Bible Study series: John 19:38-42. A rich man, a secret follower, put him in his own tomb.
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Scripture: John 19:38-42
38 Afterwards, Joseph of Arimathea, though a secret disciple because of fear of the Jews, requested that he may remove the body of Jesus. Pilate permitted him. So he went and removed his body. 39 Nicodemus also came—the one who first came to him at night, carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Then they took then body of Jesus and wrapped it strips of linen cloth with the aromatic spices, as it is the custom of the Jews for burial. 41 There was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42 So there, on account of the preparation of the Jews, because the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus. (John 19:38-42)
Comments:
38:
Arimathea: the exact location remains unknown (BTSB on Luke 23:51), but the best guess is Ramathaim, the birthplace of the prophet Samuel, northwest of Lydda (Bruce). You can google these locations.
Joseph was a prominent member of the Jewish council and court (Sanhedrin) (Mark. 15:43). He did not consent to the condemnation of Jesus (Luke 23:51). He was a disciple of Jesus, but only in secret, because he feared the Jewish leadership. Luke 23:50 says that Joseph was a good and righteous man. One way we can know he was good and righteous is that he did not agree with the Sanhedrin’s plot and action to execute Jesus. And he showed kindness to Jesus’s body. Who knows? Maybe Jesus appeared to him after the resurrection and thanked him for his kindness.
In Luke 23:51, Joseph was expecting or waiting for the kingdom of God. This expands the definition of why he was considered a good and righteous man. He probably did not know what the kingdom really was, but he sensed that Jesus was the main source of it. Now what would happen to his kingdom expectation? He may have not considered the resurrection, so his hopes must have crashed and burned. Yet, he had the courage to get the body.
Speaking of courage, he approached Pilate and asked for the body, when the other disciple abandoned him. Pilate must have thought about it. Did the governor shake his head in disappointment that he got involved in the whole sorry “trial”? Or did he just say yes and told Joseph to go? If his heart was softened, then he probably did say something about the recent events. Mark 15:44 says that he asked a centurion whether Jesus had died so quickly. He was amazed when the centurion confirmed it. It usually took two to three days for the crucified man to die.
No doubt, since Joseph was rich and it took more than one man to physically move the body, he had his servants take down the cross and level it on the ground, the lifeless body moving, the head bobbing with the descent of the cross. Then Joseph ordered his servants to unfasten the body by pulling out the spikes.
The rock-hewn tomb was probably specially chosen for Joseph. In any case, no other body was lain there before (see also Luke 23:53). This act of generosity showed extra kindness and respect.
Bruce notes that Roman law handed the body to its next of kin, but not for sedition. Joseph had high enough authority to approach the governor.
39-40:
All four Gospels mention Joseph, but only John’s Gospel mentions Nicodemus coming to help. He had appeared in John 3:1-15, where Jesus told him had had to be born again. Then in 7:50-52, he rebuked the council because they did not give him a chance to to explain his actions. It is good to see two rich and powerful men working together to show kindness. As noted, if Jesus appeared to Joseph to express gratitude, then surely he did the same to Nicodemus, but of course the NT is silent about it. Jesus did appear to five hundred at one time (1 Cor. 15:6). Maybe those two men were there.
Such a huge amount of weight was costly, indicating his wealth. The Roman pound was about 12 ounces or 325 grams. No doubt Nicodemus also had servants to help him. The process was to spread the aromatic spices in powder form on the winding cloth. The men also put it on the body, so that both it and the cloth absorbed them. The Jews did not remove the internal organs, as the Egyptians did.
Why such an elaborate and costly burial? The men must have wanted to give Jesus a royal burial. After all, this inscription said “King of the Jews.” Nicodemus and his partner, Joseph, may have expressed defiance at the mockery and they believed in the truth of the inscription.
41-42:
The two men had to hurry, because Jesus died around 3:00 p.m. (15:00) (Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44). Where was the nearby garden? It was outside the city and is probably under the Church of the Resurrection of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Bruce, comments on vv. 41-42).
Klink also sees a connection with garden here and the first garden in Gen. 2:8-16. He refers us to his comment on 18:1, and I summarized his views there (comment on v. 41).
Further, in ancient literature around the time of the OT, Klink says there is a connection between gardens and kings. Since Jesus is the unique King of kings, of course he must be buried in a garden tomb, where no one had been placed.
1. Jesus was buried. All hope seemed lost. But the resurrection is coming. Have you ever lost hope, but then God restored it to you?
RELATED
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
12. Eyewitness Testimony in John’s Gospel
4. Church Fathers and John’s Gospel
3. Archaeology and John’s Gospel
SOURCES
For the bibliography, click on this link and scroll down to the very bottom:
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 