I want to invite your attention to a passage that's found in the
27th chapter of Matthew. And I want to begin reading
there in verse 57. Now when the evening had come,
there came a rich man of Arimathea named Joseph who
himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.
This man went to pilate and asked for the body of Jesus,
then pilate commanded the body to be given to him.
When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen,
cloth and laid it in his new tomb, which he had hewn out of a
rock and he rolled a large Stone against the door of the Tomb and
departed. For a little while this morning,
I want to talk on the subject. I was simply entitled buried in
a rich man's tomb and looking at the burial of Jesus Christ.
We are face to face with some astounding truths.
Most people generally understand in are aware of the significance
of the Cross of Christ. And certainly rightfully.
So for, on the cross was the greatest gift ever given on the
cross, the greatest price paid and the greatest.
Device ever made. But when we study about the
crossed it seems as though we want a very hurriedly get the
chapter 28 and get to the good news of the resurrection and you
know admittedly the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single
greatest Miracle the world ever knew because it is that Miracle
of the Resurrection that demonstrates his accomplished
work on the cross. That redeems us and his power
over death, that gives the obedient child of God, hope.
But between the crucifixion and the resurrection, there is a
burial. And, at first, it might seem
like a rather mundane act unnecessary act with little or
no consequence, except what happens on either side.
But really, the burial of Jesus is as spectacular, in many ways
as was his death, and as will be his resurrection.
And so really, I'm saying this, even the burial of Jesus Christ
becomes a testimony To the Lord's.
Kingliness and a testimony to his deity.
Even his burial is proof in fact that he is none other than all
that he claimed to be. And that is the Son of God.
All of these things that I just mentioned to you though, in a
general sense comes to us through the testimony of a man
by the name of Joseph of Arimathea now, just a little
background. Here, there are two key
prophecies that must be fulfilled in the burial of Jesus
Christ. Just one of which is found in
the Old Testament it's found in Isaiah chapter 53 and verse 9.
And let me just say we all know this but the entire chapter of
53 and Isaiah is dedicated to the death of Jesus Christ.
Now remember this, the smaller, the detail, the greater the
impact it has, when it's fulfilled me, give you a little
example. The Bible says that Jesus was
taken from prison and from judgment and somebody might say
in it. What's the big deal?
Isaiah 53 says he was taken from prison and from judgment.
Now the big deal about that is it broke Roman law at the time?
In fact, Roman law at the time provided a two-day interval from
the time that somebody was sentenced to be executed to the
time that they were actually taken to a Roman cross and
mailed there. And the reason for that, that
was Rome's way of the appeal process.
For example, if new testimony can be brought forth in those
two days that this person was innocent, then he would not have
to be crucified. Secondarily, the two-day
interval. Provided a man to get all of his
Affairs in order so that in two days he was going to die on a
Roman cross. But not Jesus.
He was taken from prison and from judgment.
Remember this? The smaller the detailing
prophecy the greater the impact that it has when it's accurately
fulfilled. So in Isaiah chapter 53 and
verse 9. We have this prophecy and they
made his grave with the wicked but with the rich at his death,
because he had no Violence nor was any deceit found in his
mouth? Another translation simply says
this, his grave was to be assigned with wicked men yet.
He was with the rich man in his death.
Now, the grave to be assigned among Wicked, man.
Keep that in the back of your mind.
We're going to get back to that later of where that would have
been. All we know, is there are two
key prophecies that have to be fulfilled.
Number 1 is found in the Old Testament and number two, it's
found by Jesus, Christ himself in Matthew, chapter, 12, and
verse 40. Now you remember they said the
Jesus give us a sign. Show us a magic trick and Jesus
says an evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign.
And he said the only sign that I'm going to give you is the
sign of the prophet. Jonah for as Jonah was three
days and three nights in the belly of that.
Great fish. So shall the son of man be also
Three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Now in order to fulfill prophecy Not only was Jesus did three
days, but he has to be buried. All three days to two
prophecies, Isaiah 53:9, Matthew chapter 12, and verse 40.
