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Session 13 > Mark 15:42-47; 16:1-8

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Session 13 > Mark 15:42-47; 16:1-8 Session 13 > Mark 15:42-47; 16:1-8 Lives Jesus is alive today, defeating death for all who believe in Him. It might seem unusual to some people, but I enjoy visiting the burial sites of famous people. I have traveled across America and to many different countries in the world, sometimes on vacations and at other times on mission trips. Part of my planning for these trips includes arranging visits, if possible, to historical tombs or gravesites in the area. These included George Washington’s stately tomb at his beloved Mount Vernon home; the chapel in Paris where Napoleon Bonaparte’s remains lie encased in concentric coffins; the mausoleum outside the Kremlin wall in Moscow in which the preserved body of Vladimir Lenin remains on public display; Westminster Abbey in London, the final resting place of numerous British monarchs, poets, and scientists; and the Taj Mahal in India, a dazzling white marble edifice housing the tomb of a seventeenth century emperor’s favorite wife. I have also visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the site many Christians believe was the place where Jesus’ body was buried following the crucifixion. In stark contrast to the many other tombs and burial sites of famous people I have visited, no one at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre speaks of—much less displays—Jesus’ remains. Standing in that sacred space, one is vividly reminded of the angelic announcement long ago: “He has risen! He is not here” (Mark 16:6). This final session in our study of Mark’s Gospel focuses on Jesus’ burial and resurrection. Jesus’ resurrection is essential to the gospel message. Without it, we have no hope for forgiveness of sin or victory over death. Because of it, however, Christ gives eternal life to all who believe in Him. UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT MARK 15:42–16:20 In 15:42-47, Mark described the circumstances of Jesus’ removal from the cross and burial. Because in Jewish reckoning the Sabbath Day began on 130 Explore the Bible © 2019 LifeWay Friday after sundown, Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin and a secret follower of Christ, petitioned the Roman governor for permission to remove Jesus’ body for burial. According to John’s Gospel, Joseph was assisted in this endeavor by Nicodemus, another Jewish leader and secret follower (see John 19:39-40). Together, the two men removed Jesus’ body from the cross, wrapped Him in linen cloth, and placed Him in a nearby cave tomb belonging to Joseph (see Matt. 27:59-60). Mark 16:1-8 is a succinct description of the early events that occurred on Resurrection Sunday. Interestingly, Mark’s Gospel highlights only the group of women who returned to the tomb early in the morning to put spices around Jesus’ body. None of the apostles accompanied the women at this time, a fact that led the women to wonder how they could roll aside the large stone from the tomb’s entrance. To their surprise, the tombstone had already been rolled aside, and the women were met by an angel inside the tomb who informed them Jesus had risen from the dead. The women were instructed to carry the news of Jesus’ resurrection to the disciples and remind them that He would appear to them in Galilee. In their fear, however, the women at first told no one of their experience. The remaining verses of the chapter, Mark 16:9-20, do not appear in some of the earliest known manuscripts of Mark’s Gospel. For the most part, however, these verses include information that appears in one or more of the other Gospel accounts. For example, Mark 16:9-11 reports that the risen Lord appeared first to Mary Magdalene and that the disciples did not believe her testimony at first. This fact is consistent with Matthew 28:9, Luke 24:11, and John 20:14. Similarly, Mark 16:12-13 is consistent with the report in Luke 24:13-35 that Jesus appeared to two disciples walking toward the village of Emmaus. Mark 16:14-18 includes a version of Jesus’ commissioning the disciples to carry the gospel into all the world—the same command found in Matthew 28:19-20 and implied in Luke 24:46-49. Finally, Mark 16:19-20 reports Jesus’ ascension, an event reported also in Luke 24:50-52 (see also Acts 1:9-11). EXPLORE THE TEXT BURIED (Mark 15:42-47) After Jesus’ death, Joseph of Arimathea requested permission from Pilate to bury Jesus. When he confirmed Jesus’ death, Pilate gave Joseph permission to remove and bury Jesus’ body. Joseph wrapped the body in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb as Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses watched. Session 13: Lives 131 © 2019 LifeWay