§56 Death and Burial (Luke 23:44–56)
This section may be divided into two parts: (1) the death of Jesus (vv. 44–49) and (2) the burial of Jesus (vv. 50–56). As in the previous section (vv. 26–43) the Lucan account basically follows Mark (15:33–47), but not without various omissions, additions, and modifications.
23:44–49 / There are four noteworthy differences between the Lucan and Marcan accounts: (1) Whereas in Mark 15:38 the temple veil tears after Jesus’ death, in Luke 23:45 it tears before his death (see note below). (2) Luke omits Jesus’ cry of dereliction found in Mark 15:34 (“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”; see Ps. 22:1). (3) Luke 23:46 alludes to Ps. 31:5, which Mark does not. (4) Finally, the Roman soldier’s exclamation following Jesus’ death is different. Instead of recognizing Jesus as the “Son of God” (see Mark 15:39) the Lucan soldier declares, Surely this was a righteous [or innocent] man (v. 47).
With his death, his “ascent,” begun in 9:51, has taken a major step forward. Having been placed into the hands of men (see 9:44), Jesus now places his spirit into the hands of his Father. Even in his last moment of life Jesus is able to quote Ps. 31:5 as a demonstration of his faith in his heavenly Father (see note below). Luke probably omitted the Marcan cry of dereliction because he felt that it was inappropriate. He presents Jesus as in control of his destiny, in such control that even while hanging on the cross he could forgive a man his sins and offer his assurances of entry into Paradise (see vv. 39–43 above). By changing the exclamation of the Roman soldier, Luke is able yet one more time to declare Jesus’ innocence, an innocence recognized by a second Roman (Pilate being the first, see vv. 4, 13–16, 22). Such recognition of innocence by Roman officials would serve Luke’s larger purpose of portraying Jesus and his followers as law-abiding citizens who are not guilty of treason, insurrection, or misconduct.
In v. 48, a verse found only in Luke, the evangelist tells us that when all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. Already, the turning point has been reached. Now that the terrible deed has been done, the perpetrators are having second thoughts. This clearly anticipates the sorrow and repentance displayed following Peter’s Pentecost sermon in Acts 2:14–39 (esp. v. 37). Jesus’ followers (v. 49), rather than running away as they do in Mark 14:50, stood at a distance, watching these things. The evangelist keeps the disciples on hand, as witnesses, ready to resume the ministry as soon as the Good News of Easter is learned.
23:50–56 / Luke’s account of Jesus’ burial follows, but in abbreviated form. Joseph … from the Judean town of Arimathea is described as a good and upright (same word used of Jesus in v. 47 above) man. This man, like the righteous Simeon (2:25), was waiting for the kingdom of God. By describing him thus, the evangelist is implying that Joseph was in sympathy with John the Baptist’s earlier call to repentance (3:3) and Jesus’ later proclamation of the kingdom (4:43). This man was a member of the Council (see 22:66 above), who had not consented to their decision and action. Having obtained the permission of Pilate to take Jesus’ body, he gave it a proper burial. Unlike most who were crucified and then thrown into a common grave, Jesus was laid in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. Although he had suffered an ignominious death, at least his burial was more befitting a king. The loyal women from Galilee, who in v. 49 had “stood at a distance, watching” the crucifixion, observed the place of Jesus’ burial so that they might return after the Sabbath (a day on which such labors were strictly forbidden) to anoint Jesus’ body with spices and perfumes.
23:44 / At the brightest time of day, from noon till 3 p.m., darkness came over the whole land. This darkness is probably a vivid illustration of Jesus’ reference to his arrest as an “hour—when darkness reigns” (22:53). It may also be a portent that foreshadows the strange phenomena that accompany Jesus’ return as “Son of Man” (21:25). In reference to the darkness at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, Julius Africanus (d. after A.D. 240) reports (according to fragment 18 of Africanus’ five-volume Chronography, preserved in Georgius Syncellus, Chronology) that “this darkness Thallus [the Samaritan Chronicler], in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun.” See A. Roberts and J. Donaldson, eds., The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951), vol. 6, p. 136.
