He
bought a linen cloth, and taking him down, wound him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb which had been cut out of a rock. He rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joses, saw where he was laid.
Mark 15:46-47
Mark 15 [40.] There were also women watching from afar, among whom were both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; who, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and served him; and many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.
Mark 15 [42.] When evening had now come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathaea, a prominent council member who also himself was looking for God’s Kingdom, came. He boldly went in to Pilate, and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate marveled if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead long. When he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. He bought a linen cloth, and taking him down, wound him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb which had been cut out of a rock. He rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joses, saw where he was laid.
Mark 16 [1.] When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint him. Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. They were saying among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” for it was very big. Looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back.
Meaning:
Pilate has granted the body of Jesus to Joseph of Arimathaea (Mark 15:42-45). With the Sabbath only hours away, Joseph works quickly. Mark describes the burial simply and carefully, and he ends the chapter by naming two women who saw exactly where Jesus was laid. Their testimony prepares for the discovery of the empty tomb.
- “He bought a linen cloth, and taking him down, wound him in the linen cloth”
Joseph bought the cloth himself, an act of costly devotion. Taking the body down from the cross was heavy and unpleasant work, yet a prominent council member did it himself, probably with the help of servants. The haste of the burial explains why the women later came with spices to complete the anointing (Mark 16:1-4). Earlier a woman had anointed Jesus in Bethany, and he had said, “She has anointed my body beforehand for the burying” (Mark 14:8).
There is an echo here of the death of John the Baptist, whose disciples “came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb” (Mark 6:29). But where John’s story ends at the grave, Jesus’ story does not.
- “and laid him in a tomb which had been cut out of a rock”
Wealthy families in Jerusalem had tombs cut into the limestone hillsides, with a chamber or shelf where the body was laid. Isaiah had said of the Servant, “They made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death” (Isaiah 53:9). The one who died between criminals was buried in a rich man’s tomb.
- “He rolled a stone against the door of the tomb”
Such tombs were often closed with a large disc-shaped stone that rolled in a groove across the entrance. It was easy to roll down into place, but hard to move back. The women would later ask, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” for it was very big (Mark 16:3). The stone seemed to seal the end of the story.
- “Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joses, saw where he was laid”
These women had watched the crucifixion from a distance (Mark 15:40-41). Now they watched the burial. Mark’s note matters: they knew the right tomb. On the first day of the week they returned to it and heard the message, “He has risen. He is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him!” (Mark 16:6). They were faithful witnesses to the death, the burial and the empty tomb.
The Significance of Mark 15:46-47
- Love that serves when hope seems gone
Joseph and the women served Jesus when it seemed there was nothing left to hope for. Their acts of love were not wasted. Faithfulness in small and costly service is precious to God, even when we cannot see how he will use it.
- He was buried
The burial is part of the gospel itself: “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). His burial shows that he really died, and it makes his resurrection all the more wonderful.
- The stone is not the end
For those who trust in Christ, the grave is not the final word. The psalmist’s hope was fulfilled in him: “For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption” (Psalm 16:10).
Cross-References:
Isaiah 53:9: "They made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death;" The prophecy of the Servant’s grave.
Mark 16:6: "He has risen. He is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him!" The same tomb found empty.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4: "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried," The burial in the gospel message.
Conclusion: Joseph wrapped Jesus’ body in linen he had bought, laid it in a tomb cut out of the rock and rolled a stone across the entrance, while Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses watched and noted the place. The burial confirms that Jesus truly died, fulfils Isaiah’s word about the Servant’s grave, and sets the scene for the empty tomb. The stone that seemed to end the story would soon be rolled away.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible