Jesus is Crucified and Buried

INTRO

In Mark 14, Jesus had two words for His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Stay awake.” Three times, Jesus said this, and on the third time, Jesus said, “I am being betrayed.” Then, Judas showed up in the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus was handed over to the authorities.

TEACHING

Mark 15:1-5: As soon as morning came, the chief priests, elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin tied Jesus’ hands and delivered Him to Pilate. When Pilate asked Jesus if He was King of the Jews, Jesus answered, “You have said it” (Matthew 26:25). As the chief priests continued to accuse Jesus of many things, He said nothing more.

Mark 15:6-15: At the festival, Pilate’s custom was to release a prisoner. It came down to two choices: Jesus or Barabbas. The crowd chose to release Barabbas. After the release, Pilate asked, “What do you want me to do with the one you call the King of the Jews?” And the crowd screamed, “Crucify Him!” Pilate wanted to know why, but they shouted again, “Crucify Him!” To satisfy the crowd, Pilate had Jesus flogged and handed Him over to be crucified.

Mark 15:16-20: Three times, Jesus had predicted that He would be killed, buried, and resurrected. In the process, He would be mocked, flogged, and spit on. These verses confirm that Jesus lived out all the prophecies concerning the ways He said He would suffer.

Mark 15:21-32: These verses record the actual Crucifixion of Jesus.

Mark 15:33-41: When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. Jesus was on the cross and died. Remember, Mark 10:45 said that this was Jesus’ end goal. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” Jesus served by giving His life as a ransom for many. As Jesus breathed His last, the crowd tried to understand what had just taken place.

Mark 15:42-43: Now that Jesus was dead, the essential connection between His death and His resurrection was His burial. The Crucifixion actually took place on Friday, which is why we call it Good Friday. It was now evening, so the Sabbath had begun. Joseph of Arimathea boldly asked Pilate for Jesus’ body. Arimathea was a town about 20 miles northwest of Jerusalem. Joseph was a well-known, prominent member of the Sanhedrin, which was known for wanting to get rid of Jesus.

Go back to Mark 15:1 where the chief priests, elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin arrested Jesus and handed Him over to Pilate. Was Joseph a part of this? John 19:38 revealed that Joseph “was a disciple of Jesus—but secretly because of his fear of the Jews.” Luke 23:50-51 says Joseph was a righteous man who had not agreed with the Sanhedrin’s plan to turn Jesus over. Scripture always said Joseph looked forward to the kingdom of God. Why was this important? This dictated his actions in burying Jesus. As a secret disciple of Christ who disagreed with the Sanhedrin’s actions, he boldly approached Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. This took radical courage because going to Pilate indicated he was in alignment with Jesus who was crucified. Joseph was willing to “deny himself, take up his cross, and follow [Jesus]” (Mark 8:34). Joseph was willing to be identified with Jesus and was willing to die in order to receive the body of Jesus.

Mark 15:44-45: Pilate was surprised Jesus was already dead. Pilate asked the centurion if Jesus was already dead because crucifixion was a long, arduous, suffering process. Pilate gave the corpse to Joseph (this is the only time Jesus’ body was described as a corpse). Wessel said that it was also unusual to give the corpse of a person condemned for treason to anyone but a near relative.¹Maybe Pilate knew Jesus wasn’t guilty of treason, so he gave His body to Joseph. Maybe Pilate knew who Jesus really was.

Mark 15:46: Joseph took Jesus down from the cross, wrapped His body in linen, and placed Him in a tomb cut into the rock. Joseph then rolled a stone in place to cover the opening. The Garden Tomb is one of two locations where tradition says Jesus was buried. The tomb has two chambers inside; Jesus’ body was laid in the inner chamber.

John 19:38-42 says Nicodemus, also a member of the Council, helped Joseph with the burial. (In John 3:1-2, Nicodemus had met with Jesus in the evening.) Nicodemus brought about 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes. They wrapped Jesus’ body in linen clothes and aromatic spices according to the customs of the Jews. They laid His body in a tomb, in the garden where no one had ever been placed.

Maybe this was the first time Joseph revealed himself as a follower of Jesus. In John 7:45-50, Nicodemus defended Jesus when the chief priests and Pharisees wanted to know why the temple police hadn’t arrested Jesus. Wiersbe says, “We must not think that these two men suddenly decided to bury Jesus, because what they did demanded much preparation.”²He suggests these men had studied the prophecies in the Scriptures and, “led by the Spirit,” figured out that Jesus would die at Passover. Isaiah prophesied the Messiah would be buried in a rich man’s tomb. Someone had to step up and pursue prophecy. Joseph and Nicodemus did this because they were “looking for the kingdom of God,” had studied Isaiah 53:9, and chose to be part of it. They fulfilled the burial customs of the day. Normally, the body would have been washed, anointed with spices (which Nicodemus brought), wrapped in cloth and bound with burial bandages, and the face covered with a separate cloth. Joseph and Nicodemus served Jesus who, at that point, was a dead body.

Mark 15:47: Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene watched where Jesus’ body was placed. The women who had supported Jesus in His ministry prepared oils and spices to anoint His body after the Sabbath was over. His body wasn’t there, but they were prepared and ready.

What can we learn about serving Jesus from this account?

1. The servants were prepared. They looked forward to the kingdom of God. One theory (unproven) was that they hid in the tomb during the time when the Sanhedrin demanded Jesus’ crucifixion.3
2. They knew the Word. They were familiar with the prophecies of the Old Testament and saw them fulfilled in Jesus’ death.
3. They were bold.
4. They made sacrifices. They were willing to deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow Jesus.
5. They exercised good stewardship. Joseph and Nicodemus were good stewards of their material possessions.
6. They had radical faith.

Joseph and Nicodemus looked forward to the kingdom of God by burying Jesus’ dead body because they believed He was going to live again.

CLOSING

We need to become good stewards of our possessions to prepare for the coming of the King.