And all of this comes to us through the testimony of Joseph
of Arimathea. Alright, now, let's go back to
Matthew chapter 27, let's find out what time it is.
It says they're beginning, their that in the evening was come
that's talking about the early evening of the Jewish day and it
began at 3 p.m. and it went until 6 p.m. incidentally.
The Sabbath would have began at 6 p.m. and would have gone to 6
p.m. the next day. Now, what do we know about the
crucifixion? By way of time?
What we know is in Mark chapter 15, he was crucified the ninth
hour. We find that there was Darkness
over all the Earth from the the third hour.
He was crucified from the sixth hour to the ninth hour.
There was Darkness over all the Earth and what do we know?
We know that Jesus then said, it is finished now, Little side
note here. Don't ever think.
That Jesus was a victim. Jesus was no man's victim.
Jesus was an ultimate Victor. He was thoroughly in control.
Do you remember another gospel account when Jesus is hanging on
the cross? The Bible says, and Jesus
knowing all things to be fulfilled said what he said.
I thirst, you know, if that means Jesus said all these
things have already been fulfilled but there's one final
prophecy that's found that it has to be fulfilled.
And that was, they would give him sour wine or vinegar.
They would dip that sponge. They would Take the hyssop, they
would dip it in the vinegar. They put it to his lips.
And then Jesus said after that, it's finished.
You know, when the Bible says that he bowed his head.
You know what's interesting about that word, bowed his head.
This really shows the ultimate Victorious, savior that we serve
today. When the Bible says that Jesus
said it is finished, he said, father into thy hands.
I commend my spirit. And then the Bible says and he
Hold his head. And somebody might say, well, so
what? He bowed his head.
The word bowed, their literally means to gently willfully.
Pillow, your head. Are you getting the picture just
like Jesus says, no one takes my life.
He says my life, I freely give. Jesus knew all prophecies needed
to be fulfilled. Except one he said, I thirst
that was now fulfilled. He said, father I've done it.
It's finished into thy hands. I commend, I commend my spirit.
And he bowed his head and he died.
We know that it's about 3:00 when Jesus finally dies, but we
find some other things in John chapter, 19, we want to talk
about some things in John chapter 19, what day was it?
Now, I know that there are varying ideas of opinion about
the day that Jesus died. What day did?
He die? 1 John chapter 19.
Beginning there in verse 31. It says, it was the Day of
preparation that work. Preparation comes from the Greek
word, Paris Q&A. And it literally means this, it
literally means the day before the Sabbath.
In fact, it was such a it was such a well-known term that
Paris qaid day, literally became a technical term for Friday.
Now what would the next day? Be the next day would have been
the Sabbath. Let me just say this though.
How about the per day of preparation?
They would have understood about the day of preparation, going
all the way back to Exodus chapter. 16 Jewish people were
instructed to keep the Sabbath and to keep it holy.
And that meant that any preparation for the Sabbath had
to be done on the day before you remember this too.
That even when the Manna was delivered by God for them, they
had to collect enough on Friday to carry them over on Saturday
because they were not permitted to do that.
On Saturday. So in other words, it was a very
well understood De Paris. Q a day, was a day of
preparation for the Sabbath. It became a technical term for
Friday. Now, it wasn't just any old
run-of-the-mill Sabbath. John chapter 19 says it was a
high day. It was a high Sabbath, and we
simply know that to be a Passover Sabbath, all that being
said, then the by Bible says the Jews.
The Jews don't want them hanging on the cross.
The juice, you know, in the gospel accounts, when the Bible
records Jews and a plural sense like that, it's not talking
about the multiplicity of people with Jewish blood running
through their veins, it's not talking about even those that
were proselytes to the Jewish religion when it says Jews, it
is talking about the Hostile leaders.
The Jewish leaders that opposed Christ.
So it's 3:00 Jesus is hanging on the cross.
He's hanging between those two thieves and all of a sudden, the
religious leaders. They don't want their bodies
hanging on the cross and they want their legs to be broken.
One scholar said, they didn't want their bodies to remain in
the cross to spend it in the air right outside their City.
Just north of the temple area on this very special Passover.
