seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
John 19:38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.[e] 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
e. John 19:39 Or about 34 kilogramsSo it was Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus who wrapped the body.
This is from enduringword.com.
They examined His entire body and found broken pieces of thorn all over the head. They saw His bloody, matted hair; the terrible bruising of the face, the areas of beard pulled out, the dry and cracked lips. They turned the body over to see His shoulders and arms are riddled with splinters; each one was removed with care. The back, from the shoulders down, was a bloody open wound from the terrible scourging suffered before the crucifixion. His hands and feet were smashed and bloodied. On the front – just beneath the rib cage – there was a gaping wound made from the spear thrust that confirmed His death. Worst of it all were the eyes that did not open; the voice that did not speak.
As these two men did this – men who were experts in the law – they must have known that they were fulfilling prophecy; the prophecy in Isaiah 53:9 that said the Messiah would be with the rich at His death. Here the body of Jesus was, at the hands of two rich men – who customarily would have had a servant do such humble, bloody work. Yet they knew they had to do it themselves.
This burial demonstrated that Jesus was truly dead; it was proof of the glory of the coming resurrection. No one could tell Joseph of Arimathea or Nicodemus that Jesus did not really die.
A typical tomb of this type had a small entrance and perhaps one or more compartments where bodies were laid out after being somewhat mummified with spices, ointments, and linen strips. Customarily, the Jews left these bodies alone for a few years until they decayed down to the bones, then the bones were placed in a small stone box known as an ossuary. The ossuary remained in the tomb with the remains of other family members.
In which no one had yet been laid: “If they buried him in an old tomb, the Jews would say that he had touched the bones of some prophet or other holy man, and so came to life.” (Spurgeon)
So.... Jesus made it to the tomb. I thought the women wrapped Him in spiced linen.... I guess it was Matthew's story. Maybe the women followed the body to the tomb but they let the men do the heavy lifting and the wrapping. Remember... Jesus was naked.... even His undergarments were taken by the guards. I think it would have been really shameful if only the women had been there to wrap the naked body of the descendant of Jacob [Israel]. Jewish men were always mindful of the clothes they kept their body covered with. They didn't appreciate the naked folly of wrestling like the Greeks. They were a very prudish people by comparison. So I'm glad to notice [this time] that the girls didn't handle His naked body.
The thought just came to me... the two guys who were on the cross at the same time Jesus was there..... must have been Gentiles.
The commentary makes a big deal out of how the descendants of Jacob [Israel] made a big deal out of not letting the bodies of Jewish men hang on the Cross over Passover. It just wasn't done.... but those men were only getting their legs broken when Jesus was already dead. There is no mention of their bodies being preserved in the tomb before 6PM when the Passover Sabbath began.
Jesus told them that they would join Him in Paradise..... but they were left on the Cross for the animals and the birds to feast on over the Passover Sabbath.... so they must have been Gentiles.
One more little note... I now notice, John didn't list Joseph of Arimathea or Nicodemus at the Cross. While I was posting this... I was thinking... how did Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus arrange a meeting with Pilate, take the meeting and get permission in the period from 3PM when Jesus was taken off the Cross and 6PM when these two rich men had to be in their homes for the beginning of Passover Sabbath. According to Mark, that's what happened. Even Pilate was surprised the Messiah died so quickly.
The commentaries noted that only one of the Gospels talked about how the men insisted that the tomb be sealed and a guard was placed at the tomb to make sure some rebel didn't get to the body. He was a political slaughter.... so they had to make sure bandits didn't take the body and then claim the resurrection..... that account is in Matthew.
OK... Yesterday I described the plan as intricate as a plan to get the astronauts and the right place at the right time so they could be slung to the moon or slung back to earth. The plan was laid out by God way back when Eve talked Adam into taking that first bite..... and now it's well underway.It's 6PM on Friday evening.... in Jerusalem. Jesus the Messiah is in the tomb.... the rock has been rolled in front of the tomb.... and he is wrapped in about 100 pounds of linen and herbs. He's been beaten and gouged.... but not broken. He was not embalmed because the Jewish tradition did not call for it. He was alone.
The Mission was on schedule.
