“Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: ‘Not one of his bones will be broken.’ And again another Scripture says, ‘They will look on him whom they have pierced.’ After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.”

The Light in the Darkness

It is finished. The work on the cross is complete. We know what is coming, that the truth of Jesus’ words will come to pass, that He will raise from the dead. But in this interim, where we see Jesus, lifeless on the cross, and then laid in the tomb, He is still the Son of God. He continues to fulfill prophecy, He continues to illustrate the will of the Father, and He continues to shine as the Light of the world.

1. Rejecting the Light

“Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.”

We begin by acknowledging that it is Friday, the day of Preparation before the Sabbath – not just any Sabbath, but the high day of Passover Sabbath. Looking to expedite their deaths, the Jewish leaders go to Pilate and ask that Jesus and the two crucified with Him have their legs broken. To remain alive while crucified it was necessary to pull yourself up to breathe, which was mainly achieved by propping yourself up on your legs. Once they were broken you were forced to rely solely on your arms for support to breathe, and the process of suffocation was sped up drastically. This again shows the sick and misaimed priorities of the religious rulers. They have achieved their goal, they have seen Jesus crucified, and the Jews seek to wrap up the procedure so that they can move forward with their own celebration of the Passover – and they go about it through a weird, half-adherence to the Law. You can’t work your way into a relationship with God. James 2:26 says,

“For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”

While Jesus told the Pharisees and scribes in Matthew 15:7–9,

“You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

Faith without works is dead, works without faith are empty – true faith leads to true works. God has given instruction in the Law regarding those who are hanged on a tree, saying in Deuteronomy 21:22–23,

“And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance.”

There can sometimes be a bit of confusion around this tie in, as Deuteronomy says “tree” and Jesus was obviously crucified on a cross, but the word used actually simplifies the matter. The Hebrew word used here can apply to a tree, as well as any wood or timber, causing it to include something like a gallows or impalement on a pole. This is affirmed by the New Testament writers, as Acts 5:30, Acts 13:29, Galatians 3:13, and 1 Peter 2:24 all use the Greek word that carries the same open context for tree, wood, plank, or beam in regard to the cross on which Jesus was crucified. So, the Jews adhere to this law in asking for the bodies to be removed before sunset, but it’s a box checked, and as we’ll see, they don’t even follow through with the entire process, as part of the instruction includes burial. During the conquest of the promised land we see Joshua keep this order from God on two separate occasions, once in Joshua 8:28–29,

“So Joshua burned Ai and made it forever a heap of ruins, as it is to this day. And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. And at sunset Joshua commanded, and they took his body down from the tree and threw it at the entrance of the gate of the city and raised over it a great heap of stones, which stands there to this day.”

and again in Joshua 10:26–27,

“And afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he hanged them on five trees. And they hung on the trees until evening. But at the time of the going down of the sun, Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and they set large stones against the mouth of the cave, which remain to this very day.”

In both cases the men are executed, their bodies are hung, and they are interred before sunset. It’s interesting to note that all of these examples were kings, and that we don’t see this law from Deuteronomy 21 come into play again until Jesus is crucified. Despite the fact that for the Romans, crucifixion was the execution for the lowest and the worst, and according to the Law a hanged man is cursed by God, we see the pattern continue in that the one hung from a tree now is the true King of kings.

2. Testifying to the Light

“So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.”

Spiritually, this image of blood and water takes us back to John 4:10, where Jesus tells the Samaritan woman,

“… If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

As well as John 7:37–39,

“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”’ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

It also casts us forward to 1 John 5:6–8,

“This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.”

to God’s promise in Revelation 21:6,

“… To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.”

and the image of new Jerusalem in Revelation 22:1,

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.”

It speaks of the sacrificed blood of the Lamb of God that wipes away the debt of sin, and the water that quenches thirst for eternity. Medically, there are two prominent reasons that would have attributed to the blood and water pouring from Jesus’ side. One is that, as a result of the brutal flogging and other physical trauma He endured, Jesus entered into something called hypovolemic shock. This is a condition caused by blood loss, to the point that the body doesn’t have enough blood to function properly. Among other things, it causes extreme thirst, as well as fluid buildup around the lungs and heart. This fluid would have poured out along with the blood when Jesus’ side was pierced. The other possibility was that after His death, Jesus’ blood began to separate. After we die, there is a process of separation that can occur between our plasma and red blood cells. The speed at which this occurs is impacted by things like cause of death and bodily trauma. With Jesus hanging, suspended from the cross, gravity could have aided in this separation, so that when Jesus’ side was pierced, blood and the clear, yellowish plasma flowed from His side. Both possibilities have their place. Hypovolemic shock draws us back to the brutality that Jesus was subjected to before His death, while the separation theory gives biological certainty to any skeptics that Jesus was dead, as Scripture tells us, before His side was pierced, because this separation of blood and plasma only occurs after death.

“He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe.”

This reminds me of Paul writing in Romans 9:1,

“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—”

As well as how John speaks to his purpose behind his gospel in John 20:30–31,

“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Here John appeals with something that affirms his account and the bodily death of Christ on the cross with his eyewitness testimony of the blood and water that flowed from His side. He testifies to the Truth and Spirit of the sacrificial death of Christ, to the Light that was given to the world.

“For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: ‘Not one of his bones will be broken.’ And again another Scripture says, ‘They will look on him whom they have pierced.’”

Even after He has yielded His Spirit into the hands of the Father, Jesus continues to fulfill prophecy. He is the Passover Lamb of God, consumed all at once for our transgressions. God said as He gave instruction for the Passover in Exodus 12:46,

“It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones.”