Sabbath, you know, basically they were reaching back to a
passage found in Deuteronomy chapter 21 beginning There in
verse 22. It says if a man has committed,
a sin, deserving of death and is put to death and you hang him on
a tree. His body shall not remain
overnight on the tree but you shall surely bury him that day
so that you do not defile, the land, which the Lord your God is
giving you as an inheritance. For he who is hanged is accursed
of God. Now, the Jews, want the legs
broke and now I want to ask you I keep hitting the curtain.
I got to ask you. Have you ever watched
Hollywood's depict meant of the breaking of the legs?
I think all of us. Perhaps have seen something on
television. We've seen something by way of
Hollywood's depict meant of what it was or what it looked like
when they broke the legs of those two thieves, that were
crucified next to Jesus. I'll tell you what I've seen,
I've seen some guy come up like a soldier and he grabs a big old
Mallet. And I've all, I've walked him go
like this and just swing like he's In for the cheap seats and
just come in sideways and break the legs on an angle and that's
it. That's not what they did.
I'm going to apologize for this in advance.
It's very graphic. The word broken means to shiver
to pieces. What they really would do, they
would take a large wooden Mallet and one Roman historian said,
they took that large Mallet and they beat the bones, they beat
the legs until the bones were disintegrated.
I can't even fathom excruciating Agony like that I've had pain in
my life, we've all had physical pain in our life of some degree
of the other. I can't even fathom that they
would beat the legs until their bones were disintegrated.
Now, what was the purpose of breaking the legs?
Well, we know that a person that died on the cross died, by way
of Suffocation. In fact, they lived many times
over a number of days and they would die of Suffocation because
the only way to get air would be to pull on their hands and push
on their feet and get a big breath and then sink back down
again. Incidentally, if you want to
know what kind of what that's like, just go out to a jungle
gym or a pull-up bar, and just grab the bar and hang hang.
All your weight. It's hard to breathe.
You have to do something to your diaphragm.
You got to lift yourself to get a breath.
And can you imagine doing that? But it wasn't a pull-up bar.
It was nails through your hands and through your feet.
To expedite death. The beginning part of the
Expediting of death was the crushing of the legs.
Now, interesting about that, when they broke the first guy's
legs, then they broke the second guys legs, then they came to
Jesus, and they did not break his legs because they said he
was already dead. Now, you know this fulfilled
prophecy and that's really the reason in Psalm 34:20 where it
says he guards all of his bones and not one of them is broken.
Now, I guarantee you the Romans didn't know about Psalm 34 and
if they did, they would've cared.
Don't you see, they're doing exactly as God.
Orchestrated the whole thing. God is the one with the power.
Not these men and they're carrying out God's Will and
they're fulfilling every prophecy.
They didn't break the Lourdes legs because it was prophesied,
that none of his bones would be broken.
Now, all of a sudden, though comes the thrusting of the spear
into the side. Now, interestingly, I've read
about that. You know what they called that
the Romans called that the Deathstroke now stay with me on
this. It was called the Deathstroke.
And what they would do is they would crush the legs.
Then they would take the spear and they would thrust it into
the side and they would pierce the heart Expediting death.
Okay, somebody might say in a way to go away.
If there were going to do that, why'd they crush the legs?
If there were going to expedite death by thrusting, the spear
into the side calling that the Deathstroke.
Why crushed the legs? Well, I don't really know I
wasn't there, but I'll tell you what I've read and in the words
of my late father-in-law, this is free.
I read this, I read that a Roman historian said that when
somebody died on the cross, it was so horrible, not even a
Roman citizen could ever be crucified.
In fact, they literally shuddered to even speak of
crucifixion and all that happened.
It was terrible. It was gruesome, it was awful.
It was painful over a long period of time.
One historian said, the reason for the breaking of the legs,
they crushed the legs. To give them all the pain and
all the agony. All at one time, and then comes
the Deathstroke into the heart and they died.
One historian. Said that, the reason that they
did that is if they just thrust the spear into the side and
administered the Deathstroke, that would be an act.
Out of mercy. And that was not what was
intended. Is that true?
