Mark 15:42–47

All four Gospel writers fix the day of the Crucifixion as a Friday, and the tradition recorded in the Talmud agrees. Wellhausen at Mark 15:42 renders paraskeuē as "Friday," in line with old Syriac and also modern Greek. This leads us to ask what the "preparation" was for. Westcott and others have answered, for the Passover in the narrow sense of the word. But Purves holds that it was for the Sabbath, so that "preparation of the Passover" would stand for "the preparation in Passover week."

Remember that our blessed Lord was crucified on the Friday, and that the sabbath began at sunset that same evening. If the ninth hour was three o'clock in the afternoon, Joseph must have acted fast. He had to get Pilate's permission, take the body of Jesus down from the cross, and prepare it for burial, all to finish the entombment before the sabbath began.

The disciples were not there. They, sadly, left Him and fled; at any rate, they are not mentioned. They were so far out of their true place that God could say nothing about them. Yet one who up to this time had held back from openly confessing Jesus was now brought forward... God used the very circumstances that might have been expected to fill him with fear and make him shrink from the consequences. Instead they brought out a boldness that had never visited Joseph's heart before. He identified himself with Jesus. He did not have the precious place of following Him while He was alive. But the death of Jesus brought him to a decision. It took hold of his affections and so made him come forward with courage and ask for the body of his Master.

"They made His grave with the wicked and with a rich man in His death." So Isaiah had predicted long before, and now we have the fulfilment of it. A death on the cross would normally end in the criminal's grave. That grave could not be His. He had finished the substitutionary work that alone had made Him to be numbered with transgressors. In that character He could appear no more. The righteousness of God, which He had declared in His death, now claimed divine intervention on His behalf. While He still slept He must sleep in honour. As it has been well said, only a virgin tomb could rightly honour the One born of a virgin womb.

The preparation day, then, began on the Thursday evening at sunset and lasted until Friday evening sunset. But what was it the preparation for? It was God's preparation day for man — poor, lost, guilty man — to bring him into eternal rest with Himself: the eternal sabbath based on redemption... The sabbath, or rest of creation, had long been lost. Now God set out the sabbath of redemption. It can never be lost while God is faithful to the claims of the redemption-blood of His Lamb.

Christ had no Sabbath at all while He was on this earth. True, He finished His work — finished it gloriously — but where did He spend the Sabbath day? In the tomb! Yes, this was the Lord Christ, God revealed in flesh, the Lord of the Sabbath, the Maker and Sustainer of heaven and earth. He spent the seventh day in the dark and silent tomb. Has this nothing to say to us? ... The grave of Jesus gives us all the proof we need: no one could keep a Sabbath.

Joseph is spoken of as an "honourable counsellor" — that is, a member of the Sanhedrin, who was waiting for the kingdom of God. He went in "boldly" to Pilate, who wonders that the Lord is dead, and first asks the centurion, as would be natural for a Roman, if such is the case.

All four Gospels mention him, and each gives us some special detail about him. Matthew tells us that he was rich and a disciple. Mark calls him an honourable counsellor who waited for the kingdom of God. Luke says he was a good and just man, who had not agreed with the plan and the act of the great majority of the Sanhedrin in putting Jesus to death. John admits that he was a disciple, but a secret one for fear of the Jews… Yet, wonderful to say, in this darkest hour, when everything seemed hopelessly lost, Joseph found his courage. He went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus.

You would expect these circumstances to fill him with fear and make him shrink from the consequences. Instead God used them to bring out a boldness that had never visited Joseph's heart before. He identified himself with Jesus. He did not have the precious place of following Him while He was alive. But the death of Jesus brought him to a decision and took command of his affections. So he went in courageously and demanded the body of his Master.

He missed the chance to be identified with Christ in His life, but he did identify himself with Him when He was dead. This is remarkable, for it is the exact reverse of what the disciples did. They stood with Him during His life, and failed badly when He died. The apparent defeat of Jesus had the effect of emboldening Joseph. It stirred the smouldering embers of his faith into a sudden blaze. He was "looking for the kingdom of God." We may be sure that in the day of the kingdom God will not forget Joseph's faith and works. His faith is just the sort we need today — the sort that blazes up when defeat seems sure.

Then came Joseph, and he was an honourable man and a counsellor. If he had thought about his reputation among his fellows, he would have stayed at home that day. But he drops all thought of self. The secrecy of his discipleship must end — and at the very time we would have expected him to hide it most. If the Lord had come down from the cross when the priests challenged Him, Joseph might have been bold and said, "I knew all the time who He was." Instead he steps out when Christ hangs dead and seems utterly defeated, and when Peter and the other disciples have forsaken Him and fled. This nobleman comes forward and asks for His body.