VERSES 42-43 When it was already evening, because it was the day of preparation (that is, the day before the Sabbath), Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Sanhedrin who was himself looking forward to the kingdom of God, came and boldly went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’s body. As mentioned previously, first-century Jews reckoned a day as going from sunset to sunset. Thus, the wordsit was already evening indicate that a succeeding day was about to begin. Long-held Christian tradition contends that Jesus was crucified on a Friday, which for Jews would have been the day of preparation for the Sabbath (Saturday). On the day of preparation, Jewish families did all of the work that was necessary to carry them through without working on the Sabbath—from sunset on Friday until sunset on Saturday. Jesus had already died (see 15:37), but His body still hung on the cross. As far as the Roman government was concerned, the bodies of crucified victims remained on their crosses until they decomposed or scavenging birds and animals devoured them. Mosaic law, however, prohibited leaving an executed criminal’s body hanging on a tree overnight (see Deut. 21:22-23). Leaving Jesus’ body unburied and hanging on the cross on the Sabbath would have been particularly egregious. Yet, who would step forward to take care of this task? And would the Roman governor even allow it? Jewish families typically had the responsibility of burying their dead family members. It is extremely unlikely, however, that Jesus’ mother could have approached, much less persuaded, the Roman governor to release Jesus’ body. The task thus fell to Joseph of Arimathea [ar ih muh THEE uh], a prominent member of the Sanhedrin [san HEE drihn]. The Sanhedrin was a first-century Jewish ruling council, in effect the supreme court of Jewish society. Comprised of seventy influential Jewish leaders and led by the temple’s powerful high priest, the Sanhedrin operated under the authority of the Roman governor but generally with wide latitude for decisions involving Jewish cultural practices. Sometimes referred to as “the elders,” the Sanhedrin was directly involved in the conspiracy to destroy Jesus (see Mark 8:31; 11:27-28). The council concluded that Jesus was guilty of blasphemy and deserving of death (see 14:63-64), yet they needed the Roman authorities to actually carry out the execution (see John 18:28-32). Why would Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the council that condemned Jesus to death, now step forward to request Jesus’ body for burial? First, Joseph was looking forward to the kingdom of God. That is, he lived in anticipation that God would send the Messiah to establish His divine rule over God’s people. In this regard, Joseph was keenly aware that Jesus’ 132 Explore the Bible © 2019 LifeWay preaching had focused on the nature and nearness of God’s kingdom (see Mark 1:14-15). Second, Joseph was secretly a follower of Jesus (see John 19:38) “who had not agreed with [the Sanhedrin’s] plan and action” (Luke 23:51). Third, Joseph may have been determined to be obedient to God’s law in Deuteronomy 21:22-23. These factors thus motivated him to boldly approach Pilate, the Roman governor who had authorized Jesus’ execution, to request the body for burial. VERSES 44-45 Pilate was surprised that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had already died. When he found out from the centurion, he gave the corpse to Joseph. By design, death by crucifixion came slowly and painfully; victims could hang for several days before succumbing to total exhaustion and suffocation. There were ways to hasten a victim’s death, such as by breaking the legs, but Jesus had already died before the execution squad could inflict this fatal remedy on Him. Even so, one of the soldiers had used a spear to pierce Jesus’ side to ensure that He was dead (see John 19:31-34). Joseph’s request for Jesus’ body surprised (“marvelled,” KJV) Pilate, since the request implied that Jesus was already dead. Evidently, the soldiers in charge of the execution had not yet reported to the governor. In any case, Pilate was unwilling to take Joseph’s word alone. He summoned the centurion in charge of the execution to confirm whether Jesus had already died. Only after receiving confirmation did Pilate release Jesus’ body to Joseph for burial. VERSE 46 After he bought some linen cloth, Joseph took him down and wrapped him in the linen. Then he laid him in a tomb cut out of the rock and rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. That Joseph was still able to purchase some linen cloth (“fine linen,” KJV; “a linen shroud,” ESV) indicates that the Sabbath Day, while imminent, had not yet officially begun.
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