The life & killing of Jesus Christ (Matthew 27:55-28:1)

The Killing of Jesus

Questions to be answered in this study

1. Why was there such a rush to bury the body of Jesus?
2. What were the three problems that the women faced in making arrangements for the burial of the body of Jesus?
3. Who were the three Mary’s who were present for the crucifixion of Jesus?
4. Who solved all three of the burial problems for the women?
5. Why was it so difficult for the women to find men to help them make arrangements for the burial of Jesus?
6. What was the decision that Joseph was faced with concerning helping the women with the burial of Jesus, and how does it relate to each of us?
7. Although the Bible does not say, what was the probable cost to Joseph by stepping forth to help in the burial of Jesus?
8. Who was the other man who helped Joseph in arranging the burial of Jesus?
9. What was the estimated cost of the tomb where Jesus was buried in today’s money?
10. How do we know that Friday was not the day Jesus died?
11. What is the actual date of the 2000^th anniversary of the resurrection of Jesus?
12. Even though it is not essential that we know the details of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, why is it important that we do?

Introduction

In the previous study, we considered the rush to bury the body of Jesus. Today, we expect an elaborate funeral with an expensive coffin and sometimes hundreds of people attending the memorial service. After His death, the body of Jesus, creator of the universe, was quickly prepared, taken to a borrowed tomb, buried, and then the opening sealed, all in three hours. The reason they prepared the body of Jesus so fast for burial was to meet the deadline to bury the body before sundown at 6:00 PM; this was when Passover ended, and the Sabbath began. On this occasion, the feast of Unleavened Bread started at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, which according to Jewish tradition was the beginning of a new day, Friday, and was counted as a Sabbath since it was the first day of Feast of Unleavened Bread, although it was not the seventh day of the week. The first and last days of the feast were always counted as Sabbaths.

            These Sabbaths were called High Sabbaths to distinguish them from the regular Sabbaths. That meant on this occasion that there were two Sabbaths in a row. Had the burial of the body of Jesus not met the 6:00 PM deadline, it would have been two days before the burial could have taken place, which to the Jews would have been a dishonor. Also, according to Exodus chapter 34, nothing of the Passover lamb was to be left at the end of the Passover; it must be consumed or burnt. The lamb represented Jesus, so it was expected that the body was to be buried and out of sight before 6:00 PM before the beginning of the Sabbath. With the deadline for the burial quickly coming, arrangements for burial had to be made promptly, and there were few disciples available to help; those that were available were primarily women:

Matthew 27:55-56, “And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: 56Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedees children.” 

Women have always played a significant part in carrying out the responsibilities of the church, and it was no different on this occasion when it came to taking care of the burial of Jesus; These women faced three difficult problems: getting the body of Jesus down from the cross, getting permission from the Romans to release the body for burial, and securing a burying place for the body of Jesus. This was a male-dominated culture, so, it was shameful for women to carry out most of the arrangements for the burial of Jesus. According to the gospels, women looked on from a distance as Jesus was crucified, which included the three Mary’s, Mary Magdalene, Mary, Jesus’ mother, and Mary, the mother of the apostle James the Lessor,. Ironically, there was an absence of men to carry out the responsibilities of burial, and at least one or two men needed to volunteer to help take the body of Jesus from the cross, that is, to pull the nails from His hands and feet and to take down His body. Permission from the Romans must also be granted before the body could be taken down from the cross and buried, which was difficult because the Romans preferred that the body rot on the cross for days as a deterrent. Women would not likely have the political clout to convince the Romans to release the body of Jesus for burial. Also, since Jesus had no burial site, someone of means would have to come forward to offer a burial site, so all three of the problems were solved by one man, Joseph of Arimathaea:

Matthew 27:57-61, “When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple: 58He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. 59And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60And laid it 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. 61And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.”

