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JOHN: TRIUMPHING IN LIFE'S MOST CRITICAL ISSUE
Part VI: The Burial Of The Messenger Of Salvation: Christ's Credibility Seen In His Burial
(John 19:38-42)
  1. Introduction
    1. A good way to discern if a party is credible is to test pertinent data he can not humanly influence.
    2. John's record of the burial of the body of the deceased Jesus provides us opportunity for such a test. That evidence also supplies us with a lesson on the significance of sacrificial service to the will of God seen in the example of the believer whose actions worked to supply much of that evidence as follows:
  2. The Burial Of The Messenger Of Salvation: Christ's Credibility Seen In His Burial, John 19:38-42.
    1. Evidence One - Joseph of Aramathaea who had once been secret about his allegiance to Jesus stood up for Him after His death when Christ's credibility would have been at its lowest ebb to him, Jn. 19:38a.
    2. Evidence Two - Pilate, who disliked the sanhedrin as seen in his stout refusal to change the sign over Jesus' cross (John 19:21-22) granted Joseph's wish to bury Christ when he was a member of that body, Mark 15:43; Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, p. 191.
    3. Evidence Three - Also, Joseph was a wealthy man (Mtt. 27:57), so he had much to lose financially by way of persecution from the Jews for his stand for Christ. His coming out after Christ's death when His credibility would be at its lowest from an eyewitness' perspective is thus incredible.
    4. Evidence Four - Joseph had much to lose by way of position as a member of the sanhedrin itself, Mark 15:43. Coming out for Jesus when His credibility would be at its lowest ebb from an eyewitness' view is seen to be thus quite remarkable.
    5. Evidence Five - Not only did Joseph come out for Christ, but Nicodemus, another member of the sanhedrin also came out for Christ for His burial, Jn. 19:39; 3:1-2. With a second prominent, reputable Jewish party coming out for Christ at great cost at this unusual time, a powerful testimony in accord with Deuteronomy 19:15's call for credibility with two witnesses arises to honor Christ.
    6. Evidence Six - These men used a mixture of about 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes in wrapping the body in grave clothes, an extensive, expensive amount of spices, John 19:39b-40; Ibid., p. 341. Jesus was buried as One Who was believed by those burying Him to be One come from God (cf. John 3:1-2) [Note: John 20:7 reveals the head cloth was SEPARATE from the body cloths, that it had been wrapped up in a BINDING manner (entetuligmenon [UBS Grk. N.T., p. 407]. This verb "...is used of fettering prisoners, swathing children hand and foot, holding people fast in a net, entangling them in evil or in debt..." acc. to Moulton & Milligan, The Voc. of the Grk. N.T., p. 219). Christ's body was NOT placed in a single shroud, but wound up in body then head with band-like cloth strips.]
    7. Evidence Seven - Jesus was buried in a new tomb of a wealthy person, John 19:41-42; Mtt. 27:60. This coincides with the prediction of Messiah's burial with the wealthy due to His sinlessness in Isaiah 53:9.
Lesson: Due significantly to the COSTLY actions in a DISTASTEFUL, DISCOURAGING task of burying a deformed body of Jesus by two prominent believers in the sanhedrin, and that at a time when their faith in Jesus as Messiah would have been at a LOW ebb, we have INVALUABLE evidence NOT HUMANLY influenced by Jesus Himself in His BURIAL that He was from God. Hence, He is to be believed as the Messiah, the Son of God for eternal life, John 20:31. Other significant evidence is seen in Pilate's unusual permission for Joseph to bury Jesus' body, and in the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:9 at Jesus' burial regarding Messiah's burial with the wealthy.

Application: (1) Due to strong evidence from circumstances Jesus could NOT have HUMANLY influenced as He was physically DEAD at the time, we see Jesus was from God. Hence, He is to be preached and believed on by men that they might have eternal life. (2) In Christ's burial, we see the VALUE of doing God's will when it is COSTLY, humanly DISTASTEFUL and DISCOURAGING, and that when our FAITH in the Lord is at its LOWEST ebb: Joseph of Aramathaea and Nicodemus paved the way for us to SEE that in our 20/20 vision of hindsight, encouraging us like them to abound in the work of the Lord even at its hardest, for our work is not in vain in Him, cf. 1 Corinthians 15:58.