Matthew 27, Part 4
Notes
Transcript
Jesus has died. The temple veil/curtain was torn from top to bottom. In Jewish tradition, two curtains separated the Holy of Holies from the lesser Holy place during the period of the Second Temple. These curtains were woven with motifs directly from the loom, rather than embroidered, and each curtain had the thickness of a handbreadth (ca. 9 cm.; 3½"). The Ryrie Study Bible makes this comment on Exodus 26:31-35 "“Josephus reported that the veil was 4 inches thick, was renewed every year, and that horses tied to each side could not pull it apart. It barred all but the High Priest from the presence of God, but when it was torn in two at the death of Jesus of Nazareth (see Mark 15:38), access to God was made available to all who come through him.”
Joesphus’ book Antiquities of the Jews 8.70-75 states "(71) Now when the king had divided the temple into two parts, he made the inner house of twenty cubits [every way] to be the most secret chamber, but he appointed that of forty cubits to be the sanctuary; and when he had cut a door-place out of the wall, he put therein doors of cedar, and overlaid them with a great deal of gold, that had sculptures upon it. (72) He also had veils of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and the brightest and softest of linen, with the most curious flowers wrought upon them, which were to be drawn before those doors. He also dedicated for the most secret place, whose breadth was twenty cubits, and the length the same, two cherubims of solid gold; the height of each of them was five cubits; they had each of them two wings stretched out as far as five cubits; (73) wherefore Solomon set them up not far from each other, that with one wing they might touch the southern wall of the secret place, and with another the northern; their other wings, which joined to each other, were a covering to the ark, which was set between them: but nobody can tell, or even conjecture, what was the shape of these cherubims. (74) He also laid the floor of the temple with plates of gold; and he added doors to the gate of the temple, agreeable to the measure of the height of the wall, but in breadth twenty cubits, and on them he glued gold plates; (75) and, to say all in one word, he left no part of the temple, neither internal nor external, but what was covered with gold. He also had curtains drawn over these doors in like manner as they were drawn over the inner doors of the most holy place; but the porch of the temple had nothing of that sort.”
So, not only was the original temple veils the thickness outlined in Exodus, but so were the veils in the temple Solomon built. Think about trying to tear two curtains, 7 inches thick in two even from the bottom up…virtually impossible. But it goes to show the divine Hand of God in no longer separating Himself from the believer.
Something so unnatural occured that even the non-believers recognized who Jesus was.
54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
Jesus was now dead. In this passage, there are three reactions to His death, reactions that reveal how we should and should not react to His death. 1) A secret disciple: was stirred to step forward for Christ (Joseph of Arimathea), 2) Two believing women: showed loyalty and affection, 3) Unbelievers and worldly religionists: faced a serious problem.
Boldness of Joseph
Boldness of Joseph
57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus.
58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.
59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud
60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.
Here we see the reaction of a secret disciple. He was stirred to step forward for Christ. Several things are said about Joseph of Arimathaea that show the kind of man he was.
He was an honorable counsellor, that is, a member of the Sanhedrin. Mark 15:43
43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
He was a good and just man.
50 Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man,
He waited for the Kingdom of God
43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
He was rich.
57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus.
He did not vote for Jesus’ death when the Sanhedrin voted.
51 who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God.
He was a disciple, but in secret, fearing the other Jews.
38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body.
It is this last fact that reveals a marked change in Joseph. Up until the death of Jesus, He had been a secret disciple. He had probably had several meetings with Christ when the Lord visited Jerusalem. But after the Lord’s death, he was no longer secret. He became bold. Joseph actually marched in “boldly to Pilate” and requested the body of Jesus (Mk. 15:43). This was a tremendous act of courage. The Romans either dumped the bodies of crucified criminals in the trash heaps or left the bodies hanging upon the cross for the vultures and animals to consume. The latter served as an example of criminal punishment to the public. Joseph also braved the threat of Pilate’s reaction, for Pilate was fed up with the Jesus matter. Jesus had proven to be very bothersome to Pilate. Pilate could have reacted severely against Joseph. Joseph risked the disfavor and discipline of the Sanhedrin. They were the ruling body who had instigated and condemned Christ, and Joseph was a member of the council. Unquestionably, he would face harsh reaction from some of his fellow Sanhedrin members and from certain of his closest friends. Joseph demonstrated a care, even an affection, for Jesus by giving his own tomb for the burial of Jesus. This act alone would leave no question about his stand with Christ. Joseph also eliminated himself from taking part in the great Passover Feast. This was just never done, even for the most serious reasons. Joseph, by handling Jesus’ body, was considered defiled for seven days for having come in contact with a corpse. Once defiled, Jewish law forbade a person from taking part in Jewish ceremonies. The thing that turned Joseph from being a secret disciple to a bold disciple seems to be the phenomenal events surrounding the cross (the behavior and words of Christ, the darkness, the earthquake, and the torn veil). When Joseph witnessed all this, his mind connected the claims of Christ with the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. Joseph saw the prophecies fulfilled in Jesus. He stepped forward and braved all risks: he took his stand with Christ. A remarkable courage! A courage stirred by the death of Christ.