In verse 57, “it is now evening” meaning it is only about an hour before the start of the Sabbath, which in this case would be a High Sabbath beginning on Friday. The body of Jesus is still on the cross, and the women are frantically searching for someone to help get Him down and prepare His body for burial. Those men who were available feared what the Romans would do to them if they stepped forward as a sympathizer of Jesus. The penalty for being a disciple of Jesus could be very costly. The Jews could ostracize their family, and they could lose their livelihood, home, and even their life. At what seems to be the last moment, a remarkable thing happens, a wealthy man comes forward, a man with clout who has much to lose. He offers to help the women. His name is Joseph from Arimathaea, located 21 miles from Jerusalem. We learn from the other gospels that he was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin. He was also a secret disciple of Jesus. His reason for being a secret disciple is unknown; he may have thought that he could do more to serve Jesus that way rather than coming out publicly. But now he must come forth because there is far too much at stake. He was aware of the saying of Jesus and knew he must now abide by it: “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it,” Mark 8:34-35. 

It is dangerous to try to preserve a standing in society and serve the Lord simultaneously; it could mean losing your eternal rewards. A true believer must be willing to lose his life, meaning to lose the comforts, wealth, and achievements that the world seeks in this life and to serve the Lord and gain the rewards of the future life. Each believer must choose their priority to either select the world or follow the Lord; you can’t have both.

Now it comes down to the test for Joseph from Arimathaea, and he chooses to serve Jesus and take the chance of losing everything else. According to Luke, Joseph and the other secret disciple, Nicodemus, had not attended the council the night before when the unanimous vote was taken to kill Jesus. If you wonder why they were not there, it would have upset God’s plan because they would not have voted to condemn Jesus, which could have changed the outcome.

Now Joseph is forced to decide whether he will honor Jesus or serve the world, and each of us is confronted with that same decision. Will we side with the views of the world or follow the values of God’s word? For example, which crowd are we aligned with, those who support abortion and same-sex marriage or stand firmly against it? Do the world’s priorities identify us, or are we standing on the preferences of the Bible? Are we willing to lose the present world to serve the interest of the world to come when Jesus sets up His kingdom on earth? When we choose Jesus and His kingdom, we can expect the present world to turn against us. That is why Jesus said to count the cost of following Him. In the future, it could mean losing your friends, your job, or even your life. While that may not be true in America at this time, it is in many parts of the world.

The Bible does not tell us what Joseph’s decision to honor Jesus cost him. He probably lost his position on the council, the respect of his peers, and his financial support. Joseph knew that he was making a decision that could cost him everything. Isaiah 53:9 tells us that Joseph fulfills prophecy; Isiaih said that Jesus died among criminals and is buried in a rich man’s tomb. When Joseph heard the pleas of the woman, he had to decide to help even if it cost him everything. So, providentially, Joseph comes to the women’s aid in verse 58 and solves all three challenges to bury Jesus before sundown. First, he goes before Pilate and begs for permission to claim the body of Jesus. Only a person in high standing and a member of the Sanhedrin could have persuaded Pilate so easily. 

Joseph, in verse 59, along with Nicodemus, returns to the cross to remove the body of Jesus, and they and the women quickly prepare the body for burial by wrapping it in linen with no time to buy embalming spices. The plan was for the women to come to the tomb after the two days of sabbaths and bring spices for embalming. Although, that would not have been possible since the tomb was sealed by the Romans.

The tomb that my wife Margaret and I visited in Israel, where it is believed the body of Jesus was buried, is hewn out of the side of a steep cleft of solid stone, and it had an entrance area and a separate area for burial. Traditionally, a body was buried in a tomb, and in later years, the bones were retrieved and placed in an ossuary to be kept safely in someone’s home and buried later underground. That tomb that we visited was empty because Jesus was not to stay in a tomb but arose on the third day, giving those of us who believe the assurance that we also shall not be held in the grave but shall be resurrected. 

Tombs were expensive because it was labor intensive to cut out a grave in solid stone, but Joseph was wealthy and able to afford the tomb, which could have cost as much $40,000 in today’s money. Joseph gave up his tomb and risked his career, friends, and possibly his life by stepping forth as a follower of Jesus. Joseph was willing to give up everything to identify with Jesus; what are we willing to give up? Whatever we sacrifice in this life for the Lord will become crowns of glory in the kingdom to come.

