Mark 15:42-47

The Importance of the Burial

The burial of Jesus is often overshadowed by the death and resurrection -> while appropriate, the burial of Jesus is extremely important

It has a dedicated space in all four gospels, and it was a prevalent part of early doctrine (1 Cor. 15:1-4)

The burial of Jesus is an integral part to the gospel for the sake of further validating the legitimacy of the account -> this is not a fairy-tale

Jesus truly died -> Not only confirmed by the women at the cross, but also by the centurion, Pilate, and Joseph

There is no mistaking the fact that Jesus did actually die -> this was not an account of ancient medical mistake

Jesus burial being buried by two Jewish leaders who were secret disciples would not have been made up (Jn. 19:38; Jn. 19:39)

Women being the key witnesses would not have been made up either

The burial was witnessed by several followers, meaning they did not go to the wrong tomb on resurrection day

Had they merely been told where He was buried, this would be possible -> they had been to the tomb before

You can be greatly assured both in the legitimate death and resurrection of Christ, and the burial account is a huge reason why!

To add a point to the holiness of Jesus, they did not desecrate the land with His body (Deut. 21:22-23)

Acting Boldly for Jesus’ Sake

Joseph was one who was scared of the Jews to the extent that he only secretly followed Jesus

He does not appear to have been a natural risk taker -> yet even he saw and obeyed the need to be bold for Jesus’ sake

Additionally, there was obvious reason to have a fear of Rome, who had just cosigned Jesus’ death and typically did not allow burial of the crucified

Bravery is a requirement of following God, and a lack of it is often mistaken for good decision making

“I don’t want to drive them away” is often an excuse of cowardice, not true reasoning

And our cowardice is in avoidance of being made fun of -> Jesus demands a boldness that goes unto death!

Where does such boldness come from? -> faith!

We must trust that God takes notice and will not forsake us (Mat. 5:10-12)

Be bold of Jesus’ sake! -> in sharing the Gospel, living obediently to God’s commandments, believing and teaching the doctrines of God’s word, etc.

Acting Humbly for Jesus’ Sake

This is also an account of a wealthy man doing dirty, humble work -> there is no work that is beneath us!

A servant in the church cannot be trusted with glamorous things until they are faithful over the un-glamorous

The same apostles He used to build the foundations of the church are the apostles He commanded to wash feet!

God’s people have always been doing the most important work in the world, but they are seldomly treated as important (Heb. 11:35-40)

Not to mention the humility required in salvation -> a child/Naaman as examples

Once again we see the need for faith -> it takes faith to be humble -> knowing you will not be passed by

The burial of Jesus is extremely important, and the account of Joseph shows us our need to be boldly humble for Jesus’ sake!