The incredible journey begins…Jesus is at rest. The great teacher, healer, emancipator, lover of all mankind, the Sinless One…the Son of God, is dead.
Jesus has undergone the “second baptism”, spoken of in Luke. The baptism of death. Only death’s baptism could “wash away” the horrendous sins and crimes that he was forced to bear…our crimes ( Luke 12:50).
…LUKE 12:50…“But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!”The Jews are in a hurry to have Jesus and the others taken down from the crosses before the Holy Day begins, so as not to desecrate the celebration. That day is to begin about three hours from the time of the death of Jesus. The soldiers, realizing that Jesus is dead, do not break his legs. This fulfills the requirement that no bones of the sacrificial lamb be broken, in accordance with the prophecy…another prophecy (John 19:31:37; Numbers 9:12 ).
…JOHN 19:31-33,36…“The Jews therefore, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high “day”), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. The soldiers therefore came, and broke the legs of the first man, and of the other man who was crucified with Him; but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs;”…For these things came to pass, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, “NOT A BONE OF HIM SHALL BE BROKEN.”
…NUMBERS 9:12…“They shall leave none of it (sacrificial lamb) until morning, nor break a bone of it; according to all the statute of the Passover they shall observe it.”
Recall how I said earlier that John oftentimes uses “time markers” to keep abreast of when certain significant events take place? He does it here, again. I mentioned before that the Sabbath that “was approaching” is the Sabbath of the Passover week (the last day of Passover). Here, John confirms this when he says in the first paragraph above “for that Sabbath was a high “day”“. The reason “day” is in italics is to make us aware that it does not indicate a time of day, but rather is an expression used to denote a special day of celebration. It is sometimes expressed as a “high holy day”. It denotes the special Sabbaths of the feast…in this case the last Sabbath of the Passover week.
The other gospels concern themselves with the women who are there. The ones mentioned by name are: Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James and Joses, and Salome. And there are others, both men and women, who are followers of Jesus. They stand off at a distance, observing. The great remorse they experience is emphasized (Matthew 27:55, 56: Mark 15:40,41; Luke 23:48,49).
…MARK 15:40,41…And there were also some women looking from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of James and Joses, and Salome. And when He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister Him; and there were many other women who had come with Him to Jerusalem.
…LUKE 23:48,49…And all the multitudes who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, beating their breasts. And all His acquaintances and the women who accompanied Him from Galilee, were standing at a distance, seeing these things.
We learn several things from these verses.
First, that the women are considered as afterthoughts…“also some women”. But certain of these are considered significant enough to name. Whereas Jesus’ male followers remain nameless,. Except for John, we do not know which of his disciples, if any, are present. We are told that the women had “come with Him to Jerusalem.
Second, it is interesting to note that those who have assembled there for the “spectacle” are filled with misgiving, thus the “beating of the breasts”, attendant with remorse. This is probably because of the unaccustomed terrors that accompanied the crucifixion and death of Jesus. It makes them painfully aware that they have witnessed, and perhaps contributed, to the death of a man with a special connection with the Almighty. If not His Son and the Messiah, who then?
Third, who is Salome (perfect)? Could she be the Salome who danced for Herod and caused the decapitation of John the Baptist mentioned in Mark 6:22-28?
…MARK 6:22, 24, 25, 27, 28…and when the daughter of Herodias herself (Salome) came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask for whatever you want and I will give it to you”…And she went out and asked her mother, “What shall I ask for?” And she (Herodias) said, “The head of John the Baptist”. And immediately she (Salome) came in haste before the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter”…And immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his head. And he went and beheaded him in the prison, and he brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.
It hardly seems possible that this could be the same Salome. But she was after all a “girl, when she “danced”. When she matured, she may have realized the enormity of the crime she committed, “saw the light”, so to speak, repented, and was converted. It is not impossible, others have done so. Saul of Tarsus, by his own admission a foremost persecutor of the followers of Jesus mentioned earlier, (Acts 9: 3-8), was converted by the blinding “light” that was Jesus (1 Timothy 1: 13).