Note that Joseph embalmed the body and laid it in his own tomb, and he closed the tomb’s entrance with a huge stone.
John gives reference to the details - John 19:38-42
38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body.
39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight.
40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.
41 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.
42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
We had this discussion Wednesday of the significance behind the embalming spices. A common burial may use around 5 lbs, so 75 lbs was an extravagant gift. As one commentary put it, it was a kingly amount for a kingly burial. The value of the 75 pounds of aloes and myrrh in today's market has been valued at $150,000-$200,000. Normal Jewish burials called for five pounds of spices ($10,000-13,500).
Two Mary’s
Two Mary’s
61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
There was the reaction of two believing women. They showed affection and loyalty. There are three facts to note about these women. The women were loyal to Christ despite all danger. The men turned tail and ran from Christ, but not the women. The women had a deep affection for Christ. They took what they had, money to buy spices and ointments, and used it for Christ. This they did because they loved Him. The women had not yet understood the resurrection of Christ. They were preparing His body to lie, and eventually to decay, in the tomb. The true meaning of living forever, the human body’s being remade, recreated, and becoming incorruptible, had not yet been grasped by them. The two women were great examples for all men. All men believers should be loyal to Christ no matter how furious the danger, should love Christ to such an extent that they give all they are and have to Christ, and should seek to understand and grasp the full meaning of the resurrection of Christ.
The Plot Thickens
The Plot Thickens
62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate
63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’
64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.”
65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.”
66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.
There was the reaction of unbelievers and worldly religionists. They faced a serious problem. They were so uneasy and fearful that they went to Pilate in an attempt to prevent the disciples from stealing the body. The unbeliever had the problem of the Lord’s claim. He had said He would arise from the dead. These worldly religionists did not believe He would, but they knew He had predicted some kind of resurrection. Some of them had heard Him personally talk about rising from the dead. The disciples had shared with their families and closest associates the words of Christ about His death and resurrection; and, as with all matters shared with another, the families and closest associates shared with their closest friends and the prediction had spread. Moreover, during the last months Christ had intensified His prediction in order to drill the truth into the disciples to prepare them for what lay ahead. It should be remembered that the disciples did not take Jesus’ words literally. They spiritualized the prediction of His death, resurrection, and return. They probably thought Jesus was referring to some events dealing with the upcoming struggle to free Israel from Roman domination and establishing the Messiah’s kingdom in glory.
The unbeliever had the problem of the message about the risen Messiah. What they feared was that the disciples would come during the night to steal the body and begin to preach that Jesus had arisen from the dead. Note: there was no chance of this. The disciples were emotionally destitute, utterly hopeless and depressed. In addition, they were terrorized, thinking they were being hunted down like a pack of wolves. The disciples, if they lied about the resurrection, would have been deceiving themselves; and above all men, they would have lost the most. They had left everything for Christ: their families, homes, and businesses. They had left all because of their faith in Christ and their hope in the next world. If there were no other world, they would be the most miserable men of all. And remember: at that particular time, they were the most miserable. The disciples, if they lied about the resurrection, would have been deceiving others. They would have been lying and deceiving people with the very opposite of everything Christ had taught them. There was no chance the disciples could ever pull off so mammoth a deception on the world.
Fear caused the unbelievers to request Pilate secure the tomb, making it as secure as was humanly possible. The unbelievers made one drastic mistake: they believed that Jesus’ claims were false. Note the wording of what they said. They feared the last error (Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah, the Son of God), and they feared the possibility of a new error, the message of a risen messiah. Note: they felt the message of a risen Lord might be more powerful than the claims to deity—and it is. The unbelievers planned extensive security of the tomb. Pilate gave permission to post a guard and to seal the tomb. Both measures were taken.
Cave tombs were closed by rolling a huge cartwheel-like stone in front of the entrance. They were almost impossible to remove. A deep slanting groove was hewn out of the rock at the base of the entrance for the circular stone to rest in. The stone usually weighed several tons. Such precautions were essential because there were so many tombs ransacked in those days of poverty.
The tomb was further secured by being sealed. When it was necessary to seal a tomb, the huge stone was cemented to the entrance walls or else some type of rope or binding was wrapped around the entrance stone and fastened to both sides of the tomb. Then the binding was cemented with a hardening clay or wax-like substance. In the case of some burials, usually political figures, the seal of the Emperor was also attached to the walls of the entrance. This was to strike fear of Roman retaliation against any intruder.
In the case of Jesus’ tomb, further precautions were taken by placing a patrol to guard against any foul play. This guard consisted of a large number of men.
What were they afraid of? Wasn’t He already dead? Hadn’t they already done enough?