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Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

John 19:38-42

The Burial of Jesus

38 Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away. 39 With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds[a] of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. 40 Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. 41 The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before. 42 And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover[b] and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

This event is also mentioned here:

Matthew 27:57-61

Mark 15:42-47

Luke 23:50-56

A Step Further: Who Is Nicodemus Again?

We first met Nicodemus in John 3:1-21. As a Pharisee, Nicodemus was a teacher of the law, and he wielded incredible religious, social, and political power. While see throughout the Gospels how the Pharisees used their power to work intently against Jesus, we also see that Nicodemus was curious about Jesus. To visit Jesus in the daytime would have drawn suspicion and more than likely jeopardized his position, so Nicodemus visited Jesus after dark. He believed that Jesus was empowered by God to teach them (verse 2), but he didn’t understand what Jesus was teaching. Nicodemus asks how it is possible for someone to be “born again.” Jesus responds, in part, with what has become the most memorized Bible verse: John 3:16, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” By appearing at Jesus’ side after His death with Joseph of Arimathea – noted as a secret follower of Jesus – it appears that Nicodemus understood and believed in Jesus, and he found common friendship with another secret disciple of Jesus. Attending to Jesus in His death meant Nicodemus and Joseph were hiding no more.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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