…1 TIMOTHY 1:13…even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. And yet I was shown mercy, because I acted ignorantly in unbelief.
Now, if Saul could be converted, why not Salome? Taking this one step further, maybe this is a reason why Jesus spent so much time in Gaulinitis, where Salome reigned with Philip. It hardly seems plausible that Jesus would associate with the person responsible for the death of John the Baptist, if she were not converted.
Some suggest, because the mother of James and John are present, that Salome is the mother (B-15-819), but the name of the mother is not given. And, then again, maybe Salome is a common name. So who this Salome is remains a mystery. I opt for the “dancer”.
Jesus’ body begins to decay. With death his heart stops, life-giving oxygen is cut off, the blood ceases to flow. His body starts to decompose, even as it hangs on the cross. The color of his skin becomes greyish, and the body is becoming rigid. His spirit has already returned to the Father, as it is with all spirits at death. Jesus had commended his spirit to the Father earlier. The Father will keep his spirit until it is time to return it…as He does with all spirits of those who die (Luke 23:46; Ecclesiasties 12:7) .
…LUKE 23:46…And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, INTO THY HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.” And having said this, He breathed His last.
…ECCLESIASTIES 12:7…then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
The soul has gone to sheol/hades…the unseen. And with it the consciousness of Jesus of Nazareth has vanished into the unknown, until it is time to rejoin the spirit and the corporeal body.
The four gospels come together, again, when Joseph of Arimathea obtains permission from Pilate to bury Jesus. This man, a secret follower of Jesus, is wealthy and courageous.
The synoptic gospels say that Joseph of Arimathea takes Jesus down from the cross. Before this, his body hangs there, prey to scavengers and voracious insects, for many minutes after his death. They go into detail about how the body is prepared for burial, and laid in the tomb in the garden selected By Joseph of Arimthea…his own tomb. Matthew and Mark tell of the huge stone used to cover the entrance; and of the women, two of the Marys and Mary Magadalene, who sit and watch the entombment. The Sabbath is about to begin (Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:43-47; Luke 23:50-55).
…MATTHEW 27: 57-61…And when it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had become a disciple of Jesus. This man came to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out of rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave.
Arimathea is the Greek word for Ramah…maybe this is the town located northeast of Jerusalem called Ramallah today.
This use of the burial place of Joseph of Aramithea fulfills still another prophecy (Isaiah 53: 9).Jesus’ body is removed from the cross in preparation for his entombment.
First, the nails are forced out of the holes in the feet to free him from the vertical stake. After his body is free of the vertical, the cross beam is removed. He is carried, together with the beam, to the ground, where the nails in his wrists are removed…He doesn’t feel anything. He is beyond pain. His friends work quickly to remove the nails, avoiding, where possible, further damage to his wounded body…it is not long before sunset of the Sabbath.
Next, his body is carried by several stalwart friends to the tomb. In the tomb, his corpse is laid upon the cold stone niche carved into the side of the hill…his “final” resting place. The blood, dirt, and sweat is sponged off the wounded corpse.
John gives emphasis to the contribution of Nicodemus. Nicodemus is a member of the Sanhedrin with whom Jesus explained certain things, years earlier, among which was how one becomes “born again”. He is also the one who defended Jesus before the Council (John 3:1-8; 7:50-52).
…John 3:1-8…Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Him by night, and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from or where it is going; so is everyone who is born of theSpirit.”
…JOHN 7:50-52…Nicodemus said to them (chief priests and Pharisees) (he who came to Him before being one of them), “Our Law does not judge a man, unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” They answered and said to him, “You are not also from Galilee are you? Search and see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”
Nicodemus comes to Jesus to query him at “night”, because it wouldn’t do for a man in his position to be known as someone who looks up to Jesus. I’m not sure what is meant by “leader of the Jews”, but it probably means that he was the head of the Pharisees. The parenthetical expressions above allude to the earlier meeting with Jesus, which must have made an impression on John, and that Nicodemus was a member of the Council…the Sanhedrin. Now read it again, and something else is revealed by “before being one of them”, this means that Nicodemus becomes a another secret follower of Jesus, subsequently. Curious how the group responds by challenging whether or not Nicodemus is from Galilee, as though implying only those from Galilee could be concerned about Jesus…maybe in league with him. John gives emphasis to the contribution of Nicodemus…the one hundred pounds of myrrh and aloe. Aloe and myrrh are the “spices” used to prepare the body for burial according to custom (John 19:39,40).
