My Reflection on Jesus' Honorable Burial That Came Before His Glorious Resurrection
After Good Friday, we have Black Saturday towards the end of Lenten season. Jesus died on a Friday and rose on the third day, Sunday. The burial of Jesus is really hard to believe that it happened the way it did. People who were crucified were usually just thrown out or left to rot as an example to the public. Yet, we can see the slow conversion of people after the mockery. A centurion who participated in the mockery and crucifixion ended up exclaiming, "Truly this man is the Son of God!" in Mark 15:39. Some believe the same centurion who pierced Jesus' side to find out if the latter was dead could be the same centurion in John 19:34. The centurions always checked out if the persons were already dead prior to breaking down the legs.
We read an act done by Joseph of Arimathea who became a secret follower of Jesus. There's a saying you can't keep a secret for long. This was the case of Joseph of Arimathea. A man who secretly followed Jesus out of fear for the Jews was now bearing more fruit. We can read in Matthew 27:57, Mark 15:43, Luke 23:50, and John 19:38 that this man boldly asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Imagine how insane that act must be to request for the body of a man who was crucified. Crucifixion was reserved for the worst of criminals yet Joseph of Arimathea asked for it. Joseph of Arimathea knew Jesus was innocent. Pilate must have thought that this guy must be nuts. Yet, by God's providence, the body was given over to be buried honorably after a wrongful execution was done. John 19:39 also mentions that Nicodemus helped prepare for the burial. It was now a very risky thing as these two were practically betraying the council with what they did. It wasn't a very safe act to give the body of Someone whom the Pharisees considered their enemy a decent burial. I believe a lot of eyebrows were raised at them by their fellow council members and the crowds when they did what they did.
Though, I'd also like to bring an interesting note. On Good Friday, you have the expression of a centurion at the foot of the cross. Matthew 27:54, and Mark 15:39 tell us of a centurion exclaiming "Truly this man is the Son of God." I doubt that the textual criticism in Daniel 3:25. The word Theos is used. The KJV Study Bible declares it unclear if this was an affirmation of genuine faith or merely a pagan appreciation of circumstances. There was a legend that says that this centurion was named Longinus. It's said that this same centurion who pierced the side of Christ soon had his eye healed and became a believer. However, I'd rather not dwell on unverified claims on that one. Luke 23:41 has the same soldier saying, "This man has done nothing wrong." I think this centurion was really converted at that point. None of the apostles mentioned his name. I wonder if his name was really Longinus. If ever, I might have to wait for Heaven to find that out. I would say that such divine grace was bestowed upon this centurion who took part in the mockery when Jesus prayed for His enemies. I believe that this guy must've helped Joseph of Arimathea to get the permit to claim Jesus' body for a decent burial. I believe this guy must've had evidence of Jesus' innocence which didn't qualify the human body to be dumped like the other two.
The hardness of the hearts of men was made manifest during the crucifixion, during the burial, and even during the resurrection. Matthew 27:62-65 has the Pharisees going to Pilate for one request. The Pharisees wanted the tomb to be well-guarded on that Black Saturday. It was because they wanted to make sure that the resurrection wasn't going to happen. Isn't it amazing that the Pharisees were experts of the Old Testament Scripture yet they never saw Jesus as the Messiah? The resurrection happened, they saw evidence of the resurrection yet they decided to bribe the soldiers (Matthew 28:12). However, Roman soldiers caught sleeping on duty were given a rather harsh punishment - they were usually executed by burning. Tampering with the Roman seal could land one in crucifixion. I even heard that some people got crucified upside-down for tampering with the seal. Such harsh punishments would easily dismiss the robbery theory that false intellectuals want to point out. That's why it's very frustrating that even evidence can't break a hardened heart. However, only God can truly break a hardened heart.
The significance of the burial is to show the penalty for sin is death. That's why Jesus had to die. Jesus had to die for the sins of mankind so He can save people from their sins. The tomb was well-prepared from eternity past to show Jesus' honorable burial. Only a crucified man who was innocent deserves such a burial. The tomb itself was going to be occupied on that day. Jesus died on Friday (the first day) and was going to rise again on a Sunday (the third day). The tomb itself was going to be a testament to the Savior's death for the sins of mankind. Jesus' body was in the grave and His spirit was in Hell to pay for the penalty of sins. Jesus was also in Hell to rescue the redeemed stranded in Abraham's bosom and bring them over to Heaven. After that, the tomb was empty on early Sunday morning because He has risen. The tomb served the purpose of showing His death when it was occupied and His resurrection when it was empty with the graveclothes still perfectly intact (Luke 24:12, John 20:5-7). Can a body be stolen with the grave clothes still perfectly intact? The graveclothes still intact showed that Jesus' resurrection indeed happened yet false intellectuals still question it. Only God's supernatural calling can truly put any hardness of heart and mind to rest and believe the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
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