Updated:- Saturday, November 4th, 2023
According to Luke the Good Friday Burial of Jesus Christ
The burial of Jesus Christ is unique. It’s different on a number of diverse fronts.
But mainly where, how, when, who made his funeral arrangements, and the significance of his burial, these are features which stand out
According to Luke, the Beloved Physician, the burial of Jesus Christ happened on a Friday evening.
Joseph made a private and personal request of Pilate for the corpse of Jesus Christ (Luke 23:52). This Roman leader consented to his request and Joseph was happy.
“And [Joseph] took [the body of Jesus] down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a [tomb] that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid” (Luke 23:53).
He writes, “And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on” (Luke 23:54).
Above, “that day” refers to the day that Joseph took the body of Jesus from the cross and buried him.
The Day of Preparation
Therefore, the burial of Jesus happened on the evening of the Day of Preparation.
Matthew’s account of the burial of Jesus is very similar to Luke’s but he provides more details.
He also agrees with Luke that Jesus’ burial occurred on a Friday evening. For he writes, “When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple” (Matthew 27:57).
Note, that he came in the evening and it was Friday.
Since the Day of Preparation is the groundwork for the Sabbath, and that means that’s the day before the Sabbath, and the Sabbath is a Saturday, then it must be a Friday.
But why was Jesus buried?
The Death And Burial of Jesus Christ by Matthew
Next, Apostle Matthew substantiates this claim for us, he writes:
“Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate” (Matthew 27:62).
In the verse above, the Bible doesn’t explicitly tell us that the Chief Priests and the Pharisees visited Pilate on the Sabbath.
But, it provides the same information in an indirect manner. Because Matthew tells us that they visited Pilate on the day following the day of the preparation. That day is the Sabbath.
In this manner, he emphasizes the death and burial of Jesus!
Who Buried Jesus Christ In His Own Tomb?
Owing to the proximity of the Sabbath day, and the late time of the day when Jesus Christ died, there was much urgency in securing quickly a burial place for him.
According to John, “There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand” (John19:42).
So, Joseph and Nicodemus chose the burial place of Jesus Christ for three reasons. First, it was the most convenient place. It was nearby and it was late evening.
So, he buried Jesus in his own tomb for the reason discussed above.
The Burial of Jesus Christ – Did Nicodemus Bury Jesus?
Second, because it was the evening of the Day of Preparation this cave would serve as a temporary grave.
Finally, Joseph chose the burial place of Jesus. He utilized his personal grave that he had prepared proactively for his future funeral. Therefore, Jesus was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea.
No doubt, Nicodemus was surprised when Joseph suggested that they bury Jesus in his own grave.
Subsequently, Joseph “laid [the body of Jesus] in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed” (Matthew 27:60).
The Jews have a simple burial policy. They bury their dead within twenty-four hours from the time of death. This same-day burial is a perpetual Jewish custom.
Who Made Arrangements For The Burial of Jesus?
These two secret disciples of Jesus Christ buried his body in a new tomb.
They are Nicodemus, who came to Jesus by night, and Joseph of Arimathaea.
“Now in the place where [Jesus] was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid” (John 19:41).
Joseph was rich, an honorable counselor, a good man, and just.
Who Requested Jesus’ Body For Burial?
On the other hand, Nicodemus was a Jewish leader.
“And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight” (John 19:39).
Both he and Joseph buried the body of Jesus.
“Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury” (John 19:39-40).
Where is the Burial Place of Jesus?
Jesus was crucified at “the place of a skull”. This is in a Garden in Jerusalem. And in the garden is a cave. Joseph dug that cave for his own burial. And it was in that cavern that he and Nicodemus buried Jesus Christ
“And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified” (Revelation 11:8).
Where was Jesus crucified? According to the Bible, Jesus was crucified and buried in Jerusalem.
What Is The Significance of The Burial of Christ?
5 Reasons the Burial of Jesus is Important
The burial of Jesus Christ is important for a number of reasons. But some of the main ones are the fact that it’s an actual place. You can visit it and see it for yourself. It’s not a fictional destination but a real one.
Secondly, having an actual burial place for Jesus Christ serves as a witness and a testimony of his death. He really died. The Jews didn’t bury him alive.
Many people witnessed that he was buried in the cave in the garden. They saw it. And these witnesses are not followers of Jesus but people from the public. They could testify that he was buried in a cave and these persons were Roman soldiers.
Third, they wouldn’t allow his removal from the cross until they were certain that he was dead. For that reason, a soldier pierced him, (John 19:34).
Finally, the burial of Jesus Christ is significant. It validates his death. Some nations would bury a person alive but not the Jews. And not the Romans!
Therefore, they buried Jesus Christ because he was dead.
Conclusion
According to Luke – What Did Joseph do With the Body of Jesus Before He Buried Him?
The significance of Jesus’ burial is unique because it fulfilled the Scriptures concerning it.
How it transpired and who was involved and where it happened also made it unique.
Many unbelievers still think that the burial of Jesus is a hoax. However, if it were, many, many unconnected people would need to corroborate to pull this off.
The fact of the matter is, that when Joseph and Nicodemus placed Jesus in the former’s grave, it wasn’t intended as a permanent grave.
They only laid him there because of the proximity of the Sabbath, for, the Jews don’t deal with funerals on that day (Luke 23:54).
For that reason, the women went home. There, they “prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56).
The Details of Jesus’ Funeral Fulfilled Scripture
Therefore,
They wanted to ensure that they knew exactly where they laid him. So, they on their return could find him easily.
Therefore, up to the day that they planned to return to the tomb to “prepare” the body of Jesus for burial, they didn’t know what the Scriptures say about his death, burial, and resurrection.
Additionally, because these women from “Galilees” watched from a distance, they were ignorant of what Joseph and Nicodemus had done.
Recall that these two disciples had already prepared the body of Jesus for burial according to Jewish customs. See, John 19:38-40.
But because they were not near to them these women were unaware of what these disciples had done.
Finally, the burial of Jesus proved that he was actually dead.
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