(Text and Audio)
Title: Question, Answer, Application
Matthew 27:59-61
59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. 61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.
Parallels
Mark 15:46-47
46 Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. 47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid.
Luke 23:53-56
53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. 54 That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. 55 And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.
John 19:39-42
39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.
(Pray)
Question: Why were they in such a rush to bury Jesus the day he died. (Many bodies remained on the cross for several days as a reminder to the people and a warning.)
Answer: The next day was the Sabbath, and it would have been unlawful for them to do the work of burying Jesus.
Application: Even in grief and distress, there is great honor and value of keeping the Lord’s commandments. (Think of it this way, are you more or less likely to attend church the day after a loved one dies?)
(Ben, the morning that Dad died.)
Q: Why the linen?
A: Two reasons: It was tradition, but also, the Jews, having a strong belief in the resurrection, wanted the body to be preserved as well as possible so the body was in good shape when the resurrection occurred.
Application: Faith leads to action, even when it’s difficult. James 2:18 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
Q: Was this Joseph’s grave, initially intended for himself?
A: Most likely. Grave’s hewn out of rock were expensive, and honorable graves, and Joseph was rich. This “gift” of a solid rock tomb shows two things: 1. Joseph’s faith was true and sacrificial, he quickly donates a sizable gift so that his savior might have a resting place of honor. 2. The fact that the tomb was solid rock eliminates the conspiracy theories that there was some secret passage where the disciples could have removed the body of Jesus to create a resurrection myth.
Application: There was no conspiracy, Jesus was really dead, and only by supernatural power did he walk from the tomb. This is the basis for our hope.
Q: Who are the two Mary’s?
A:
1. Mary Magdalene: Mary Magdalene (literally translated as Mary the Magdalene or Mary of Magdala or occasionally The Magdalene,) was a Jewish woman who, according to texts included in the New Testament, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers. She is said to have witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Within the four Gospels she is named at least 12 times, more than most of the apostles.
The Gospel of Luke says seven demons had gone out of her, and the longer ending of Mark says Jesus had cast seven demons out of her. She is most prominent in the narrative of the crucifixion of Jesus, at which she was present, and the witness in all four gospels of the empty tomb, which is central to narratives of Jesus’ resurrection. She was also present two days later, immediately following the sabbath, when, according to all four canonical Gospels, she was, either alone or as a member of a group of women, the first to testify to the resurrection of Jesus. John 20 and Mark 16:9 specifically name her as the first person to see Jesus after his resurrection.
2. Mary, the mother of Joses: We are told practically nothing about this particular Mary, save that she was the mother of two children one of whom Jesus chose as an apostle, namely, James. Some writers identify her as “the other Mary”, or as the wife of Cleopas or Alphaeus, or as a sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. We do know that she was one of the women who followed Jesus and, having sufficient wealth, ministered unto Him and His disciples in material things thereby assisting them in their work (Luke 8:2, 3)
Application: To say the least, these two women EXPERIENCED Jesus! Their faith was not based on academic pursuits, but real, life-changing events. We need the same kinds of encounters with Jesus to make our faith REAL.
Q: Nicodemus shows up to help with the burial? Why in the world does ONLY John mention this?
A: Who knows, maybe John was thinking the same thing. Honestly, remember John has a unique perspective. Only John’s gospel records the secret conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus which occurs three years earlier, so perhaps this is John’s way of illustrating that Nicodemus had remained a faithful disciple, despite his role as a Pharisee.
Application: The fact that only John records this fantastic fact does not mean it is any less true. Imagine for a moment how hard it must have been for Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus to keep their faith, given their identities.
Others?
Pray, QA