Psalm 34:20 says,

“He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.”

and Zechariah 12:10 says,

“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”

Each prophecy testifies to the work Jesus finished on the cross. Finally, in keeping with Zechariah, we see a Roman soldier, guaranteeing that Jesus is dead, pierce His side with a spear. It’s not just the soldier who affirms Zechariah’s words, but the crowd as well. The crowd, riled by the Jewish rulers, screamed for Jesus to be crucified. But immediately following His death, we see the mourning begin. Luke 23:47–48 says,

“Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, ‘Certainly this man was innocent!’ And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.”

The Light of Christ shines so brightly that even the pagan praises God, even the bloodthirsty crowd is filled with sorrow when they look upon the One whom they have pierced – and the words of God come to pass.

3. Stepping into the Light

“After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission.”

Piecing together the information given in the other gospels, we see from Matthew that Joseph was a rich man, which makes sense as Mark tells us that he was “a respected member of the council,” but also that he, “was also himself looking for the kingdom of God.” Luke provides further clarification, saying, “he was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action,” letting us know that while Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin, he had been opposed to what they had done to Jesus. Mark’s gospel tells us that Joseph “took courage” and went to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body. He had to have courage, as now was an outrageously bold time to step out as a public supporter of Jesus. Mark’s gospel also gives us some detail regarding Pilate’s response to Joseph’s request, saying in Mark 15:44–45,

“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.”

Pilate’s surprise again helps support that Jesus surrendered His own Spirit, and was not killed by the cross itself. Jesus was not the first man that Pilate had sent to be crucified – this was something the Roman governor and his men would have been intimately familiar with. Pilate saw Jesus’ wounds, he knew what more would have been done to Him on the cross, and yet he was surprised that Jesus would have already succumbed to His crucifixion. As we discussed last week, crucifixion is a brutal and agonizing method of execution, but it is by no means quick.

“So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight.”

We first saw Nicodemus come to Jesus in John 3 under the cover of night. He acknowledges that Jesus has come from God, but he shows a lack of comprehension concerning who Jesus truly is, and matters of the Spirit. Later, in John 7, we see him mocked by his fellow members of the council as he speaks in a sort of general objection to persecuting Jesus. Why now do we see this commitment, this stepping into the Light of two formerly secret disciples? Joseph of Arimathea has gone to Pilate and requested the body of Jesus. Matthew’s gospel tells us that Joseph lays Jesus to rest, not just in a new tomb, but his tomb This is a public display of devotion, one which also happens to fulfill Isaiah 53:9,

“And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.”

Nicodemus aids Joseph in the process of interring the body of Jesus, and produces an extravagant amount of spices with which to dress the Christ for burial – another public display of devotion. Why? Why now, after Jesus has been killed? Because they believe. We don’t have to see an explicit declaration of faith to know through their actions that the crucifixion of Jesus and His betrayal at the hands of His own people galvanized something in these two men. They are stepping out against their own council, the ones who clamored to see Jesus executed. They are showing their devotion to their Messiah, and to the Law of God. Again, Deuteronomy 21:23 specifies,

“his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance.”

From the research I’ve done, it’s not entirely clear what the Romans did with the bodies of those they crucified. It seems that in some cases they would release the body to someone, as they did with Joseph of Arimathea, though this may have been a special case, as Pilate believed in Jesus’ innocence, even if he didn’t act on it. The general consensus is that most who were crucified were left on the cross until they were reduced to bones, and the bones were then thrown into the city garbage heap. The ruling Jews ask that Jesus and the two others be removed from their crosses before sunset, which adheres to Deuteronomy, but there’s no follow through. The Jews simply want to move on with observing the Passover, and put the matter behind them, and they completely ignore the order regarding burial. With the core disciples scattered, it’s likely that Jesus’ body would have been disposed of with the garbage if not for the intervention of His two secret disciples.

“So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.”

Mark 2:23–28,

“One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?’ And he said to them, ‘Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?’ And he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.’”

The ruling Jews were so obsessed with maintaining their ceremonial purity that as they bring their Messiah to be crucified, they refuse to enter the dwelling of a gentile. Remaining “clean” so as to observe the Passover was of paramount importance to them, while they clamored for the death of the Son of God. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, in their obedience to the Law and to Jesus, who is the fulfillment of the Law, help illustrate what is truly important. Numbers 19:11–13 says,

“Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days. He shall cleanse himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and so be clean. But if he does not cleanse himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not become clean. Whoever touches a dead person, the body of anyone who has died, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown on him, he shall be unclean. His uncleanness is still on him.”

In dressing the body of Jesus for burial they show devotion to their Christ and obedience to the Law – they also make themselves unclean for the next seven days through contact with the dead. They can no longer enter the temple during this period, they can no longer observe the Passover at twilight. But what’s more important, that they enter the temple in Jerusalem, or that they honor the temple of the body of Christ? That they observe the Passover, or that they bury the Lamb of God, so that He is not left as a curse on the land? Nicodemus and Joseph harm their social standing with the Sanhedrin, they separate themselves through ceremonial uncleanness, but they honor God as they move from secret disciples into the Light of Christ.

“Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.”

As the day draws to a close there is a sense of urgency to complete the burial of Jesus. Deuteronomy 21 calls for the hanged man to be buried before the day is finished, and this sunset marks the start of the high day of rest of the Passover Sabbath, when no work is to be done. And so, Jesus is laid to rest in the nearby tomb of His disciple Joseph, His body prepared with spices and wrapped in linen, and a stone rolled in place to seal the grave. But this stone would not stay in place, the linen would not remain bound, and the body of the Christ would not remain without life. Because the Good Shepherd lays down His life that He may take it up again, and the Light of the world shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Pastor Chris’s sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZJpXR2Svts