“Then 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 DID NOT BREAK HIS LEGS (because the scriptures says, “He keeps all His bones; Not one of them IS BROKEN.” (Psalms 34:20)). But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately BLOOD AND WATER came out.” (John 19:32-34) The fact that blood and water came out indicates, in this situation, the evidence that Jesus succumbed TO BLOOD LOSS AND SHOCK as fluid built up around His heart. There is no question, at all, that HE WAS DEAD.
“Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took THE BODY OF JESUS and BOUND IT IN STRIPS OF LINEN WITH THE SPICES, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. 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, there they LAID JESUS, because of the JEWS’ PREPARATION DAY, for the tomb was nearby.” (John 19:39-42)
Joseph and Nicodemus for their discretion to identify publicly with Jesus, yet it is worth noting that taking the body of Jesus for burial was A PUBLIC DECLARATION OF THEIR ALLEGIANCE to our Lord. What is important is that they did not stay in hiding but finally SHOWED THEIR DEVOTION TO CHRIST. Following the burial practices of the Jews, Joseph and Nicodemus WRAPPED THE BODY OF JESUS in LINEN STRIPS AND SPICES THAT WOULD MASK THE SMELL OF DECOMPOSING FLESH. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes that weighed about 100 Roman pounds (about 75 actual pounds) to Jesus’ burial. This amount was extravagant, as the average amount of spices used in Jewish burials WAS ABOUT ONE POUND. However, it was customary to honor the burials of important people with more spices. Though Jesus had suffered much humiliation, the honor shown in His burial marks the beginning of a shift to a more exalted state for our Lord. He was laid in a new tomb, a special place RESERVED IN GOD’S PROVIDENCE FOR HIM.
But He only laid dead for JUST A SHORT WHILE because, “…now Christ is risen from the dead, and HAS BECOME THE FIRSTFRUITS (aparchē: The first portion offered, Jesus was the first resurrected in a perfect body as an example to how we’ll receive our new bodies) of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham