John 19:31-42- Jesus’ Death and Burial

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Megan Hutchinson....teaching leader....

MINI STUDY:

If this is your first time and you are visiting with us for the mini study- welcome- we are so glad you are here.

For those in our class, please continue to invite friends 17, 24

if you are visiting today, you are welcome to visit next 2 weeks as well

If you are inviting someone who has children or you brought children as visitors today, please remember they can only visit our BSF kids program 1 time as a visitor, after that we ask that you would get additional childcare.

If you or your friends choose to register for next year you can also register your children and we will let you know if they are able to be placed next year.

Also- to maintain the privacy of the women in our groups, only young lap babies can stay with you during discussion group- if you have questions about this please reach out to myself, someone on our admin. team, or one of our group leaders.

BSF brief introduction

If you are new to BSF...BSF is an interdenominational and international Bible study. Currently there are over 400,000 men, women, and children studying the book of John- right now- together- throughout the world.

BSF follows something called the 4 fold approach to study God’s word.

You complete a lesson…come and discuss it in the context of community…listen to a teaching…and then dive in deeper through notes…Each layer of the BSF approach is meant to take you deeper into God’s word.

REVELATION

This past year we have been in the book of John- and next year- we are going to continue with John’s writing as we study the book of Revelation.

•The message of Revelation is this: God is in control, and He wins! He is the One who rights wrongs and sets things straight.

Revelation was written primarily to comfort and encourage suffering believers to remain faithful to Jesus Christ.

The book of Revelation is more about Jesus than events, symbols, and timelines.

All Scripture is equally true but not equally clear. So we want you to come- and hold your own views graciously and humbly.

Our classes and materials will present various perspectives about end times in a balanced, gracious, and open-minded way, allowing class members to form their own opinions.

But we are going to teach Revelation to proclaim the glory and supremacy of Jesus Christ.

He is the focus..he is the Hope…and He is victorious.

If you are new and would like to register, you can do so on bsfinternational.org or by clicking on the QR code behind me.

You can also go to the back after lecture and someone from our admin. team will be there to help you register and also answer any questions you might have.

If you are registering children- just a reminder to everyone that you must sign the parental permission form in order to complete a children’s registration. Please talk to your group leader or our admin. team in the back if you have questions or are having any problems.

SHARING DAY:

One more quick announcement..

For those of you who have been a part of our class this year. Mark your calendars for May 8 for our class sharing day!

If you have never been to a sharing day- it is a time where we come together as a whole class and worship and praise God for his faithfulness and give all the glory to Him for what he has done in this year.

Please know that you are not expected to share and we promise not to call on anyone by name…

However, we would love to hear what God has done in your life personally, through our study of John this year.

Please note that there will be NO BSF KIDS OR BSF STUDENT PROGRAM THAT DAY.

This is an opportunity for our children’s leaders to get to come and hear what God has done in our class this year.

So, if you have children in our Preschool program, so kindergarten and younger, you are welcome bring them to sharing day.

However, do to the privacy and confidentiality of women who are sharing, please make other arrangements for children in our student program, so first grade and beyond for that time.

You have just under a month to hopefully be able to make childcare arrangements to come and celebrate with us!

and with that…let’s pray.

Pray

I. Introduction

So my mom is a middle school science teacher.

She was the mom who dragged us outside as kids to look at the stars in the middle of the night because she thought it was cool.

So in 2017, during the last partial solar eclipse- she let me know that on April 8, 2024- on my daughter’s 8th birthday…there was going to be a TOTAL eclipse at her house.

so for the past 7 years- we have been preparing for Monday.

thankfully- the news media gave us extensive, in-depth- constant coverage for the last year or so to prepare us well for this day.

So we made our travel plans to prepare for the traffic jams.

We filled up our gas tanks to the brim for when all the gas stations ran out of gas.

We even planned all of our meals to make to make sure we didn’t need to go to the store because the news assured us the shelves would be empty if waited.

we made sure to have all the essentials….viewing glasses…moon pies..starbursts…milky ways and capri suns…

All to be prepared…for the TOTAL solar eclipse…

And after all the plans had been made and all the checklists completed…

finally- after what seemed like forever….April 8, 2024 arrived.

As we open up the book of John again this week- you may have been thinking.

Has the time arrived??

is it FINALLY time for Jesus’ resurrection?

Only to find out that we were still seemingly stuck in John 19.

and while my family only spent 7 years getting ready for the eclipse…

God spent THOUSANDS of years prepping the details for Jesus’ death and burial

He carefully prepared every detail…and he made sure nothing was missed.

and these 11 verses are PACKED FULL of reminders of God’s preparation.

