GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
MARK 15:42-45
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42 By now it was evening, and since it was Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the Council, who was also himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he had already died. He summoned the centurion and he asked him if he was already dead. 45 And when he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph.
When Israel entered Egypt, he was cared for by his own son, Joseph, who was ruling Egypt in place of Pharaoh through the miraculous hand of God (Genesis 46:29). This fulfilled God’s promise to Israel: “I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes” (Genesis 46:3).
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Joseph, his mother’s fiance, took care of him, and carried him to and from Egypt when they were miraculously warned in dreams that the king of Israel wanted to kill the child. This fulfilled the Scripture, “Out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1).
When Jesus was killed by the leaders of Israel, a believer named Joseph took charge of his body for burial, and gave him his own tomb to lay in. And did not the Scripture say, “He was assigned a grave… with the rich in his death” (Isaiah 53:9)?
So these three men, these three Josephs, took charge of what God had promised, with years separating them. The name Joseph means “He will add” (Genesis 30:24). The very name is a prayer of faith, that God will give and continue to give blessings to his people; all of those who put their trust in Jesus.
So when Jesus’ body remained hanging on the cross, Joseph of Arimathea sent to Pilate the governor to ask permission to take charge of the body of Jesus, just as Moses had taken charge of the body of the first Joseph to carry him back to the Land of Promise (Exodus 13:19). Joseph was in a hurry to get this done because it was Friday afternoon, the day before the Sabbath, or “Preparation day.” Once the sun set, no work could be done by Jews.
Did Joseph understand what had happened in Jesus’ death? Was the doctrine of the vicarious atonement for sin clearly laid out in his mind, so that he was confident that Jesus would soon rise again? It’s doubtful. The disciples didn’t understand. The women didn’t understand. Everyone was so shocked when Jesus rose on Sunday that we can say with confidence that nobody at all fully understood that when he prophesied that he would rise from the dead three days after being crucified, which he said in clear, simple words (Matthew 20:19), that he meant exactly what he said, exactly the way he said it.
Joseph was “waiting for the kingdom of God.” He had been waiting for Jesus to show himself clearly as the Messiah. Perhaps Joseph had expectations like many of the Jews did, that there would be a mighty announcement, or series of announcements, revelations proclaimed and miracles done publicly to prove the point, something like what Moses had done before Pharaoh. And even though Jesus had shown that he is the Messiah, had done public miracles, and had preached the gospel, it still wasn’t enough for many people. So did Joseph want to bury Jesus mostly just out of friendship, with more than a little disappointment? No, there was faith in his heart. He was risking a lot. The possibility that Pilate might refuse him was perhaps minor. The probability was that the Sanhedrin would find out that he was taking possession of the corpse of a man who had been convicted and executed from blasphemy. He was, in a sense, publicly opposing the Council that he himself was a respected member of; even a leader of. The Luthean dogmatician Johann Gerhard speaks across the centuries to Joseph: “Don’t you realize that Pilate will deny it to you, that the high priests will kick you off the Council, that the people will stone you? However, the love of Christ and the inner motivation of the Spirit moves you in such a way that you, heedless of all danger, not only petition Pilate for the body of Christ, but also purchase a linen sheet or funeral shroud.”
Pilate was surprised that Jesus had died. It usually took days for men to die on crosses, two or three days was typical. Jesus had died in just six hours, but all of the intense suffering beforehand must be taken into account, and of course the divine grace of the Son of God willingly laying his life down, without struggling to hang on to life. Pilate had the claim verified, and instead of mocking Joseph or punishing him, he simply let him take charge of the body of Christ. Whatever disaster might have erupted over this request never transpired. Pilate shrugged and said yes, and that was all there was to it. Joseph took possession of the body, which would go in his own new tomb. And this, too, fulfilled the words of Scripture about the Son of God: “His resting place will be honorable” (Isaiah 11:10). According to the Law of Moses, this act of burying Jesus meant that Joseph would forfeit celebrating the rest of Passover week, since “anyone who touches a human bone or a grave will be unclean for seven days” (Numbers 19:16). But he did it willingly, without being forced, without even being asked. He did it out of love. He did it out of faith.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
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Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota
God’s Word for You – Mark 15:42-45 Joseph of Arimathea