In verse 61, Matthew says that the women watched as the body of Jesus was taken to the tomb for burial. They were standing witnesses to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. These women were witnessing the most important features of the gospel, which would become the capstone of Christianity for the following centuries of church history. Thank God for the service of courageous, godly women in the kingdom work of our Lord. Not only were these women present for the crucifixion, but they were also there for the burial, the first to come to the empty tomb on Sunday morning, and the first to see the resurrected Lord, as recorded in chapter 28. It was not the men disciples who were with Jesus for His entire three years of ministry, but these faithful women who were the reliable witnesses that Jesus died, were buried and rose again on the third day. The religious leaders, though unintentionally, authenticated the claims of these women as we read in Matthew 27:62-66: “Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, 63Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. 64Command therefore that the sepulchre is made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. 65Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. 66So they went, and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.”

The chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate on the first Sabbath. They were concerned that the disciples of Jesus might try to fake the resurrection of Jesus; this would be an embarrassment for the Sadducees because they did not believe in a physical resurrection. They believed that believers would only exist in a spiritual form after death. The Pharisees demanded that Pilate place a guard at the tomb, so Pilate, who was no doubt weary with dealing with the religious leaders, agreed and had the tomb sealed and sent guards to stand by it.

There is no Scriptural reason to insist that Friday is the day Jesus died, which is only a tradition; we know that a Friday date for the death of Jesus does not give enough time for Matthew’s prophecy of Jesus spending three days and three nights in the tomb. So, we will look at the first verse of chapter 28, which gives proof that Jesus died on Thursday: 

Matthew 28:1, “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.”

Two Sabbaths had now occurred, the high Sabbath and the regular Sabbath. The double Sabbath ensured the tomb remained undisturbed. God designed it this way so no one would visit the tomb until Jesus rose from the grave, and it also preserved the chain of custody. Two days later, the women returned to the tomb on Sunday, the first day of the week to find the tomb empty.

 Matthew tells us in Matthew 12:40: “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth;” If Jesus died on a Thursday, there are three periods of day and night between Thursday and daybreak on Sunday. Let’s count the days and nights: Jesus is buried on Thursday before 6:00 PM, which would be the first day. Friday begins at 6:00 PM, the first night in the tomb, and the second day begins the next morning. Saturday starts on Friday evening a 6:00 PM, which is the second night in the tomb, and the third day starts the next morning; At 6:00 PM on Saturday, Sunday begins, and the third night and also the night Jesus was resurrected. Since the Gospels tell us Jesus’ grave was empty by daybreak, Sunday is not counted as another day. The women arrive at the tomb at daybreak, and find the tomb empty, which is the subject of our subsequent study. 

           I think that the Bible is clear on what day Jesus died. I’m willing to accept that I was wrong for most of my life because I went along with the traditional Friday as the date, and I don’t think that is a big deal. However, I had rather admit that I was wrong most of my life and agree with what the Bible teaches. Now that we know what the Bible teaches concerning the day Jesus died, is it possible to know the actual date that he arose from the grave? Once again, what does the Bible tell us? First, we know that Jesus was born two years before the death of Herod in 4 BC, according to Matthew 2:1 and Matthew13:16. According to Luke 3:23, Jesus began His ministry at the age of 30. If we count the number of Passovers during the ministry of Jesus, we come up with three, which is the length of the ministry of Jesus. With that information, we can calculate that Jesus died in AD 27 or 28. Now that we know that He died on Thursday, we can determine from the astronomical tables which one of those years had a Passover that began on Wednesday night. According to that information, AD 27 had a Passover that started on Wednesday night, April 9th. That means Jesus died the next day, April 10th, AD 27. We know the resurrection came three days later, which would have been April 13th, AD 27. Therefore, the 2000th anniversary of the resurrection of Jesus will be April 25th, 2027. Is it essential that we know these details? Yes and no; it does not make a difference regarding our commitment to serving the Lord, but it does seem necessary to interpret the Scripture correctly.

Our subsequent study will pick up where the women come to the tomb at daybreak on the first day of the week and find the tomb of Jesus empty. I hope that this study of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus gave you a better understand of these important events than you have ever had before. I thank the Lord often for my privilege of preparing these studies from the gospel of Matthew. It has been a learning experience for me. We are now nearing the end of our study of this great Book of the Bible. I hope it has been a blessing to you as it has been to me.