Preparations that started long before Jesus ever got to the cross.

all with the intention…to make..Jesus…known..to you…and to the world…

So today we are going to look at God’s careful and deliberate preparation in Jesus’ death and burial…

because in Jesus’ death and burial….we are prepared for His glorious resurrection.

and God doesn’t miss a detail. So we will see Jesus

I. Prepared in Death 19:31-37

2. Prepared in Burial 19:38-42

Get out Bibles/Apps

I. PREPARED IN DEATH 31-37

In vs’s 31-37 we will see that God had prepared for Jesus’ death through cleansing and also through prophecy given.

a. Through cleansing (31-35)

31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.

So Now- it is still passover, but the Jews are preparing specifically for the Sabbath.

Every week they had a day of preparation for the Sabbath, but this Sabbath was different because it was also Passover.

You could sort of think of this like our Easter.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t normally wake up at 6:00 am on a Sunday simply to make cinnamon rolls- but I prepare differently on Easter Sunday than on other Sundays.

For the Jews, their Sabbath began on Friday evening at sundown…

It’s Friday afternoon…which means they only have a few hours before sundown.

and…It was against God’s law to leave a body hanging on a pole overnight according to Deut. 22..

So here are the Jewish leaders…ironically, worried about breaking God’s law!

When the one who wrote the law- the one who came to fulfill the law- was hanging on the cross in front of them…

So the leaders..intent on sticking to the letter of the law, and completely missing the heart of the law…insist that the bodies come down..

and there wish is granted…vs 32…The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other.

Now these are Roman soldiers- they are skilled in torture and killing.

and breaking the legs was actually considered a mercy to prisoners as they sometimes could survive on a cross for several days before finally dying of suffocation.

In order to breath on the cross- a person would have to push their nail driven feet up on a little box placed at the base just to get a breath.

So these trained killers- come to the first cross- see that the man is still breathing- and they take a giant mallet and break his legs so he can no longer push up to take a breath, resulting in death ….in just a matter of minutes.

and then, they glance at Jesus- he looks dead- they decide they will come back to him..

so they go to the man on the other side…they repeat the process again…legs smashed…death is coming.

So they get to the middle cross-potentially feeling winded from just smashing the legs of two other criminals..

I wonder if they were thinking..just one more blow- and I get to go home..

but wait…

no movement.

head hanging.

they wait.

nothing.

they determine…he’s dead.

Now- these were TRAINED executioners…. they knew how to finish a job and they knew death when they saw it.

Roman soldiers would NEVER risk taking a prisoner off of a cross before he was dead.

That would put their own lives at stake.

There was a WHOLE LOT of incentive for them to not be wrong.

vs 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden FLOW of blood and water.

so- being confident that Jesus was dead- they decide just to make sure….

so they take their spear- which was most likely about the size of a hand- and they push it into Jesus’ side…

and John tells us that out flowed blood and water.

If you have ever been through a traumatic event or have ever talked to someone who has been through something traumatic- you know that you remember very specific details.

and John-puts these details in his gospel BECAUSE HE WAS THERE…

and because it was NOT what he expected.

He expected Jesus’ legs to be broken..but they were not.

He expected blood to pour out of Jesus’ side..not water.

Now- what John may or may not have known was that by simply describing what he saw- he also confirmed for all eternity that Jesus was in fact dead BEFORE they pierced his side.

Now- I am not a medical professional- and we do not have time to get into all the medical things occuring here

But the most likely explanation is that Jesus’ heart failed, fluid would have collected around his heart as a result of the trauma he had endured.

So that if a spear was thrust into his right side, through his lungs and through his heart- then out would have come an overflow of blood, but also, a clear fluid..like water…signaling that he was in fact….already dead.

But what John also confirms for us is that Jesus was not only dead..but that he was human.

Blood and water don’t pour out of a spirit, but they do flow from a man who would have died, in the way that Jesus died.

In Genesis 3- death entered the world because sin entered the world.

and in that moment- God began his preparations for Jesus death, burial, and resurrection.

Promising right away in Genesis 3…to do something about it..

Sin requires judgement..someone has to pay for sin.

and God..OUT OF HIS LOVE FOR HUMANITY- rightly and justly judges sin.

This is a good thing….we want a God who makes right the wrongs of this world…who does something about the sin and brokenness we see around us…

Judgement is God’s response to sin as a Holy and Loving God.

and up until this point- the law required that the people make sacrifices to pay the penalty for their sin.

Not because their sacrifices were enough- but because God was preparing them for Jesus and the cleansing work he would do on the cross!

in the book of Leviticus every time they made a sacrifice-God instructed the priests to clean up the blood after the sacrifice…. and what do they use…water.

By giving them the instructions to sacrifice the blood of lambs and then cleanse with water- God was preparing them for this moment…the moment of Jesus’ death when he would once and for all be the final sacrifice..