No idea. But it makes sense.
But you know what? They pierced the side of Jesus.
Because it fulfilled prophecy. Zechariah 12 and 10.
They looked on him whom they had pierced.
They crush the legs of the others.
They took the spear and thrust it into the Lord's Side.
And the Bible says that outflowed blood and water now,
Interesting. Why did your how did Jesus die?
I was driving down the road one time and I don't know about you
guys but I sometimes like to tune into the religious programs
and sometimes I do that just for material, see what's being
preached out there and some certain things and there was a
guy and he was pretty proud of his answer.
He's a preacher of some affiliation and there was a
caller that called in and they said how did Jesus died was the
actual cause of death? When Jesus died on the cross.
And the preacher said well it's obvious, it's suffocation.
Yeah, no, it wasn't. That's not how Jesus died.
That's how people died. That's not how Jesus died.
And by the way, he died in six hours.
His life, he freely gave. Now how did he die?
Psalm 69, beginning in verse 20, listen to this.
Reproach has broken my heart. And I am full of heaviness.
I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none.
And for comforters, but I found none.
How do we know this is talking about Jesus, because of verse
20, they also gave me golf for my food and for my thirst they
gave me vinegar to drink. Jesus died of a broken heart.
I read this from a physician and he wrote this about this very
idea. He said it is true that in very,
very rare cases under extreme intense pressure and Trauma the
heart which is a muscle could in fact, rupture and therefore
spill its blood into the pericardium with the limpid
serum and create the blood and water that flowed out of the
side of Jesus. So What do we know?
We know he's dead. We know his legs are not broken.
We know his side was pierced and we know he had a broken heart.
All prophecies fulfilled. All right, guess what?
Somebody now has to take him down from the cross.
And guess what? In order to count this day,
Friday, Paris q a day as one of the days that he was buried to
fulfill prophecy a man by the name of Joseph of Arimathea had
three hours to get that done. Three hours to get it done.
Now, you remember, when I said that his grave was to be
assigned among wicked men, but he would be with the rich in his
death. I told you to hold that in the
back of your thinking in the back of your mind.
And now we're going to talk about what did they actually do
with people that were Wicked, Man, what?
What about those grapes? They were actually taken to a
literal place in the valley of hinnom called gehenna.
The city waste dump and they would take these bodies
interesting, isn't it? And they would throw them on
these open Flames that burned constantly.
He was crucified between two thieves.
His grave was to be assigned at gehenna with those wicked men
but God said it wasn't going to happen.
God said he would be with a rich man in his death.
Incidentally, watch this. His grave was to be assigned at
gehenna, which by the way, is a picture of a name for hell.
The Lake of Fire? Now, watch this, Jesus dies on
the cross. He is our Shepherd.
We follow him. Watch what Jesus does.
Watch what our leader? Did he dies on the cross, he was
buried. He sidestepped gehenna, the city
waste dump and guess we're going to get to do.
If we are baptized into Jesus Christ, washed in the blood of
Jesus and live our lives Faithfully unto death.
Guess what? We're going to get to do.
We're going to get to do what Jesus did sidestep gehenna, and
go to the paradise of God. None of that.
Is an accident. So who's going to care for the
body? Who's going to do that?
The disciples know, they all fled.
They didn't have a clue. Even John doesn't seem to be
around right now. The women, they didn't have the
resources to bury Jesus. All those precious women will
get to them at the very end, but they didn't have any resources
to bury Jesus and also, they're From Galilee it is No Grave
nearby in Jerusalem. Incidentally, going back to
Matthew 27 and 57 where it says there came a rich man.
Joseph of Arimathea, and Luke 23 and 51.
It says Arimathea was a city of the Jews or Judea Galilee was
the city of the Gentiles. Don't you remember in Acts
chapter 2, remember the disciples and Acts chapter 2,
the apostles and X2, they're speaking in tongues, as the
spirit, gave them utterance, what did they say?
Wait a minute aren't all these who speak galilaeans.
They didn't have a grave nearby. Couldn't have been any of them,
but look at the Brilliance of God.
