Jesus Buried
[Read John 19:38-42]
When I moved to Minnesota as a teenager, I entered into a High School that was known throughout the state of Minnesota for its wrestling program. We had a twenty year run of regular state champions from our school and regular appearances at the state tournament. Our coach was inducted into the coaching Hall of Fame just a few years ago. So, wrestling was a big deal in the school and everybody wanted me to join the team. I wasn’t interested because I saw how much running they did, but eventually they talked me into joining the team my senior year…and I love it.
One of my favorite parts of wrestling was the reversal and our school was known for being specialists in some of these techniques. In wrestling, you get points for certain things—take-downs, back points, and reversals. A reversal happens after you’ve been taken down and the other guy is trying to pin you, and from the outside it looks like all hope is lost, but then you catch them doing something wrong, and you end up using that to your advantage, and you do something that reverses the situation. Now, you’re the one on top, and you’re the one trying to pin the guy. It’s so beautiful because things go from looking really bleak, to really promising all in the blink of an eye.
I was thinking about that more this week and realizing that there’s something inside of all of us that loves reversals. The idea of reversal is at the core of the underdog story, isn’t it? This team that has been struggling and terrible for so long, finally has a Cinderella season and beats all of the big teams to win the championship. That’s a reversal story. Or, the person who grew up poor and disadvantaged, struggling to get by, who eventually works their way to make a name for themself. That’s a reversal story. We love those stories.
The question is: Why do we love those stories? There are multiple possibilities. It’s possible that we love those stories because they serve as some form of wish-fulfillment for us, helping us to believe that if that could happen to them, it could also happen to us. But, I think there’s something much deeper going on. I think we love these stories because this idea of reversal is baked into the story of history—the ultimate story being written by the God who created the Universe. The story of history is one major reversal story.
We see glimpses of that in this morning’s passage. After Jesus dies we read this, “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.” (John 19:38, ESV). Joseph of Arimathea is new to the scene. We haven’t heard about him before. The other gospels fill in some more of the details about him. In Matthew we read, “…there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph…” (Matthew 27:57, ESV). So, Joseph was a wealthy man. Luke tells us, “Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council…” (Luke 23:50, ESV). So, not only was Joseph a rich man, but he was also a member of the council—also known as the Sanhedrin—which means he was a powerful man with connections, which is why he has access to Pilate.
Yet, John doesn’t tell us any of that information. He has one thing he wants to point out: “[he] was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews…” (John 19:38, ESV). This is not a compliment coming from John. It’s not a good thing to be a “secret disciple” out of fear. Yet, here we see this secret disciple, no longer acting in secret AND no longer acting in fear. It’s a reversal. Now we see this man boldly approaching Pilate, and requesting Jesus’ body. This wasn’t how that typically went with criminals who were crucified. Often, they would let the dead bodies hang on the cross for long periods of time as a warning to everyone. Yet, Joseph doesn’t want to see Jesus treated in that way. So, he used his power and influence to get Jesus’ body and care for it. He’s no longer following Jesus in secret and he’s no longer fearing the Jewish leaders. A Reversal.
Then we read, “Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight.” (John 19:39, ESV). Good ‘ol Nicodemus comes back into the story. This has to be one of my favorite parts of the Gospel of John. It’s so intentional. Remember how things where the first time Nicodemus meets with Jesus? He comes to Jesus at night, so that nobody knows that he’s talking to him—fear, secrecy. He acts like he knows who Jesus is, but has no clue. Jesus tells him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3, ESV). He tells Nicodemus that something dramatic needs to happen in him if he’s going to see the Kingdom of God. We’re not told exactly how this conversation ends, but we’re left with the impression that Nicodemus leaves in the same way he came—in the dark and confused. Then, four chapters later, he pops back into the story briefly. The Sanhedrin is working on a plan to arrest Jesus and have him killed. In the midst of this we read, “Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? ”” (John 7:50–52, ESV). Nicodemus is defending Jesus to some degree, or at least defending the proper use of the law. Yet, it’s interpreted by the Sanhedrin that Nicodemus is getting too close to becoming a follower of Jesus. He’s not there, but close.
Now, twelve chapters later, we see Nicodemus coming back into the picture to care for Jesus’ body after his death. John doesn’t say anything explicitly, but this scene definitely seems to point to the fact that Nicodemus now believes in Jesus. He’s not coming to Jesus at night in fear, but he’s coming to Jesus in the light of day, for all the world to see. I think it’s beautiful that John shows this long, slow path of Nicodemus from skeptic, to curious, to believer. It didn’t happen immediately. It didn’t happen dramatically. It was the long, slow work of the Holy Spirit chipping away at his hard heart, slowly drawing him closer to Jesus and slowly opening his eyes and bringing him out of the darkness.
I think it’s important for us to remember these kinds of stories. We love to hear the stories of the immediate reversals in people’s lives. I’ve known numerous people over the years who found themselves in a deep dark pit of addiction or despair, and the moment they gave their lives to Jesus, they were immediately delivered. I’ve seen it happen. We love those stories. However, that hasn’t been my typical experience with people over the years. The vast majority of them have been much more like Nicodemus, a long and slow pulling away from their sin and toward Jesus Christ, slowly chipping away at their hard hearts and opening their eyes to see clearly. There’s beauty in this too. It’s a reminder for us to be patient. Patient with ourselves as we continue to struggle with our sins and failings, but also patient with others who are struggling with their sin and failing. Sometimes, these things take a long time to work themselves out. Nicodemus is an example of that.
