Week 4: Burial

Jesus was buried.

It is a surprise that Jesus was buried at all. On so many different levels, Jesus should never have been buried.

First, Jesus was a condemned criminal. He was crucified as a criminal. It was customary in Roman culture that you would not give the honor of burial to a condemned criminal. He should have been left to rot up on the cross as the birds of the air picked the flesh from his bones over days in disgrace and shame. Yet, as you'll read in the text today, Pilate allows Jesus to be taken down from the cross and given a burial. Though he faced the greatest shame, completely undeserving, he is still honored with a burial.

Second, the tomb offered to him by Joseph of Arimathea was the kind of tomb reserved for the wealthy and elite. Joseph of Arimathea was a council member who Luke teaches was upright and righteous. Still, he was involved in the persecution and conviction of Jesus. He offers not just a burial place but most likely his own tomb. It is surprising that Jesus is buried at all and that this condemned criminal was buried in a tomb of honor. Joel Green, in his commentary on this text, accentuates this point,

“More surprising is the honor given his corpse since, even among Jews, the executed were provided only the ignominious burial suited to the condemned. Jesus, by way of contrast, was wrapped in a linen cloth and shown the honor of a new tomb; similarly, in vv 55–56, women prepare the ointments and spices to complete an honorable burial process.”

Third, it is surprising to think that the incarnation body of God became lifeless. His inanimate body with cold putrid skin was wrapped with linens. Someone took the stagnant hand of God, gently lifted it, and wrapped linen around it. Someone cradled the face of God in their hands, prepared it with spices, and covered it in darkness. Someone took the tips of their fingers or thumbs and tenderly closed the eyes of God. They carried the dead weight of the corpse into the tomb and sealed it away with a stone. The Word was silent. God allowed himself to be buried.

Meditate on these thoughts as you read through the burial narrative today.