All of a sudden, it was the man that they least expected. it was
a man of Arimathea city of the Jews.
A rich man. Just happened to have a grave
nearby. Listen to this.
What else do we know about him in Mark 1543, he was a Sanhedrin
member and he waited for the kingdom of God and Luke 23 and
fifty. It says he was a good man, it
says he was a just man. The next verse says he did not
consent to condemn Jesus. Matthew 27 and 57 And it said he
was a disciple of Jesus in John 19 and 38, it says he was a
secret disciple for fear of the Jews.
Now, you know, he had a lot to lose.
You know what, I think about those that were in fear of the
Jews, I think about John chapter 9.
And I think about the time, when Jesus healed, a man, that was
born, blind been blind, all of his life and he's there and he's
a beggar now and people are walking on by and the disciples.
They want to know why, and they say they said what, why is he
born blind? He said that they asked Jesus is
that he send his parents in? Jesus teaches a little sermon on
that. Babying, that its name, it's
nobody's fault. But in the end it's going to
glorify. God is going to magnify God In
The End. Okay, a little bit later though.
When the Pharisees were questioning this man and then
they went to his parents, they asked his parents three
questions. They said, is this your son?
Was he born blind? And how is it that?
Now he can see, you know what they said.
Yeah, that's our son. Yes, he was born blind.
And as to how it can see you ask him, he's of age.
And then it says and this they said for fear of the Jews, why?
Because it already had been established.
Wished that if anyone would confess that Jesus was the
Christ, they would be cast out of the synagogue.
That's why Joseph of Arimathea at the time was a secret
disciple of Jesus. He would have lost his Sanhedrin
rights, it would have been the a the end of all of his wealth.
No one would do business with him.
He would lose social status. His family would be alienated
and ostracized, it would be the end of everything.
Now, get this. This secret disciple has to act
quickly, you know, what it says. I love this and he summoned the
courage. You know, there's nothing wrong
with fear. The only thing wrong with fear
is when you let fear win. In fact, there would be no such
thing as courage if there were no such thing as fear.
He was a secret disciple for fear of the Jews.
But what did he do? He summoned the courage.
He summoned the courage to go get the body of Jesus.
Okay, it has to happen before 6 p.m.
So it's going to happen before Friday is over.
Now, maybe you're sitting there and maybe you're saying, wait a
minute, I'm doing the math, I'm doing the math and it's not
coming out. You said, three days and three
nights and it doesn't fit if Jesus was crucified on Friday
and it says, three days. Three nights, it doesn't seem
fit to me. It doesn't work well, the
question is this, when we say three days and three nights, are
we talking about three 24-hour periods?
The answer to that question is No, in fact, the phrase days and
nights was a Jewish colloquial term that meant any part of the
day. In fact, let me just illustrate
it like this. Let's do the math.
Here we go. Friday.
Friday night. Saturday, Saturday night,
Sunday, Sunday night, that doesn't work.
It has him resurrected on Monday that can't work.
So let's do what people do sometimes.
They just was just back it up to Thursday.
Watch this Thursday, Thursday night Friday, Friday night,
Saturday, Saturday night that won't work.
It has him resurrected on the fourth day.
There's two things that have to happen.
It has to be the first day of the week or Sunday and it it has
to be the third day. Now, in Luke chapter 24, we find
it was the third day. Do you remember those disciples?
They're walking along from Jerusalem, to the little village
of Emmaus about seven miles or so.
And Jesus appears before them and Jesus says, what manner of
communication are you, speaking of and are sad and they went on
and said, oh, surely you are stranger from these parts and
don't know the things that have happened.
I love what Jesus says, Jesus is what things and he allows them
to unburden their aching Hearts. Remember that.
Do you remember what they said? We thought he was going to
redeem Israel and then they said and today is what the third day.
What do we find earlier in that chapter chapter 24?
It says it was the first day of the week.
So it was Sunday and it's the third day.
It's not talking about three 24-hour periods.
Matthew 16:24. He would be killed and raised
the third day in chapter 17 and 23.
They shall kill him. And the third day, he shall be
raised so three days and three nights simply referred to a part
of a day and not three 24-hour periods.
