The Burial of Jesus

Matthew 27:45-56

I. THE BURIAL OF JESUS IS A FULFILLMENT OF OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY (Matthew 27:57-60 with Isaiah 53:9)

Old Testament Prophecy

New Testament Fulfillment

Isaiah 53:9
His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

Matthew 27:57-60
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.

A. Matthew’s Gospel began with the Virgin Conception of Jesus being a fulfillment of prophecy (Matthew 1:22-23).

B. Jesus’ birth in the town of Bethlehem was a fulfillment of prophecy (Matthew 2:5-6 with Micah 5:1-4).

C. The death of Jesus was a fulfillment of prophecy (Psalm 22; 118; Isaiah 53).

II. THE DETAILS OF JESUS’ BURIAL HELP EXPLAIN THE REASON JESUS’ TOMB WAS EMPTY

A. The religious leaders claimed that the body of Jesus was stolen from the tomb (Matthew 28:13-15). Justin Martyr wrote in the early to mid 1^st century A.D., “You have sent chosen and ordained men throughout the whole world to proclaim that a godless and lawless heresy had sprung from one Jesus, a Galilean deceiver … whose disciples stole him by night from the tomb” (Dialogue with Trypho 108).

“Chrysostom pours scorn on the idea that they stole him; he speaks of the guards as men who ‘are not even able to make up a falsehood” and goes on to refer to the disciples as “men poor and unlearned, and not venturing so much as to show themselves. … And how should it enter their minds to feign such a thing, men who were well content to be hidden and to live? … they were timorous … when they saw Him seized, all rushed away from Him’” (quoted in Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew).

In 1878 a marble slab was discovered in Nazareth which contained an “ordinance of Caesar.” Scholars generally agree that it was issued by Roman emperor Claudius between A.D. 41-54. The inscription was written in Greek. Here is the translation:

Ordinance of Caesar: It is my pleasure that graves and tombs remain perpetually undisturbed for those who have made them for the cult of their ancestors or children or members of their house. If, however, anyone charges that another has either demolished them, or has in any other way extracted the buried, or has maliciously transferred the sealing on other stones, against such a one I order that a trial be instituted, as in respect of the gods, so in regard to the cult of mortals. For it shall be much more obligatory to honor the buried. Let it be absolutely forbidden for anyone to disturb them. In case of violation I desire that the offender be sentenced to capital punishment on charge of violation of sepulcher. (quoted by Dr. Gary R. Gromacki, “The Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (Part II)” Journal of Ministry and Theology 6:2 (Fall 02) pp.50-51).

1. “The lie for which the priests paid so much money is suicidal; one half destroys the other. Sleeping sentinels could not know what happened.” (FF Bruce, quoted in Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew).

2. John 20:5-7 says the linen wrappings were lying in the tomb and the face-cloth on the head of Jesus had been rolled up. If the body had been stolen, the wrappings would have been left on (cf. John 11:44)! What grave robber would take the time to unwrap a dead and presumably bloody body, fold the linen bandage and then leave while soldiers were “sleeping”?

For neither, if any persons had removed the body, would they before doing so have stripped it; nor if any had stolen it, would they have taken the trouble to remove the napkin, and roll it up, and lay it in a place by itself; but how? they would have taken the body as it was. On this account John tells us by anticipation that it was buried with much myrrh, which glues linen to the body not less firmly than lead; in order that when thou hearest that the napkins lay apart, thou mayest not endure those who say that He was stolen. For a thief would not have been so foolish as to spend so much trouble on a superfluous matter. For why should he undo the clothes? and how could he have escaped detection if he had done so? since he would probably have spent much time in so doing, and be found out by delaying and loitering. But why do the clothes lie apart, while the napkin was wrapped together by itself? That thou mayest learn that it was not the action of men in confusion or haste, the placing some in one place, some in another, and the wrapping them together. From this they believed in the Resurrection (Chrysostom, Homilies on St. John 85.4 in NPNF, 1st Series, 14:321).

B. The “teaching” of the religious leaders contradicted the teaching of Jesus (cf. Matthew 12:38-40). Those sitting in the seat of Moses, were “teaching” others to lie (Exodus 20:16; 23:1).

Matthew 28:15 (NASB95)
15 And they took the money and did as they had been instructed (didáskō); and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.

Matthew 28:19-20 (NASB95)
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching (didáskō) them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

C. Matthew carefully explains that the tomb was made secure by soldiers.

1. Permission asked: “Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day” (Matthew 27:64).

2. Permission granted: “go, make it as secure as you know how” (Matthew 27:65).

3. “they went and made the grave secure” (Matthew 27:66).

