1 Mark 15:33-41 04/04/2021 Jesus’ Final Days His Resurrection from the Dead This is my message written out prior to being preached. Please excuse the bullet point format and any grammatical mistakes. This is meant to be spoken. S1 - Title Slide Someone Read Passage And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. (Mark 15:42-47) When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. (Mark 16:1-8) Introduction • He is Risen! • Today (Resurrection Sunday) we conclude on series on Jesus Final Days on Earth. • Over the past three weeks we’ve focused on His Rejection by Men • and His Revelations from the Cross. • Last week ending with the Effects of the Cross • What happened both immediately and long term because of the crucifixion? • What were the effects of Jesus’ humiliation and physical suffering? • when he was beaten and nailed to a cross. • What were the effects of Jesus spiritual suffering? • when he who was sinless took our sins upon himself. • causing His separation from God the Father and Spirit • And finally, what were the effects of Jesus willingly dying in our place? 2 • Let me quickly review the effects we saw last week, First… 1. The Cross Gives Access to God • Upon Christ’s death, the temple veil, symbolizing the division between a Holy God and a Sinful people, was supernaturally torn from top to bottom. • Showing that those who trust in Christ finished work on the cross, now have access to God. • And Second… 2. The Cross Gives Freedom from Sin and Death • Upon Christ’s death, the tombs of many saints were opened, and they were raised from the dead. • Showing that those who trust in in Christ’s finished work on the cross are free from the power of sin and death. • And Third… 3. The Cross Reveals Christ • Upon Christ’s death the pagan Roman centurion who oversaw His Crucifixion. • Who saw all the beatings, the nails, the darkness, • Who saw Jesus declare “it is finished” and willingly commit his life into his Father’s hands… • He declared… Truly this man was the Son of God! (Mark 15:39) • For those who have eyes to see, the cross reveals who Christ is. • And finally, we say that… 4. The Cross Draws People to Christ • Jesus said, And I, when I am lifted up from the earth (when I am crucified), will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:32) • We are drawn to the Christ, who willingly suffered and died in our place for our sins. • The women who were watching from a distance represented this. • Even in the midst of the horrors of crucifixion, they were drawn to Christ. • So those are the four Effects of the Cross that we saw last week. 3 • Now as we pick up where we left off in the gospel of Mark. • We see one more effect of the cross, that is… 5. The Cross Inspires Courage • In Mark 15:42 we read… And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, (Mark 15:42) • Sabbath regulations required Jesus’ body to be buried before sundown on Friday. • So, what comes next it is done in a great hurry. • Verse 43… Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, (Mark 15:43) • Joseph was a prominent member of the Jewish Sanhedrin (the Seventy), who ruled Israel. • And he was looking for the kingdom of God. • And he was looking for Jesus to bring about the kingdom. • Because Matthew says that… …there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. (Matthew 27:57) • First Matthew tells us that Joseph was rich, which explains why he already had a tomb. • But more important than his riches, he a follower of Jesus. • Despite him being a member of those who vehemently opposed Jesus, he had become a disciple. • Luke adds that… …He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action... (Luke 23:50-51) • So, Joseph is a good and righteous disciple of Jesus Christ. • Therefore, He did not agree with the decision of the council to seek to have Jesus put to death. • However, Joseph had issues, John writes... …Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews… (John 19:38) • Joseph was a secret disciple of Jesus. • He followed Jesus but he didn’t want other to know about it. • Because of fear, Joseph was keeping his relationship to Jesus a secret. • This is a warning for all of us! • Fear is a terrible thing. • Fear can cause even a disciple of Jesus to act against what they know to be right and good. 4 • Have there been times in your life when you were afraid to speak up, to stand up for what was good and right? • To make it known to all that you are a disciple of Jesus Christ. • James warns… So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (James 4:17) • That certainly describes Joseph. • For even though he had not consented to having Jesus crucified, • there is no evidence he did anything to try and save Jesus. • He kept his relationship with Jesus a secret. • He was apparently paralyzed by his fear of losing his status, his standing in the community. • He was also probably afraid for his life. • If the council, who led the charge in putting Jesus to death, found out he was a disciple of Jesus. • They may very well have turned on him and sought his death as well. • So, prior to Christ’s death Joseph was a fearful secret disciple. • However, following Christ’s death on the cross, Joseph came "out of the closet," • He risked everything to obtain Jesus' body for burial. • The Jews had an understanding with Pilate that the bodies of the crucified would be taken down and buried before 6:00 P.M. when the Sabbath began. • And Joseph knew this meant Jesus' body would be tossed into a common criminal's grave as a final humiliation. • and apparently Joseph could not bear that. • So, In Mark 15:43 we read… [Joseph] took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. (Mark 15:43) • This was an extremely dangerous thing to do. • Joseph’s fears were not unfounded. • By making this request he was running the risk of being expelled from the ruling council, • And being ridiculed by the common people… • He may have lost his position, power and prestige and possibly even his life as he identified himself with Jesus, this “false, failed Messiah.” • So, this as Mark states took courage. • And it was even more courageous because, as far as Joseph knew, there was absolutely nothing in it for him now. • Joseph, like everyone else, including Jesus’ closest disciples was not thinking about a Resurrection. • As far as they were concerned, Jesus was dead. • The dream was over. • The kingdom of God would not be coming at this point through this man. 5 • And yet, after seeing how Jesus died, Joseph finally took a stand and chose to identify with Him. • And after receiving permission from Pilate… • In Mark 15:46 we read… And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.