Matthew 27:59 NIV UK
[59] Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, [60] and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.
These days there are some pretty wild conspiracy theories. And I’m not just talking about rumours of ‘Deep States’, or stolen elections, or Davos, or that the Royal family are lizards, or even that sports referees belong to the Freemasons.
No, I mean people who have the wildest theories about things with no relation to reality.
I’m talking about people who still argue nowadays that the earth is flat.
I'm talking about people who believe that aliens gave mankind every piece of modern technology we use.
I even heard one lately that an Indian space probe had found a platform that was used to fake the moon landings... on the moon.
Often what happens is that selective evidence is considered, while anything that could completely invalidate the position is set aside – and in many cases, buried. Not literally, of course. But it is denied or dismissed as an ‘alternative fact’.
Jesus’ death was a scandal. The thought that He might rise from the dead, however remote, even more so.
And so, just as the Sabbath sun was rising, three groups of men set out to bury Jesus: two from a well-meaning, respectful point of view; one from a sense of controlling the narrative and closing the lid on this pesky Jesus cult.
The first of these is The Dissenter – Joseph of Arimathea:
Matthew 27:57-58 NIVUK
[57] As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. [58] Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.
Mark 15:42-43 NIVUK
[42] It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, [43] Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. https://bible.com/bible/113/mrk.15.42-43.NIVUK
Luke 23:50-51
[50] Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, [51] who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. https://bible.com/bible/113/luk.23.50-51.NIVUK
Joseph is a man of some substance – and not just financially. He is a Pharisee who followed Jesus, despite the outright and open hostility towards Him.
Not only that, but he has the temerity to not agree with their decision to try Jesus and condemn Him to death.
What Joseph does, in the face of such vitriol, is quite incredible and very brave. After all, Jesus was crucified. Who could say if Joseph could be next?
He may be a relatively minor character in the Bible, but there is no doubting his faithfulness in the face of unrelenting pressure.
After the Dissenter, we see The Seeker – Nicodemus:
John 19:39 NIVUK
[39] He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about thirty-five kilograms. https://bible.com/bible/113/jhn.19.39.NIVUK
Nicodemus often gets a bad press. We know him as Jesus’ night-time visitor (John 3:1-2) who might have been curious about Jesus but did not have the courage to show his face during the day. We know from his discussion with Jesus that he was quite confused by what Jesus had to say (John 3:4, 9).
But when we next see him, he, like Joseph, is taking the incredibly brave step of standing up to the dark plots of the Pharisees:
John 7:50-52 NIVUK
[50] Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, [51] ‘Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?’ [52] They replied, ‘Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.’
Again, we have evidence that not all Pharisees agree with the plot to kill Jesus. Again, we have a record of one of their number at least being willing to stand up to his peers and challenge their assumptions that Jesus is a threat.
It is quite striking.
While the Bible is clear that Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Jesus, it is not so clear about Nicodemus. Nicodemus is clearly sympathetic and open-minded. However, we do not know if he finally nailed his colours to the mast and decided to follow Jesus.
What we do see is these two men treating Jesus’ body with the same dignity and respect afforded to anyone in their culture (John 19:39-42). And the spice mixture Nicodemus brought with him was both substantial and expensive.
And that is beautiful.
But the third group of people who bury Jesus are absolutely not either followers or enquirers.
No, these people are The Conspirators:
Matthew 27:62-66 NIVUK
[62] The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. [63] ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, “After three days I will rise again.” [64] So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.’ [65] ‘Take a guard,’ Pilate answered. ‘Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.’ [66] So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. https://bible.com/bible/113/mat.27.62-66.NIVUK
Now, we have to be clear about this: these men are not just burying Jesus’ physical body, they are also seeking to bury His movement. They want to silence His disciples and the Jesus cult forever.
Their plan is to put a stop to it immediately.
And the reason why?
Not because it wasn’t true, but because of what they had done. As they argued later:
Acts 5:27-58
[27] The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. [28] ‘We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,’ he said. ‘Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.’ https://bible.com/bible/113/act.5.27-28.NIVUK
Their issue was that Jesus had claimed to be the Messiah and that He would rise from the dead. They could not tolerate any evidence of this because it would mean they had killed their own Messiah, which would have been unthinkable.
Which explains their reaction when news got out that Jesus had been raised from the dead:
Matthew 28:11-15 NIVUK
[11] While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. [12] When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, [13] telling them, ‘You are to say, “His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.” [14] If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.’ [15] So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. https://bible.com/bible/113/mat.28.11-15.NIVUK
While Muslims even today believe that somehow Jesus’ disciples pulled ‘the old switcheroo’ and changed Jesus for someone like Peter (an idea that is, quite frankly, preposterous, given the desire of both the Romans and the Jews to kill Jesus), the Jews of Matthew’s day were determined to spread the equally implausible lie that Jesus’ followers overpowered a Roman guard, rolled away the stone and stole His body, despite being a dispirited and thoroughly defeated group of people at the time.
But why would anyone go to the effort of posting guards, paying bribes and inventing preposterous nonsense to deny that Jesus was raised from the dead?
Why do people nowadays even go to the extent of trying to deny that He even existed (which some do)?
It is simply because they cannot bow the knee to Him as Lord.
They cannot accept that He has risen from the dead, because if they did then He is who He said He is. And that is something which, for them, is impossible, because if He is who He said He is, then they must follow Him or face the consequences.
So to avoid the inconvenience of a changed life, what do they do?
They deflect. They deny. They depart from the truth.
They bury Him all over again.
But Jesus Christ will not stay buried forever.
After three days, He rose from the dead.
So here we see three groups of people who buried Jesus:
We see a brave and courageous dissenter, who stood up to those who opposed Jesus.
We see a seeker, who was curious, but we don’t know if he ever came to faith.
And we see conspirators – those for whom Jesus could not rise from the dead and prove His identity, because if He did, then they would be proven to have made an enormous mistake.
Jesus died. His body was removed from the cross. That is a fact.
But what would you do with it?
Which of these men are you?
That is the challenge of these verses.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I believe that You rose from the dead. Help me to be courageous enough to own this truth in the face of a hostile world and to risk my life on it. Amen.
Questions
1. All three groups of men buried Jesus, but in what ways? Who was right and who was wrong?
2. Why would men who preached honesty and integrity be prepared to resort to bribery and deceit to deny that Jesus rose? What did it mean to them?
3. Which of these men do you identity the most with? Why?
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