…JOHN 19:39,40…And Nicodemus came also, who had first come to Him by night; bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pound weight. And so they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.
The preparation for burial continues, they lovingly anoint his body, slathering it with the aromatics. Coins are placed over the eyes. A white linen cloth is used to wrap his sorrowful countenance. The body is then wrapped in clean costly linen in the manner of that day…vertically. His friends, tear-stained, say a prayer over the body and then hurry home to prepare for the Sabbath.
Aromatics/spices are applied to the body…”the burial custom” to mask the odor of death. It is used to provide a degree of preservation also, so that the corpse may be viewed later. There is not enough time, before the Sabbath, for loved ones to properly mourn. And the viewing of the body has to take place in the daylight, after the Sabbath.
Myrrh is one of the gifts brought by the Maji to the infant Jesus (Matthew 2:11) “…and opening their treasure they presented Him gifts of gold and frankinscence and myrrh.” It is formed from the bark of a tree that grows in Arabia. Aloes are not found in the aloe vera plant with which we are familiar, but rather it is a perfume from the resin of a tree that grows in India.
Throughout this activity, the mother of Jesus and the other women and followers look on from a distance and weep, tear their clothes, and pour ashes and dust on themselves. The sound they make is a keening sound that penetrates the senses. They stand apart from the tomb and watch as Jesus is laid to rest. They are numb with grief and overcome by passion.
The “law keepers” go to Pilate and ask that guards be assigned to the tomb of Jesus for at least three days because Jesus said that he would arise after three days. Pilate tells them to provide their own guards. The guards are placed in position to guard the tomb. The stone is placed in front of the opening and sealed (Matthew 27:62-66).
…MATTHEW 27:62-66…Now on the next day, which is the one after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, and said, “Sir, we remember when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again’. Therefore, give orders for the grave to be secured until the third day, lest the disciples come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead’, and the last deception will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.” And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.
This is done on the same day that Jesus is entombed. The guards are Gentiles assigned by Pilate to the priests, so that they may continue in their guard duty through the Sabbath.
I visited both places claiming to be the tomb in which Jesus was buried; the centuries old Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Garden Tomb discovered in the late 19th Century. Which has provenance, I have no idea, but the last four “stations of the cross” are found today in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
I will digress. The events surrounding the trial, crucifixion, and burial of Jesus are sometimes very confusing. Some commentaries indicate that all these events took place in one day…the day before the Sabbath.
As you have read, I can’t believe this theory. From time to time we are given hints by the gospel writers as to when these various events take place. I interpret them as occurring over six days. Jesus is seized after the first sabbath of the feast (the day after the “last supper”), followed by the interrogations and trial. The crucifixion and burial is completed by the afternoon of the day before the final feast sabbath.
*TIME-LINE:WED/THUR…FIRST SABBATH OF THE FEAST (“LAST SUPPER”)
THUR/FRI…CAPTURED/IMPRISONED
FRI/SAT…WEEKLY SABBATH
SAT/SUN…INTERROGATIONS
SUN/MON…INTERROGATIONS/TRIAL
MON/TUE…TRIAL/SENTENCE
TUE/WED…CRUCIFIXION/BURIAL
WED/THURS…FINAL FEAST SABBATH * Days are recorded from sunset to sunset.
Mary Magdalene and Mary, mother of James, and others, buy or prepare aromatics and spices on the day after the Feast Sabbath to be used to anoint Jesus. The next day they rest, “according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56, MARK 16:1).
…LUKE…23:56…And they (the women) returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. …MARK 16:1…And when the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices that they might come and anoint Him.