God had His servant ready for the great honour of taking the body of the Lord Jesus to its burial… Now he openly identifies himself with Christ rejected and crucified! Precious energy of faith! This was clearly God's work in his soul. Though men had appointed Christ's grave with the wicked, this was not to be so: He was with the rich in His death (Isa. 53:9).

God always has the needed man for His work. Joseph was born into the world to fulfil that one line of Scripture! That one act covers all that we know of Joseph. In doing it he served the will of God.

The burial now followed. Joseph, a rich man of Judea (Luke 23:51), was one of the Sanhedrin and a disciple of the Lord Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body. Had He died so soon? The thieves were still alive. Death by crucifixion, though cruel, was generally slow. Pilate wondered if He was already dead. He did not know that in the counsel of God our Lord would lay down His life Himself, no man taking it from Him (John 10:18). He called for the centurion, as Mark alone has noticed, and asked if He had been dead for some time. Then he granted the body to Joseph.

Pilate, astonished, asks if Jesus was already dead. Crucifixion is naturally a slow death. A person in ordinary health sometimes lingers even for days. But in the case of Jesus it was only a few hours.

Notice how carefully Scripture rules out the thought that His death was the result of anything from outside, including the crucifixion. Crucifixion truly went with His death, but it was only that, and not its cause. For we read that they came to Him meaning to hasten His death by breaking His legs. They found Him already dead, but not the two criminals (John 19:31-33). And so Pilate wondered if He was already dead (Mark 15:44). No! He laid down His life Himself, as He had said (John 10:17-18). With a loud voice He cried, "It is finished," and He gave up His spirit, saying, "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit."

No exhaustion under suffering, no pressure of the cross, led Him to death; but He yielded up His life of Himself. As a sign that He was in full possession of what He was giving up, "He cried with a loud voice," and then gave up His spirit.

Yet He did not die by the death of the cross, though He died upon the cross. His suffering was cut short before the usual time. One reason among others was this: the Scripture had to be fulfilled, "Not one of his bones will be broken."

Pilate was amazed that He was dead already. He would not believe it; he had to satisfy himself about it. He had not spent long enough on the cross for it to drain His life away. That is why the legs of the others had to be broken. But He was dead already, and Pilate had to make inquiry, and call for the witness, before he would believe it.

There were too many witnesses to His death for anyone to doubt it. The centurion had charge of the crucifixion. The Roman guard carried it out. Above all, one soldier pierced His side. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus brought the body down from the cross, and they would surely have found signs of life if there had been any. All of them were witnesses of our Lord's death.

The burial now followed... And who was to undertake the office of placing the body in a grave? One of the Sanhedrin, a rich man of Judea (Luke 23:51), Joseph by name, a disciple of the Lord Jesus, went to Pilate and asked for the body. Had He died so soon? The thieves were still alive. Death by crucifixion, though cruel, was generally slow. Pilate was amazed at the thought that He might already be dead. He did not know that in the counsel of God our Lord would lay down His life Himself, no man taking it from Him (John 10:18). Calling for the centurion, as Mark alone has noticed, he asked whether He had been dead for some time, and granted the body to Joseph.

In Pilate's astonishment that He had died so soon we have additional evidence that the Servant "gave His life." Death by crucifixion, perhaps so often witnessed by the centurion, is a lingering death.

All four gospel writers testify that Joseph of Arimathea buried the body of Jesus. John adds that Nicodemus helped Joseph in this last act of loving service and devotion to his Lord. Mark adds to the account by telling how Pilate sought and obtained the centurion's testimony to Christ's death before he granted Joseph's request. The centurion was in charge of the crucifixion.

But this theory will not hold together. There were too many witnesses to His death to make it possible. The centurion had charge of the crucifixion. The Roman guard carried it out, above all the soldier who pierced His side. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus brought the body down from the cross, and they would surely have found signs of life if there had been any. All of them were witnesses of our Lord's death. There were also the women who were present at the burial, including those who loved Him tenderly and knew Him closely — among them His own mother.

So the will of God was done. From that moment the sacred body was out of the hands of the unbelievers. Hands of love and faith cared for the body and laid Him in the tomb.

It was God who moved Pilate then to give Joseph permission to take the body; for the Romans had appointed His grave to be with the wicked. Precious it is that God allowed no unholy hands to touch Him after He had died. They had done their worst: only after that did God intervene. With what reverent affection we may be sure Joseph handled that body.

