to Joseph. 46 Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and
wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of
the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.
NKJ John 19:38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but
secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of
Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. 39
And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a
mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 40 Then they took the body
of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the
Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden,
and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So there they
laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.
NKJ Matthew 27:59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen
cloth, 60 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. 61 And Mary
Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.
NKJ Luke 23:56 Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And
they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.
NKJ Matthew 27:62 On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the
chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, 63 saying, "Sir, we
remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, 'After three days I
will rise.' 64 "Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third
day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people,
'He has risen from the dead.' So the last deception will be worse than the
first." 65 Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go your way, make it as
secure as you know how." 66 So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the
stone and setting the guard.
Our Lord’s burial is described in minute detail—let’s consider some of those
details beginning with the timeline of events—the timing of Jesus arrival in
Jerusalem is not a coincidence—Jesus came to Jerusalem for Passover—a festival
of the Jews, God’s people—God established this feast to remind the Israelites
that God saved their forefathers and set them free from the bondage of slavery
by the Egyptians—for the feast of Passover, the Israelites were to select a
perfect lamb and kill it at a certain time—this was to remind every Jew that God
saved His people from slavery—now Jesus came and will save God’s people from
slavery to sin
When God instituted the Passover—He instructed the Israelites to start a new
calendar
NKJ Exodus 12:1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
saying, 2 "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first
month of the year to you.
This was the start of a new covenant with God—and it would be remembered every
year by God’s people—just as the Hebrews began a new calendar with this first
Passover—they began a walk with God like no one else would ever experience—their
walk ended at the promised land—Christians today begin a new life when they
begin their walk with Jesus—and that walk ends in the promised land of heaven
At the institution of the first Passover—God instructed the Israelites to choose
the lamb of sacrifice—separate it from the world for four days—it must be killed
at exactly 3:00 pm—and the application of the lamb’s blood would protect the
people of God from death
NKJ Exodus 12:3 "Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: 'On the tenth
day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the
house of his father, a lamb for a household. 4 'And if the household is too
small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according
to the number of the persons; according to each man's need you shall make your
count for the lamb. 5 'Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first
year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 'Now you shall keep it
until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the
congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.
Listen to the crowd as Jesus enters Jerusalem in preparation for the
Passover—they recognized Him as a prophet from Nazareth—He is the Lamb of
God—and God’s people—chose Him on the tenth of the first month—just as God
instructed in the Book of Exodus—hear these events of the 10th day of the first
month—first He drove out the money changers—then He healed in the temple—the
people of Israel chose Him—the priests, the scribes, the Pharisees, and the
Jewish Council hated Him—and soon the people who chose Him, will kill Him with
their shouts of free Barabbas and “Crucify Him!”, Crucify Him!”
On the tenth day of the first month—the day after Jesus’ triumphant entry into
Jerusalem—Jesus went into the temple where the Pharisees, scribes, priests, and
the Jewish Council would be—and Jesus presented Himself before the Jewish people
amongst the Jewish spiritual and government leaders—and the people chose Jesus
over the others—so it is that the Lamb of God was selected by the people
NKJ Matthew 21:14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He
healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things
that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to
the Son of David!" they were indignant
Jesus taught with parables as the Pharisees and scribes and the priests plotted
to kill Him—on Thursday, the 13th day of the first month, the disciples prepared
for the Passover feast—and that evening which would be the next day by Jewish
tradition—that is, it would be the fourteenth day of the first month—the day
that the Passover Lamb was to be killed at twilight—Jesus was arrested—and the
trial began—now we must understand that the Jewish day was established by God in
Genesis—God created time and named the light and darkness
NKJ Genesis 1:3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 And
God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the
darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the
evening and the morning were the first day.
So the Jewish tradition of the day was to divide the day into hours—the day
began at 6AM, the hours were counted from that time until night—for example, 9AM
would be the third hour, noon would be the sixth hour, 3PM would be the ninth
hour, and the end of the day would be the twelfth hour which was 6PM—after 6PM
began night which was divided into three watches—6PM until 10 PM was the first
watch—10 PM through 2 AM was the second or middle watch—and 2 AM through 6 AM
was the third watch or morning watch—the book of Exodus tells us the Passover
Lamb shall be killed at twilight—that would be halfway between the heat of the
day, or noon, and the end of the day, 6PM—twilight was 3 PM, the ninth hour, the
time Jesus died on the cross—the time that the Ultimate Sacrifice—the Lamb of
God was killed
NKJ Luke 23:44 Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all
the earth until the ninth hour. 45 Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of
the temple was torn in two. 46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice,
He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.' " Having said this, He
breathed His last.
THE BURIAL OF JESUS
Jesus’ mother, Mary, was not expecting her son to die—and she was not prepared
to bury Him—the body of our Lord would normally be given the burial of the Roman
soldiers—a pauper’s grave next to the site of the crucifixion site—remember, the
crucifixion was reserved for the lowest of criminals—usually these men were poor
and no one would assist with the disposal of the body—many men were left hanging
on the cross until the birds picked their flesh—but that was not God’s plan for
Jesus—God has had a plan from the beginning—listen to the words of the prophet
Isaiah
NKJ Isaiah 53:9 And they made His grave with the wicked -- But with the rich at
His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
Even though the Romans had already prepared the grave for Jesus’ burial, and the
other two malefactors were probably buried in that grave, that was not God’s
plan for Jesus—two secret disciples of Jesus—both members of the Sanhedrin—the
Jewish ruling council—Joseph of Arimathia—a rich man from an area north of
Jerusalem—asked Pilate for Jesus’ body
NKJ Matthew 27:57 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from
Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58
This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded
the body to be given to him.
What do we know about Joseph—he was a member of the Sanhedrin—he was looking for
the kingdom of God
NKJ Mark 15:43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself
waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and
asked for the body of Jesus.
Joseph was a secret disciple of Christ—and he was not the only member of the
Sanhedrin who followed Jesus as the Christ—Joseph and Nicodemus were afraid to
stand up to the Sanhedrin for Jesus a few hours ago—but now they are prepared to
risk their lives to give Jesus a proper burial
NKJ John 19:38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but
secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of
Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. 39
And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a
mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 40 Then they took the body
of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the
Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden,
and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So there they
laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.
Just as God’s Word said—Jesus was buried in the tomb of a rich man—and He was
buried in the custom of the most wealthy of Jews—many other details of Jesus
death—burial—and resurrection are recorded for our learning—and we will consider
them at another time
ALL GLORY BE TO GOD!