Every one of their sacrifices was meant to PREPARE THEM FOR JESUS- because their sacrifice alone would never be enough to cover the debt of their sin.

and Every human being… is subject to God’s judgment…every human has a sin debt that can never be covered no matter how hard you try…

In scripture—anytime sin was being paid for- there was always blood…

because blood is about life.

when blood flows within you- you are alive…

but when blood stops flowing…there is death.

sin causes death…it causes the blood to stop.

but here..in John..he says that Jesus’ blood flowed..because Jesus’ blood brings life.

in John 2 Jesus turned water into an abundance of wine- and he did it in stone purification jars, filled with water, used for cleansing.

It was his first miracle..

IN HIS VERY FIRST MIRACLE HE WAS PREPARING THEM FOR WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO ON THE CROSS

and here..on the cross-just like the wine at the wedding, his blood flows out..in abundance..

but so does the water..

because only Jesus’ blood cleanses.

not the rituals…not the sacrifices..and not the special clean water they used…

those things were all God’s way of preparing them for the cleansing of Jesus’ blood that would once and for all pay the debt of sin.

b. through prophecy given (36-37)

but God also prepared for Jesus’ death through prophecy given.

vs 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.

If you are looking at the piercing and the breaking of the bones and saying-

Why wouldn’t they just break his legs anyways?

They didn’t…because that was not the way God planned it..….

and God made sure no detail was left undone.

Jesus may have died but God was still in control.

He planned every part of his death years in advance as he gave the prophets sign after sign.

And Jesus fulfilled every. single. one. down to the smallest detail so that there would be no question that he was the promised Messiah.

His bones were not broken- because in Psalm 34 God said they would not be…

His side was speared because in Zechariah 12 we are told he would be pierced…

all throughout our scripture we have seen Jesus fulfill prophecy after prophecy…and we continue to see that, even in his death.

God prepared and orchestrated every detail to make sure that the work on the cross was completely finished and that Jesus would be made known to all the world.

TRUTH: God prepared and completed every detail pointing to Jesus’ finished work on the cross.

in vs 35 John says: The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.

John is essentially saying- all of these details, which might feel random, were all deliberate actions made and prepared by God …so that you would believe.

So…do you believe?

Do you believe Jesus- the only perfect human to ever live, provided the only sufficient sacrifice to bear the judgment you deserve.

Do you believe that Christ died in your place, bearing the full weight of the world’s guilt and judgment…

Through the preparation on the cross- God made sure that there was no excuse- that everyone knew what Jesus had come to do and that he had completed that work on the cross.

Through all the preparation…God…made. Jesus. Known.

How does your life…your actions…your words…point others to Jesus?

Do your words, like John, testify to the work Jesus has done in your life?

Where might God be asking you to make Jesus known in a new way this week?

II. PREPARED IN BURIAL (38-42)

As we move into the final few verses of John 19, verses 38-42, we will see that not only did God prepare for Jesus’ death, but also for his burial.

and we will see Jesus prepared in burial as first a king in 38-40 and then for New life in 41-42.

38-40- as a King

38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.

Ok- so we have two men, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus..

They are both Pharisee’s.

We know Joseph was a secret disciple- afraid of the Jewish leaders.

and We met Nicodemus back in John 3 as he secretly came to Jesus asking what he needed to do to be saved.

and we see him again in John chp. 7 when he stands up for Jesus and defends him in front of the other Pharisees.

So-Joseph, a prominent man within the Jewish leadership goes and asks Pilate for Jesus’ body.

And with this move- the secret is out…

Joseph and Nicodemus were Pharisees- they were supposed to be AGAINST Jesus.

Also- it’s about to be their Sabbath- and the passover Sabbath at that.

If a Jewish person were to touch a dead body they would be considered unclean and unable to participate with the community in the special passover Sabbath.

So by caring for Jesus-

they risk their reputation…their relationship with their friends and family…and they risk being thrown out of the synagogue for openly supporting Jesus.

it could cost them everything…

But here they are….asking for his body

Now. typically, the bodies of criminals on a cross would be removed and thrown away as garbage.

No dignity…no respect..

But…the work was finished.

which meant that Jesus’ suffering and humiliation was over.

God drew the line at the cross…it was now time for Jesus to be treated like the King He was.

and so God intricately worked in the lives Joseph and Nicodemus to make that possible.

Because at this moment..they decided…Jesus was worthy…and He was worth it all…

so Nicodemus brings 75 lbs of spices-myrrh and aloe- which would have been extremely expensive and potentially even have required some planning before Jesus’ actual death to even be able to acquire that many spices!

That is not a normal protocol for a Jewish burial.

But it is a normal protocol for a Royal burial.

so in vs 40, we are told that they took Jesus’ body, and the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.

So Jesus’ body has been removed from the cross.

They carry his broken, bleeding body to the tomb.