The image that John paints for us here is very striking. We see two wealthy, powerful men caring for Jesus after his death, while Jesus’ disciples are in hiding. Isn’t that incredible? Not only that. We see a picture of two wealthy, powerful men, who had been too afraid to follow Jesus publicly throughout his life, now publicly and un-fearfully caring for Jesus for all the world to see. We see a complete reversal in these men. The question is: What happened to them?
The answer to this question was given last week: it was the power of the cross. That’s what caused this dramatic reversal in the lives of these two men. They looked on the one whom they had pierced, and they were pierced to their heart, and saw Jesus for who he truly is—the Savior of the world. Calvin says this beautifully: “For here we have a striking proof that his death was more quickening than his life; and so great was the efficacy of that sweet savour which the death of Christ conveyed to the minds of those two men, that it quickly extinguished all the passions belonging to the flesh. So long as ambition and the love of money reigned in them, the grace of Christ had no charms for them; but now they begin to disrelish the whole world.” (Calvin, 244). Or to say it another way, Herman Ridderbos says, “Seeing Jesus’ miracles (3:2) could not bring Nicodemus to openly join Jesus’ disciples, but Jesus’ death can.” (Ridderbos, 626).
Not only do we see a reversal in the lives of these two men, but we see a reversal in Jesus’ situation as well. Jesus goes from being hung on a cross as a seditious criminal, to being buried as a king. It’s an incredible reversal.
I mean, look at what Nicodemus brings with him to the burial. We read, “Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight.” (John 19:39, ESV). Seventy-five pounds is extravagant. I’ve read that the typical Jewish burial consisted of five points of spices, but Nicodemus shows up with seventy-five pounds of myrrh and aloes—fifteen-times more. There are various people who have worked to calculate how much this was worth. Some have said that this is about $150-200k worth of spices in our day and age, and others have calculated it much higher to be about 83 years worth of salary—a lifetime of salary. Whatever the actual cost is, the point is that it’s extravagant.
Does that ring any bells with you? It’s been a while now, but a few chapters ago we read a story about someone doing something extravagant for Jesus, anointing him with extremely expensive ointment. Remember Mary anoints Jesus with this oil. Judas is upset that it’s such a waste of money that could have been used for something better. And how does Jesus respond? “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.” (John 12:7–8, ESV). When I preached on this last time, I told you that could be translated differently to say more like, “Leave her alone, she has kept this for the day of my burial,” meaning that this extravagant anointing by Mary was a sign of the beginning of Jesus’ path toward death—which is now being completed with another extravagant anointing with seventy-five pounds of spices—the kind of burial that only is given to a king. That’s quite the reversal.
We also see this pointed out in Jesus’ tomb. We read, “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.” (John 19:41–42, ESV). This is not the way criminals are buried. As I mentioned, often they were left hanging on the cross, left to the vultures, or thrown in a mass grave. A criminal is not placed in a private tomb in a garden. This is the kind of tomb given to the likes of a king. Another reversal.
Yet, John is also setting the stage for what’s to come. He’s making sure that we know Jesus was wrapped in a linen cloth that was filled with seventy-five pounds of spices. He’s making sure we know that He was placed in a tomb that is in a garden. He’s making sure we know that Jesus was placed in a tomb by himself. He’s making sure we know that nobody else had ever used this tomb before. All of these little details will be important for us to remember as the rest of the story plays out in the next chapter—as we see the ultimate reversal becoming a reality.
This story leaves us with some questions that need to be answered in our own lives, like: What needs to happen for me to see this kind of reversal in my own life? It should be no surprise to you, but the Heidelberg Catechism gives us that answer. It’s actually the follow-up to the portions I read in last week’s sermon. The question is different, but the same: “What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?” This could be reworded to say something like: What must you know to experience this kind of reversal in your life? The answer: “Three things: first, how great my sin and misery are; second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery; third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance.”
This is the power of the cross that I talked about last week. When you look at the cross, and see the pain and torment that Christ endured because of our sin, we should see a very clear picture of the greatness of our sin and misery because it was our sin that put him there. Yet, when we look at the cross, we also see how we’re set free from our sin and misery—we’re set free by putting our faith and trust in the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. And, as we see Jesus laying his life down on the cross, we’re shown how we’re to live and thank God in response to that salvation—by laying our lives down for him. We see this beautifully pictured as Joseph and Nicodemus step out of the shadows of their sin and shame and fear and lay down their lives, their wealth, and their power for Jesus.
And again, like I mentioned earlier, this takes a long time. In all honesty, it not only takes a long time for us to initially put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ—like Nicodemus—but we will spend the rest of our lives looking at the cross of Jesus Christ, being reminded of our sin, being reminded of our salvation, and learning how to live in gratitude by laying down our lives. The Christian life is a long, slow process of keeping our eyes on Jesus, being transformed by the Holy Spirit, as they work a complete reversal in our lives.