April 28 - Burial of Jesus

Matthew 27:57-66

Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man of the Council (the Sanhedrin) who had become a disciple of Jesus, went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  He took it and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, laid it in a new tomb, and rolled a large stone against the entrance. Then he went away.

Site today near Jerusalem - Empty Tomb

It was a Jewish custom that the dead had to be buried before sunset on the day that they died. The next day was the Sabbath and burial or preparation for burial could not be done on the Sabbath.

Even the Pharisees had paid attention to Jesus’ words, His predictions that He would rise again in three days.  They asked Pilate to give orders to make the grave secure.  He said, “You have a guard; go make it as secure as you know how.” So the Pharisee posted Temple guards and put a seal on the grave stone.

The seal only would allow them to see if the stone had been tampered with---it would not keep the stone in place.  There was no power on earth that could keep that stone in place or Jesus in the grave.

Legends from England tell us that Joseph of Arimathea went to tell the people living there, specifically the Jewish people there, that Jesus was the Messiah and that He was raised from the dead. He spent the rest of his life in England, so he never did use that empty tomb near Jerusalem for himself.  If you are interested you can find these stories on the internet. Just Google or Bing.

Lord Jesus, it must have been very dark and cold in that tomb—but you didn’t stay there long. Hosanna!

© 2012 by Mickey M. Hunacek.  All rights reserved.