John 19: [38] And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.
[39] And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.
[40] Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.
[41] Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.
[42] There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.
"It's fascinating who Joseph of Arimathaea was--a follower of Jesus Christ, a member of the 'little flock.' He's a rich guy, as was Nicodemus. and they were followers of the Lord, but you see in verse 38 it says, Joesph 'being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews.'
"He'd been in the shadows up to this point. You see how Mark 15:43 says that? [43] Joseph of Arimathaea, and honourable counseller, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.
"It says he went in boldly. He didn't sneak into Pilate. He went in boldly and begged, craved, desired, pleaded to see the body of Jesus. There's something happening in Joe's life as he sees the Lord Jesus Christ die.
"Luke 23:50: [50] And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counseller; and he was a good man, and a just:
"Mark says he was an honorable counselor. He was a good man and a just man. He's justified, a man who waited for the kingdom of God. He's a saved guy.
"Verse 51: [51] (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. [52] This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.
"He was a member of the Sanhedrin but he had not consented to the counsel's vote to condemn Christ and have Him killed. He wasn't just a member, but he was one who stood for what was right.
"I say that so you know they had gained the courage, even in the hour of great disappointment, to stand up and to go. They literally took the Lord Jesus Christ's body off the Cross. The Romans were expecting Him to live a couple of days.
"When Joseph and Nicodemus heard He was dead they literally went to the authorities and got permission to take His body off the Cross.
"Luke 23:53 [53] And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.
"Think about that. He literally takes the body right off the Cross. The only people who ever touched the body of the Lord Jesus Christ were people who loved Him. Up until then His enemies had touched Him.
"But from the time He died on that Cross to the time they put Him in the tomb, wrapped His body, anointed it, and it walked out the third day, nothing but loving hands ever touched it.
"Nothing but uncorrupted hands, a just man's hands, because here's a body that couldn't see corruption and God wasn't going to let it be defiled by the corruption of man's hands. He put Him in a tomb in which never a man had laid.
"W.F. Grant said about that, 'The one who first occupied a virgin's womb could only be fittingly placed in a virgin tomb.'
"The one who couldn't see corruption, couldn't line a tomb where corruption had defiled it. God's keeping His Son uncorrupted, undefiled, separate even in death
"Mark 15:47 [47] And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.
"Look back at the end of 46 where they rolled the stone upon the door: [46] And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.
"They went home that night still not believing in a resurrection. It was after the resurrection before they ever came to understand that He was supposed to be raised, or that He was. All they went home thinking was, 'The world is now without Jesus; He's gone.'
"And the disappointment of that stoned rolled upon the door of the sepulcre had to have weighed on their heart.
"Mark 16: [1] And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
[2] And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.[3] And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
[4] And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
"They come very early and find the stone rolled away. But for three days they thought He was gone and that darkness of death--all of that is right there.
"When you leave Mark 15 Israel is in the bonds of satanic darkness. Believers in the throws of disappointment that only can be answered by the resurrection the next day."
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