23:45 / The curtain of the temple probably refers to the curtain, or veil, separating the “Holy of Holies” from the rest of the inner temple area. Marshall (p. 875) thinks that the tearing of the curtain “is a forewarning of the destruction of the temple.” Such a conclusion, however, carries more conviction in the Marcan context where there is developed an anti-temple motif. Tiede (p. 423), however, suggests that the tearing of the curtain may have been understood as a sign of divine displeasure. Fitzmyer (p. 1519) thinks that the tearing of the curtain is a sign of the reign of evil during the time of Jesus’ passion (Luke 22:53). I suspect that there is some truth in both of the latter views. Slavonic Josephus (War 5.5.4 [5.207–214, LCL]) repeats the tradition of the torn curtain: “[The temple curtain] had, you should know, been suddenly rent from the top to the ground, when they delivered over to death through bribery the doer of good, the man—yea, him who through his doing was no man. And many other signs they tell which came to pass at that time.” The “other signs” would include the darkness and the earthquake (see Matt. 27:51; Amos 8:9). Lachs (p. 434) notes that there are rabbinic stories claiming that in some cases strange events attended the death of notable rabbis.
23:46 / spirit: “The whole of the living person” (Fitzmyer, p. 1519). Jesus’ utterance is taken from Psalm 31, a psalm attributed to David that is a prayer of lamentation and thanksgiving. The psalmist has been ill (vv. 9–10), has been the object of lies and traps (vv. 4, 18, 20), has been scorned by enemies and abandoned by friends (v. 11), and has sought refuge in God in the face of death (vv. 5, 13). The suitability of this psalm for Jesus’ passion is obvious: Jesus, the son of David (Luke 1:32; 18:38), has been falsely accused, entrapped, scorned, betrayed, and now, hanging on the cross, faces death. Rabbinic interpretation of this psalm, emphasizing messianic and eschatological themes (Midrash Psalms 31.2–3, 5–7, 8), further clarifies why such a psalm would be utilized in the passion tradition. The specific verse that the Lucan Jesus has quoted was employed as a prayer before going to sleep (Numbers Rabbah 20.20; Midrash Psalms 25.2). It was a prayer that God protect one’s spirit until one awakens. “Sleep” could mean either literally sleep or figuratively death (note Acts 7:59–60, where the dying Stephen prays, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” [alluding to Luke 23:46 and Ps. 31:5], and then “falls asleep”). Thus understood, Ps. 31:5 is particularly suitable for the dying Jesus. Implicit is that Jesus, like David, faced opposition from his own people, and, like David, entrusts his spirit to God (see Fitzmyer, p. 1519).
23:47 / praised [or “glorified”] God: Luke has added this idea, which is in keeping with his wider concern to portray his characters as praising and glorifying God (see 2:20; 5:26; 13:13; 17:15–16; 18:43; Acts 4:21; 11:18; 21:20).
righteous: Tiede (p. 425) suggests that the centurion’s confession that Jesus was “righteous” may have had christological implications (see Acts 3:14; 7:52; 22:14, where Jesus is called the “Righteous One”).
23:48 / J. T. Sanders (pp. 228–29) wonders if the people beat their breasts because they are worried about their future. This is not likely. Tiede (p. 425) notes that the people “returned”/“repented” (hypostrephein)—the NIV reads went away—much as Jesus predicted that Peter would “return”/“repent” (epistrephein) after denying his Lord (see 22:32). Luke’s description anticipates the remorse and repentance that will be expressed at the Pentecost sermon (Acts 2:37–38). Leaney (p. 287) suggests that in this verse, Luke may have in mind Zech. 12:10–14.
23:49 / Galilee: See note on 17:11 above. These women are probably those mentioned in 8:1–3.
23:51 / Arimathea: Where this city was in the time of Jesus is not easily determined. It may have been one of two cities situated five and ten miles north of Jerusalem. See Fitzmyer, p. 1526; HBD, p. 63. Lachs (p. 436) thinks that it is Haramatiam, ten miles east of Lydda and about ten miles southeast of Antipatris.
23:52 / Pilate: See note on 3:1 above. Pilate, of course, was the Roman governor who ordered Jesus’ execution (see 23:24).
23:53 / tomb: “Tombs hewn out of rock, dating from the first century, are found in abundance in the area around Jerusalem” (Fitzmyer, p. 1529).
23:55 / The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee: See note on 23:49 above.
23:56 / But they rested on the Sabbath: The Sabbath is from sundown (6 p.m.) Friday until sundown Saturday. The command to rest (or cease from work) is found in Exod. 20:10; Deut. 5:12–15.