Day 45 – Into the tomb
Mark 15:40-47
Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.
Owen Lynch writes:
Mark records the presence of women at the death of Jesus, his burial and his resurrection. This is not incidental, he is recording them as witnesses - people who can be called upon to verify his account of these incredible events. This is remarkable given that at the time, in Jewish culture the evidence of women would not have been admissible at court!
Mark clearly tells us that Jesus died on a Friday, the day before the Jewish sabbath which was and is on a Saturday. The Jewish day was reckoned to be from sunset to sunset, and since the Jews were forbidden from working on the sabbath, it was essential to bury Jesus’ body before evening, to protect the corpse from wild animals.
Joseph is clearly very sympathetic to Jesus, he’s wealthy and influential enough to persuade Pilate to let him have the body; but he was risking his reputation as a member of the Jewish ruling council. Mark is careful to include the reference from the Roman centurion that he had checked that Jesus was actually dead. And then Joseph carefully removes Jesus’ body from the cross, wraps it in linen and carries it to a nearby tomb. It’s all rather hurried, because it needs to be completed before sunset. Mark records how the two Mary’s note where Jesus’ body has been laid, so that they can return after the sabbath to complete the burial with spices.
That’s quite a lot of detail from Mark, he’s clearly keen to document exactly what happened, because of course some critics of the resurrection could have suggested that Jesus didn’t really die, but was rather revived and resuscitated.
What do you think about the death and resurrection of Jesus? Is Mark’s account good enough evidence that Jesus really did die on the cross? Do you think the evidence would stand in a court of law? (One where the testimony of a woman was admissible!?)