NOW THERE WAS a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, 51who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. 53Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. 54It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.
55The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.
Original Meaning
THIS PASSAGE CENTERS around two sets of characters: Joseph of Arimathea and some women from Galilee.1 Some people remain concerned about Jesus even after his death. That the women are careful to observe the Sabbath, showing their Jewish piety, suggests that not all Jews reject Jesus. Some righteous Jews do embrace him.
While many in Israel “fall” before Jesus, some also “rise” (2:34). Joseph belongs to this second group. He is a good and righteous man. In fact, he was against the decision of the council to execute Jesus. He is a “remnant” saint in the New Testament’s view,2 and is awaiting the kingdom of God. He may have been a believer in Jesus, or at least was open to him.
Joseph asks for Jesus’ body to fulfill Deuteronomy 21:22–23. He does not think it appropriate that Jesus should be buried in a pauper’s grave. He takes possession of the body, brings it down from the cross, and wraps it in linen (sindon)—probably a fine cloth, This is not the shroud of Turin that has caused much recent speculation. Joseph places the body in a previously unused tomb hewed out of rock. The tomb was probably tunneled out of the side of a rock, having a small door-like entrance of perhaps a yard in height. Such tombs were present just north of the city. Jesus receives an honorable burial.
Luke notes it is “Preparation Day,” the day before the Sabbath. Thus, it is about sunset on Friday. On this day everything for the Sabbath had to be prepared. Joseph quickly finishes the task before sunset, since the Sabbath began at that time. His action does not take place privately, for some women observe him as he lays Jesus in the tomb. They apparently never left the scene of the cross (cf. v. 49). The fact that these women are from Galilee indicates that they have been disciples for some time and know Jesus well. They will not make a mistake as to whether and where Joseph has taken Jesus.
As the women prepare for the Sabbath, they also prepare spices and perfumes, a custom common for Jews, since they did not embalm. The spices and perfumes were placed on the body to reduce the stench and decomposition.3 These women fully intend to return to the tomb. They want to continue to honor the Lord. There is no indication they expect a resurrection that involves Jesus’ body.
Bridging Contexts
THIS ACCOUNT SIMPLY narrates how Jesus was buried and that the burial was witnessed by outsiders. It operates basically at a historical level. There is no development of character at a narrative level. The text does reveal a couple of examples of deep concern shown for Jesus. The people here want Jesus to have an honorable burial and be appropriately cared for. Their concern is admirable.
One other important detail emerges. The resurrection was not an anticipated event. Jesus receives the normal treatment a dead person received. He was definitely laid to rest, and the preparation of spices shows that the women expect him to remain there. The resurrection catches everyone by surprise.
It is not unusual for God to be active in our midst and even to tell us about what he is doing, but we miss the point. We can get so locked into a routine of how things normally take place that we risk missing what God is doing out of the ordinary. A text like this reminds us to keep our eyes open and to look carefully for God’s promises, which might show up in surprising ways.
Contemporary Significance
THIS PARAGRAPH IS a transition paragraph to the resurrection, noting the respect that some accorded Jesus after his death. One feature yields an important application in our skeptical age. One of the charges some make today is that the resurrection was an event created by the early church, in order to allow Jesus’ memory and teaching to continue. If that were the case, the Evangelists have certainly found an unusual way to describe the preparation for it. The testimony of Gospels is that the resurrection caught the disciples by surprise. When Jesus died, they figured he had departed. Even though Jesus prophesied his resurrection, it did not sink in. If the resurrection were a fabrication, would its creators portray the disciples as being so much at a loss to understand what Jesus was predicting? It is more incredible to believe in a fabricated resurrection, for which some of Jesus’ followers even died, than it is to take the possibility of resurrection seriously. The implications of this contrast lead directly to a decision for the resurrection and to Jesus’ claims about who he is.