After
these things, Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked of Pilate that he might take away Jesus’ body. Pilate gave him permission. He came therefore and took away his body. Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred Roman pounds. So they took Jesus’ body, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb in which no man had ever yet been laid. Then because of the Jews’ Preparation Day (for the tomb was near at hand) they laid Jesus there.
John 19:38-42
John 19 [31.] Therefore the Jews, because it was the Preparation Day, so that the bodies wouldn’t remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a special one), asked of Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Therefore the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who was crucified with him; but when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was already dead, they didn’t break his legs. However one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. He who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, that you may believe. For these things happened, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, “A bone of him will not be broken.” Again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they pierced.”
John 19 [38.] After these things, Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked of Pilate that he might take away Jesus’ body. Pilate gave him permission. He came therefore and took away his body. Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred Roman pounds. So they took Jesus’ body, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb in which no man had ever yet been laid. Then because of the Jews’ Preparation Day (for the tomb was near at hand) they laid Jesus there.
John 20 [1.] Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went early, while it was still dark, to the tomb, and saw the stone taken away from the tomb. Therefore she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have laid him!”
Meaning:
Jesus had died, and the soldiers had confirmed his death with a spear (John 19:33-34). Now two men who had kept their faith hidden came forward to give him an honourable burial. Their courage at this dark hour stands in contrast to the fear of the others.
- “Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly”
Joseph was “a prominent council member” (Mark 15:43), a member of the Sanhedrin that had condemned Jesus. Luke says he “had not consented to their counsel and deed” (Luke 23:51), and Matthew calls him “a rich man” (Matthew 27:57). Until now he had kept his faith secret “for fear of the Jews”, like the rulers John described earlier, who believed in Jesus but did not confess it, “for they loved men’s praise more than God’s praise” (John 12:42-43). Now he went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body.
- “Pilate gave him permission”
Roman custom often left crucified bodies on the cross or threw them into a common grave. Joseph needed the governor’s permission to bury Jesus. Pilate, who had already declared Jesus innocent, granted the request once the centurion confirmed that Jesus was dead (Mark 15:45).
- “Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night”
Nicodemus was the Pharisee and ruler who had come to Jesus by night and heard that he must be born anew (John 3:2). Later he had spoken up for Jesus, asking whether the law judges a man before hearing him (John 7:51). Now he came openly in daylight. He brought about a hundred Roman pounds of myrrh and aloes, about 33 kilograms. This was a quantity fit for a king. The man crucified as “King of the Jews” was buried like royalty.
- “Bound it in linen cloths with the spices”
Jewish burial did not embalm the body as the Egyptians did. The body was washed, wrapped in strips of linen with spices between the layers, and laid in a tomb. The women watched where he was laid and planned to return with more spices after the Sabbath (Mark 16:1).
- “In the garden was a new tomb”
The tomb was cut in rock, close to the place of crucifixion, and no one had yet been laid in it. Matthew says it was Joseph’s “own new tomb” (Matthew 27:60). Isaiah had foretold of the suffering servant: “They made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death” (Isaiah 53:9). Because the tomb was new, there could be no confusion about whose body lay there when it was found empty. The story of humanity began in a garden (Genesis 2:8), and the risen Jesus would be met in this garden, where Mary Magdalene first took him for “the gardener” (John 20:15).
The Significance of John 19:38-42
- Courage to confess Christ
Joseph and Nicodemus had once been secret disciples, but at the cross they came forward. Jesus said, “Everyone therefore who confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32). There is still time for hesitant believers to stand openly with Christ.
- Love that serves when all seems lost
Joseph and Nicodemus honoured Jesus when it seemed that everything had ended. Acts of love and faithfulness offered to Christ are never wasted, even when we cannot see what God will do next.
- Truly dead and buried
The gospel Paul received was “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Jesus’ burial confirms his death and prepares for the wonder of the empty tomb.
Cross-References:
Isaiah 53:9: "They made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death;" Fulfilled in Joseph’s tomb.
Mark 15:43: "He boldly went in to Pilate, and asked for Jesus’ body." Joseph’s courage in Mark.
John 7:50-51: "Does our law judge a man, unless it first hears from him personally and knows what he does?" Nicodemus earlier defending Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4: "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried," The burial as part of the gospel.
Conclusion: Joseph of Arimathaea, a secret disciple, boldly asked Pilate for Jesus’ body, and Nicodemus brought a royal quantity of myrrh and aloes. Together they wrapped the body in linen with the spices and laid it in a new tomb in a garden near the place of crucifixion. Their courageous love honoured Jesus in death, fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy, and set the scene for the empty tomb.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible