Today, we continue our study of Mark 15 where the Lord Jesus has been crucified on the cross and all of His followers had fled except three women: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the Lord Jesus, and Salome the mother of James and John.
In v.42-43 of today's passage we read, "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."
Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin of Jerusalem. The Sanhedrin was the supreme court of ancient Israel, made up of 70 men and the high priest. Joseph of Arimathea is strategically mentioned by all four gospel writers. Matthew calls him "rich." Luke calls him "righteous" and "just." According to today's passage, he was looking for the kingdom of God to arrive on earth. At some point along the way, Joseph believed in the Lord Jesus as his personal savior. This explains his actions after the Lord Jesus had given up His last breath.
The Sabbath began on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and lasted until Saturday at 6:00 p.m. The Bible tells us the Lord Jesus died at 3:00 in the afternoon. This left only three short hours for the Lord Jesus to be buried within the restrictions of the religious laws of Israel. If the body of the Lord Jesus was to be buried in the proper sense, His burial had to happen rather quickly.
After the death of the Lord Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and requested His body. Normally, the dead bodies of the crucified were buried in mass graves along with the others who were crucified. It is believed that Pilate willingly gave the body of the Lord Jesus to Joseph as a further indication that he believed the Lord Jesus was innocent, since he allowed Him to not be buried with the criminals. And, Joseph buried the Lord Jesus in his family tomb. This family tomb was the last possession of Joseph's family family. Joseph loaned it to the Lord, as was prophesied in Isaiah 53:9. This prophesy was made 700 years before the Lord Jesus was put to death.
It was quite significant that Joseph buried the dead body of the Lord Jesus, because, once he did, he was declared defiled for having touched a dead corpse. The decision he made to bury the Lord Jesus was quite calculated and Joseph lost a lot as a result. In fact, Joseph lost his prominent position on the Sanhedrin. All of this makes sense now since according to the gospel of John Joseph of Arimathea is referred to as a "secret disciple" of the Lord Jesus.
In v.44 of today's passage we read, "Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time."
Pilate marveled that the Lord Jesus was already dead because Roman crucifixion was a method of execution designed to prolong suffering. It was not unusual for those who were crucified to hang on for days or even weeks before they died.
From John's Gospel, we learn the Lord Jesus "gave up His spirit." The significance of this wording is that it shows that the Lord Jesus was in control of the timing of His death. He did not die because His body could take no more punishment or because of blood loss. He died because He decided it was time for Him to die.
According to John's Gospel, another ruling council member, Nicodemus, helped Joseph take the dead body of the Lord down from the cross. Nicodemus brought one hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes, both of which were used in the embalming of the dead for burial.
Along with Joseph of Arimathea, by handling the dead body of the Lord Jesus, Nicodemus lost everything that day. By touching a dead body, both men knowingly made themselves "unclean" according to Numbers 19:11. This, along with helping the cause of the Lord Jesus, resulted in their banishment from the ruling Jewish council.
This is where embracing the Lord Jesus leads us. We lose certain things in this world. But, we gain so much more by losing. We do not earn our rightness with God, but once we have come into His way of thinking, we increasingly view life differently. One might say, we grow in God's wisdom. And, as a result of growing in His wisdom, we value not what the world offers, we value what He offers. The paradox of all paradoxes: they, like we, are co-heirs with the Lord Jesus Himself.
In Romans 8:17 we read, "The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ."