At this point, their clothes are most likely already covered in Jesus’ sweat, blood and bodily fluids.

They lay him on a table to prepare his body…

they only had a few hours before sundown…they needed to be thorough…and quick.

maybe they started with his head?

Removing the crown of thorns..

pulling out one by one the thorns that had been stuck into his skull.

in keeping with Jewish custom…they would wash every wound thoroughly..

then they would move to face…

continuing to wash away the blood that had been spilled..for them..

for their sin…

then to his hands.

Jewish burial customs did not allow foreign objects to be buried with the dead- which means the nails would need to be removed…

more blood..

more debri..

more cleansing..

then they would come to his side where he had been pierced…

they would have had to reach in and cleanse the area…

this would have continued

all the way from his head…to his feet.

and then…

according to custom- they would take strips of linen, coat them in a waxy substance and then cover the pieces of linen in the spices to prevent the body from having a strong odor as it decomposed…

and then one by one….they would place them on Jesus’ body until he was covered from head to toe..

and while they may have been missing out on the Passover meal- they were with the passover lamb…the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.…and there they were…covered in his blood…

‌Doing in his death- what they chose not to do openly in his life- treating him as the King with the utmost care, honor and respect….

What might it look like for you to show the utmost care, honor and respect to Jesus today?

You show Care for Jesus when you treasure his word.

You show care for Jesus when you care for others around you.

You show care for Jesus when you care for the body he has given you.

and You show care for Jesus when you live for him, instead of yourself.

41-42- For new Life

Nicodemus and Joseph not only prepared Jesus’ body for death…but whether they new it or not, they were preparing His human body….for new life…

vs 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Jesus was arrested in a garden…

he was buried…in a garden…

and next week we will see that he is raised to life in a garden…

but this isn’t the first time we see a Garden in scripture…in Genesis- we are told that everything broke..in a garden when Adam and Eve- who were living perfect relationship with God

chose to sin…

and because of their sin…they were sent out of the garden..

so God- purposely orchestrates that when Jesus came to save humanity from sin…there would be a garden…

because Gardens are filled with the promise of new life.

When a gardener places a seed in the dirt and covers it- it isn’t to hide the seed away and let it decompose..It’s to prepare the seed for life.

Jesus was not placed in the tomb to decompose- and be hidden away.

in fact- God promises in Psalm 16 that Jesus’ body would not see decay.

Jesus’ body had been prepared..

his body had been cared for, washed cleaned, and ready for what was next.

LIFE.

He was placed in a new tomb…one that Matthew tells us Joseph had purchased for himself…but God had other plans for that tomb…

You don’t carve out a tomb in a day. The plans for this tomb..in this place..at this time had been laid out long before Jesus death…

and the tomb that Joseph thought would be a place for his own death- had been specifically designed by God as a place for new life to begin…

so as Joseph and Nicodemus finished their preparations…

as they sealed the tomb…

all that was left to do…was to wait.

New life had come to all who would believe in Jesus through his death…

and now….God made sure that Jesus’ earthly body was prepared for the new life that was coming in his resurrection..

TRUTH: Jesus’ burial prepares humanity for his glorious resurrection.

Have you ever asked yourself why Jesus had to be buried?

I mean- couldn’t he have died on the cross and risen from the dead right there?

Would that not have been just as glorious, just as majestic, just as powerful…would the price for sin still not have been paid?

So why was he buried?

Jesus’ burial confirms that he was really dead…

His burial’ also fulfills the scripture in Isaiah 53.

and those are true and important….

but Jesus cares about us so intimately, that in his humanity-he experienced EVERYTHING that we will also experience…including death…and burial…

But for Jesus- and for those of you in this room who have put your faith in Jesus.

That’s the bottom.

That is literally as low as you will go.

For believers- God draws the line there.

Jesus’ burial was never the end…every detail pointed us to Jesus..to make sure you were ready for his glorious resurrection.

and b/c of God’s great love for you….every detail was perfectly orchestrated and prepared down to every last detail.

And if he cared and carefully prepared the seemingly small details of Jesus’ death and burial, does our great God not also care about the small and seemingly unimportant details in your life?

What detail or circumstance in your life are you struggling to trust God with right now?

Remember- God orchestrated all those details so that Jesus would be made known to you.

He isn’t surprised by what you are walking through or caught off guard.

He can empathize with you…he can be trusted…he went there..he’s been there…

so that you can live confidently knowing he knows what’s next. and that whatever feels like it is burying you right now- is not the end, but simply a means to point you to his glorious resurrection.

CONCLUSION:

So- the preparation is complete.

The checklist is done.

All the work has been completed..

the Invitations have been sent out.

and I’ve got good news…

You are all invited..bring your friends.

cuz next week- it’s time to get out of the tomb.

next week- we are going to celebrate.

and you do not want to miss it.

Let’s pray.