Basic HTML Version
Jesus Rests in Joseph’s Tomb
459
After the resurrection the priests circulated the report that Christ
did not die on the cross, that He merely fainted and was afterward
revived. The action of the Roman soldiers proves that He was
already dead. Had not life been already extinct, this wound would
have caused instant death.
But it was not the spear thrust nor the pain of the cross that caused
the death of Jesus. That cry, uttered “with a loud voice” (
Matthew
27:50
;
Luke 23:46
) at the moment of death, and the stream of blood
and water declared that He died of a broken heart—broken by mental
anguish, slain by the sin of the world.
The Disciples Discouraged
With the death of Christ the hopes of His disciples perished. Until
the last they had not believed He would die; they could hardly believe
that He was dead. Overwhelmed with sorrow, nothing that He had
said now gave them comfort. Their faith in Jesus had perished, but
never had they loved their Lord as now, never had they so felt their
need of His presence.
Christ’s disciples longed to give Him an honored burial, but
[515]
knew not how to accomplish this. Persons put to death for treason
against the Roman government were consigned to a burial ground
for criminals. John with the women from Galilee could not leave the
body of their Lord to be handled by unfeeling soldiers and buried in
a dishonored grave. Yet they could obtain no favors from the Jewish
authorities and had no influence with Pilate.
In this emergency, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus came
to the help of the disciples. Both were members of the Sanhedrin,
both were men of wealth and influence, both were acquainted with
Pilate. They were determined that the body of Jesus should have an
honorable burial.
Help From an Unexpected Place
Joseph went boldly to Pilate and begged from him the body of
Jesus. For the first time, Pilate learned that Jesus was dead. The
knowledge of Christ’s death had been purposely kept from him.
Upon hearing Joseph’s request, he sent for the centurion who had