III. WHAT WE DO WITH THE BODY AFTER DEATH SHOULD REFLECT OUR FAITH AND HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE BODY

A. It would have been expensive to hew out a new tomb in rock (Matthew 27:60; cf. John 19:39-40).

B. After death, the body is not trash to be burned. Our bodies are good and God given. What we instruct others to do with our bodies after death should be motivated by Christian faith and hope (Heb.11:22). The body of Jesus was buried, and there is good reason for us to follow this example.

The primitive Christians always showed a tender care for the dead; under a vivid impression of the unbroken communion of saints and the future resurrection of the body in glory. For Christianity redeems the body as well as the soul, and consecrates it a temple of the Holy Spirit. Hence the Greek and Roman custom of burning the corpse (crematio) was repugnant to Christian feeling and the sacredness of the body. Tertullian even declared it a symbol of the fire of hell, and Cyprian regarded it as equivalent to apostasy” (Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church).

Did you know?

An Italian, Professor Brunetti, developed the first modern cremation chamber in the 1870's. This triggered a movement towards cremation in Europe and North America, which has continued to the present day. In 1886, the Roman Catholicism officially banned cremations. In fact, the only German Catholics excommunicated during World War II were not prison guards at extermination camps or other mass murderers; they were individuals who favored cremation! In 1963, Roman Catholicism lifted the ban on cremation and allows it with certain stipulations. (Cremation versus Burial)

Q.37 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism

What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?

The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, (Heb. 12:23) and do immediately pass into glory; (2 Cor. 5:1,6,8, Phil. 1:23, Luke 23:43) and their bodies, being still united to Christ, (1 Thess. 4:14) do rest in their graves, (Isa. 57:2) till the resurrection. (Job 19:26–27)

Shroud of Turin/Torino – a linen bearing the three-dimensional image of a Caucasian male, in his 30’s, about 5 feet, 11 inches tall and 170 pounds. The man on the linen has the marks of facial bruises, pierce marks in his wrists, feet and side and over 100 marks from the shoulder to the calf which could have been caused by a scourge. Many believe this to be the linen cloth Joseph wrapped Jesus with, claiming that some kind of photo image was impressed upon the cloth when Jesus rose again from the dead. Some 63 academic disciplines and over 500,000 hours of scientific scrutiny have been spent studying the shroud.

I personally don’t think that it is the actual burial linen of Jesus because when it was publicly exhibited in the 14^th century, it was denounced as a fraud by at least one bishop (Pierre D'Arcis). Pope Clement VII ordered in the 14^th century that when the Shroud was displayed that a priest announce,

“in a loud and intelligible voice, without any trickery, that the aforesaid form or representation is not the true burial cloth of our Lord Jesus Christ but only a kind of painting or picture made as a form or representation of the burial cloth.” (The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, Vol.4, p.495)

IV. THE BURIAL OF JESUS’ BODY IS IMPORTANT IN REFUTING THE SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST

A. The spirit of antichrist is a denial of the en-fleshment or Incarnation of Jesus (1 John 4:1-3; 2 John 7).

Gnostic Gospels – in December 1945 thirteen leather-bound papyrus codices buried in a sealed jar were found in Egypt. The writings in these codices comprised 52 mostly Gnostic tractates (treatises), believed to be a library hidden by monks from the nearby monastery of St Pachomius when the possession of such banned writings, denounced as heresy, was made an offence (The Nag Hammadi Library in Wikipedia).

B. The spirit of antichrist is found in the “Gospel of Judas”.

C. The spirit of antichrist is going to entertain millions in the movie “The Da Vinci Code.” The movie (and best selling book) is based on Gnostic Gospels such as the “Gospel of Philip,” and the “Gospel of Mary Magdalene.”

Irenaeus was an early church father (died 195 AD) who wrote, a five volume work, On the Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis (a.k.a. Against the Heresies). In it he wrote:

Be deaf, therefore, when any would speak to you apart from (at variance with) Jesus Christ [the Son of God], who was descended from the family of David, born of Mary, who truly was born [both of God and of the Virgin...truly took a body; for the Word became flesh and dwelt among us without sin...], ate and drank [truly], truly suffered persecution under Pontius Pilate, was truly [and not in appearance] crucified and died...who was also truly raised from the dead [and rose after three days], his Father raising him up...[and after having spent forty days with the Apostles, was received up to the Father, and sits on his right hand, waiting till his enemies are put under his feet].

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
    born of the Virgin Mary,
    suffered under Pontius Pilate,
    was crucified, died, and was buried….

(Apostle’s Creed)

QUESTIONS FOR SABBATH DISCUSSION & MEDITATION

Pray that God would enable you and give you the desire to be conformed to His Word as read and preached today.

Why are the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus’ conception, place of birth, death and burial important?

How do Matthew’s details about the burial of Jesus refute the claim of the Jews that the body of Jesus was stolen?

Is the human body good? Do you believe this about your body?

Why should our treatment of the body after death reflect what we believe will happen to bodies in the future?

What is the spirit of antichrist?

How is the spirit of antichrist with us today?