The Jews had certainly intended to throw the blessed holy body of the Son of God into the common pit. They planned to throw in the bodies of the two criminals who died at His side too. God's answer to this insult to His Son was already on record. "His grave was appointed with the wicked, but He was with the rich in His death."... and the rich man of Arimathea, Joseph, stepped in and secured His body.

You might expect those very circumstances to fill him with fear and make him shrink from the consequences. Instead God used them to bring out a boldness that had never visited Joseph's heart before. He identified himself with Jesus. He did not have the precious place of following Him while He was alive. But the death of Jesus brought him to a decision, took hold of his affections, and so made him go in boldly and claim the body of his Master.

Two of the Marys saw where He was laid. Here at least, then, we have genuine affection. They may not have had the understanding of faith, but they had the love that lingered over the Lord they adored, with true feeling. That love was the fruit of faith, and it honoured Jesus even in His death.

The death of Jesus did not tear Him from the hearts of those feeble ones who loved Him... and Joseph too. His conscience had been touched, yet he had not followed Him until now. At the last, the testimony of the grace and perfection of Jesus strengthened him... This body — the tent the Son of God had just left — did not go without the services that man owed to Him. Moreover the providence of God, as well as His operation in their hearts, had prepared for all this.

"They assigned Him His grave with wicked men; but with the rich man when He had died." So Isaiah had predicted long before, and now we see it fulfilled. The criminal's grave that normally followed death by crucifixion could not be His. That substitutionary work was now finished — the work that alone had numbered Him with transgressors... While He still slept, He must sleep in honour. As it has been well said, the One born of a virgin womb could only be honoured fittingly in a virgin tomb. He who could not see corruption could not lie in a tomb which corruption had defiled.

Joseph begged Pilate for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised that He had died so soon, so he called the executioner to be sure that He was really dead. It was God who then moved Pilate to give Joseph permission to take the body; for the Romans had appointed His grave to be with the wicked. Precious it is that God allowed no unholy hands to touch Him after He had died. They had done their worst: only after that did God intervene. With what reverent affection we may be sure Joseph handled that body... Joseph had bought fine linen in which to wrap the body, which he laid in a new tomb hewn out of the rock. Then he rolled a large stone slab over the entrance.

First, Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the Scriptures. Secondly, Christ was buried. This is the complete evidence of His death, and the solemn fact that all His links with man after the flesh are cut off. Thirdly, He was raised on the third day, in accordance with the Scriptures. This is the everlasting witness that the power of death is broken, the devil defeated, and God glorified.

He died "for our sins" (v.3). He took them up in His death as our Substitute, but no such thought belongs to His burial. Scripture simply says that He was buried. It never connects such a thought with His burial. It nowhere presents His burial as "part of His substitutionary work."

By comparing together the following passages, Matthew 27:56, 61; Matthew 28:1; Mark 15:40, 47; Mark 16:1; and Luke 24:10, it appears probable that "the other Mary," and "Mary the mother of James (or James the less) and Joses" refer to the same person, and she may have been the wife of Clopas. In John 19:25 this Mary is called the sister of the Lord's mother, if we let the word "and" separate the people named. That is the most obvious sense, and it would mean three Marys stand in that verse, not four.

Two men to bury, two women looking on, mourners in the truest sense — these only can we name as present at the funeral of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Two of the Marys saw where He was laid. So here at least we have genuine affection. If there was not the intelligence of faith, there was the love that lingered over the Lord they adored with true feeling — the fruit of faith which honoured Jesus in this way, even in His death.

In love they had followed the Lord through His life of service. They clung to Him in His death on the cross. They watch as His body is laid in the grave. It is easy to dwell upon their lack of intelligence, while falling far behind them in their devoted love.

God's providence, as well as His work in their hearts, had prepared for all of this. The body of Jesus is laid in the tomb, and they all wait for the end of the sabbath to perform their service to it. The women had taken note of the place.

There were too many witnesses to His death to make that theory possible. All of these men saw our Lord die: the centurion in charge of the crucifixion; the Roman guard who carried it out; above all the soldier who pierced His side; and Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who brought the body down from the cross. Those two would have found signs of life if there had been any. The women were there at the burial too, including those who loved Him deeply and knew Him well.

First, their affection for Christ. Second, they had no expectation of the resurrection. Last, their devout piety, seen in their submission to the word of God. They longed to pour out the signs of their eager love on the dead body of their Lord. But the sabbath began at once. So these holy women, with Mary Magdalene the most prominent among them, waited and rested in obedience to the commandment before they carried out their plan.