Furthermore, The talmud which is a Jewish commentary on tradition
and scripture says a day and night, makes one Ona and any
part of an Ona is as the whole. Let me give you a little example
where you been Frank? The three days.
Will you been? I've been in Columbia, Missouri.
That's where I've been three. 24-hour periods.
Not necessarily. You see, I got on a plane and I
flew there and I arrived about 3 o'clock on a Friday afternoon.
I stayed all night. I got up on Saturday morning and
I stayed all day and all night. I got up on Sunday morning.
I went over to congregation there that have Rice Road
congregation. You know what I worship with
those good folks there and then I got on a plane and I flew home
where you been for three days. I've been in Columbia, Missouri
3, 24 hour period snow a part of all of those days.
Do you see the point in order to fulfill prophecy?
Joseph of Arimathea has to act quickly and get Jesus buried
before. It is 6 p.m. to count Friday as
one of the three days. All right in summary so far.
The Lord got the juice to get their part done.
Pilot did his thing. We now have a rich man that just
so happens to have a grave nearby.
But now, Jesus has to be prepared and on the scene comes
Nicodemus. This is amazing to me and John
chapter 19 and verse 39. When Nicodemus shows up to
prepare the body, he came with a hundred pounds of all of those
fragrant spices. Now, incidentally, the reason
for that, as when Lazarus died member, when Martha said, it's
the, it's been four days for behold, he decays, he's already
stinketh. The King James says, The reason
for that, they didn't in ball. When somebody died, they
prepared the body and buried them.
It was time to prepare the body, they didn't embalm.
They took the fragrant spices and that had to happen.
Now watch this when Nicodemus brought 100 pounds.
I think there's a reason why the Bible says how many pounds that
were brought and how many pounds were used to prepare the body of
Jesus. You know, why you and I read.
Did you know the only time they used 100 pounds when they
prepared a body? The only time is when they
buried a king Crucified like a common Criminal.
Grave to be assigned among Wicked, man, but he would be
with the rich in his death sidestep gehenna.
Buried like the king that he is. And went to the paradise of God.
Now really, who's got the power? Who's really in control?
Who's in control of everything that's happening.
There's one more thing though that we have to notice and that
is who was going to give the eyewitness testimony to the
resurrection. Now, if it was one of the
disciples, it could have perpetuated the lie.
I actually have a sermon called the lie that proves the
resurrection, okay? And we know about the LIE, look
how brilliant God was. He didn't have one of those
disciples being or Die. The apostles being the first
hand eyewitness testimony, he had these precious courageous
women that just couldn't stay away.
They had to go back. And they gave eyewitness
testimony to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
You know, I've wondered what it must have been for them for the
rest of their life. When they finally realize that
it was Jesus, they fell down at his feet and they grabbed this
feet and they worshipped him. I wonder how it must have been
for them for the rest of their life.
Maybe they would have folks come up to them and say, tell us how
it was. What was it?
Like when you first saw the Lord the resurrected Christ for the
rest of their life, these courageous women.
Folks my point in all of this is that God was thoroughly in
control of it all. My point in closing is this
understand that God is Sovereign over everything.
God is always in control. Even in our lives.
He's always in control and make no mistake about it.
Nothing will ever happen in life that God does not, at least
allow. I didn't say God makes bad
things happen to people. I did not say that I'm a say it
again, but nothing happens in life.
That God does not at least allow.
He Sovereign over everything. Now, look at all the stuff that
has to happen. Look at all the prophecies that
have to be fulfilled. Here's my point, if God can take
care of all of that and get all those moving parts and all those
men in the direction that has to be to fulfill all those
prophecies. Don't you think he can take care
of your little stuff? Don't you think he can take care
of our little stuff? He's always in control.
But here's the point. To trust God, it's not a matter
of bending God's will toward yours.
It's a matter of bending your will toward his.
It's a matter of putting your life.
In God's hands in both Time and Eternity, that's what it's
about. He's sovereign.
Over everything. Buried in a rich man's tomb.
The burial of Jesus Christ.