Day 65: Jesus is buried
One day a few years ago, the three of us (Rebecca, Miranda, and Eliza) were driving past a cemetery. Eliza said, “Mummy, isn’t that where all the dead people’s bodies are rotting? That’s gross.” Rebecca replied, “Don’t feel too superior to those dead people because you’ll be dead one day as well, and your body will be rotting away. But if you’ve put your trust in Jesus, one day He will call you out of your grave and give you a resurrection body.”
What day was it when Jesus died (v. 42)?
Instead of counting a day from midnight to midnight like we do, Jewish days ran from sundown to sundown. The Sabbath ran from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. Jews were not allowed to work on the Sabbath, so time was running out that day for Jews to do any work.
What was the name of the man who came to Pilate as evening approached (v. 43)?
What does Mark tell us about Joseph of Arimathea (v. 43)?
Joseph of Arimathea is a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, which had condemned Jesus. John’s gospel tells us that he is “a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders” (John 19:38).
What did Joseph of Arimathea ask Pilate for (v. 43)?
What was Pilate surprised to hear (v. 44)?
What did Pilate do (v. 44)?
What did Pilate do when he’d had it confirmed that Jesus was dead (v. 45)?
Jesus is on the cross for six hours before He dies. Most people who were crucified took longer than that to die. But the Roman centurion would have been a crucifixion expert, and he confirms that Jesus is dead.
What does Joseph of Arimathea do with Jesus’ body (v. 46)?
How was Jesus’ tomb closed up (v. 46)?
Who saw where Jesus’ body had been laid (v. 47)?
Look back at Mark 15:40. What do you notice about the women Mark names as witnesses of Jesus’ death, and who he names as witnesses of Jesus’ burial (v. 47)?
In Jesus’ day, women were not seen as reliable witnesses. But Mark names three women as witnesses of Jesus’ crucifixion, and now he names two of them as witnesses of Jesus’ burial. When the gospel authors give us names, they are usually pointing us to eyewitnesses whose testimony they are drawing from to write their biography of Jesus. Tomorrow, we’ll see why Mark is mentioning these women in particular!
Praise God that Jesus really did die and that His body was buried. Praise Jesus that that can give us hope today, even though we know that one day we will die and be buried as well.