Apparently, they didn’t communicate any better back then than we do today, because the women must not have been aware that aromatics have already been applied in copious amounts, at his burial. Or maybe they intend to unwrap Jesus and anoint him, again…which doesn’t make much sense. And which James is this the mother of? James is one of the brothers of Jesus. Could this be someone’s way of letting us know that James was her son or is this James one of the sons of Zebedee?
But that James is always referred to by one of the sons of the father. Another interesting question without an answer.
The corpse of Jesus lies in repose, in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb, for three days and three nights.
How do we know the time of repose was three days and nights?
Because Jesus said it would be so. He said he would rest “in the heart of the earth” for “three days and nights”, just as Jonah spent “…three days and nights in the belly of the sea monster”, when he is asked for a sign by the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 12:40).
…MATTHEW 12:40…”for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so shall the son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” How is this accomplished?
We know that he spends the first day, the day before the
Feast Sabbath in the tomb. He spends the first night on the Feast Sabbath, and the second day, that same day. I will stop proceeding in sequential order and skip to the next known.
We know that Mary Magdalene and the “other Mary” go to the tomb and find it empty on the first day of the week (Sunday) (Matthew 28:1,6; Mark 16:1,6; Luke 24:1,6).
…MATTHEW 28:1,6…Now late on the Sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave…”He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.”
(Note: The tomb has to be within easy walking distance for them, in order for them to walk “late on the Sabbath”. For any work or exertion is forbidden to the Jew on the Sabbath.)
Where it says “it began to dawn on the first day of the week” can be confusing, because the first day of the week begins at sunset not sunrise, and it is “late on the Sabbath”. “Dawn” used here means “lighting up”(B-3-86). So they arrive at the tomb just before sunset on Saturday when it is still light.
They come to anoint Jesus, according to Mark, who says the Sabbath is over. Luke concurs that they go to the tomb to anoint him, and that it occurs on the first day of the week (Sunday).
We know, then, that by Sunday the tomb is empty. So he is not in the tomb that day…the day after the Sabbath…We still have one day and one night to account for.How could this be?
I don’t presume that I can solve a mystery that is almost two thousand years old, but I will give the only answer that I can think of. There was a day between the Feast Sabbath and the regular weekly sabbath; so that day was Thursday and the Feast Sabbath was Wednesday.
He was buried the DAY before the Feast Sabbath (Wednesday) began; lay in repose during the Feast Sabbath, NIGHT and DAY; Thursday NIGHT and DAY; and the NIGHT of the weekly Sabbath (Friday). In this manner I account for the three days and three nights that he rested in “the heart of the earth”. Keeping in mind that the “days” would not have to be 12 hours in length.
Proceeding with this theory then, Jesus’ perishable, decaying, and odiferous body is transformed into an imperishable body—miraculously, sometime before sunrise on Saturday. Then, His body is resurrected. His spirit is returned. His body is vivified by the Spirit of the Father. By today’s calendar maybe we should be celebrating Easter Saturday?
Paul describes this transformation that the body undergoes as a “mystery”. He says, “Behold, I will tell you a mystery…we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed…” Isaiah said, “He will swallow up death for all time…” (1 Corinthians 15:51-55; Isaiah 25:8)
…1 CORINTHINANS 15:51-55…Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall all be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the impersishable, and this mortal must put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ‘DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY. O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?’
…ISAIAH 25:8…He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all the faces…
Paul explains the resurrection of the dead by saying, “It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body…It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” And he reminds us that “…flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God…” (1 Corinthians 15:42,44, 50).
…1 CORINTHIANS 15:42,44,50…So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body…it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body…Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
Now as to how the actual resurrection takes place…raising a spiritual body, God alone knows.
Paul says, further, that the resurrection of the Christ is the basis of our faith…that we, too, will be resurrected. And he reminds us that if Jesus was not resurrected, then our faith is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:12-17,22).
…1 CORINTHIANS 15:12-14,17,22…Now if Christ preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection from the dead? But if there is no resurrection from the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain…and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins…For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
Jesus is “born again” with this tranformation. This is what he told Nicodemus must happen (John 3:3), “…unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” In that “twinkling of an eye”, he changed from Jesus of Nazareth to the Christ Jesus, or Jesus Christ.