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Luke chapter 23. You want to 
read verses 50 through 56. The Lord Jesus has undergone a trial, 
two trials really, has been condemned to death, has died upon the cross, 
And we pick up the context, having noted his death, what then? Verses 50 through 56. And as 
I read these verses, I want you to notice with me, in the context 
of the sermon this evening, the burial of the Lord Jesus Christ. or perhaps a title a little more 
clever, perhaps, than just the burial, a tomb for a testimony. The point of all of this is, 
why was Jesus buried? We know that He died. What's 
the significance, if any, of the burial of Jesus Christ? Hear then this word of the Lord. 
And behold, a man named Joseph who was a counselor, a good and 
righteous man. He had not consented to their 
counsel and deed. A man of Arimathea, a city of 
the Jews, who was looking for the kingdom of God. This man 
went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. He took it 
down and wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid him in a tomb 
that was hewn in stone where never man had yet lain. And it was the day of the preparation 
and the Sabbath drew on. And the women who had come with 
him out of Galilee followed after and beheld the tomb and how his 
body was laid. And they returned and prepared 
spices and ointments, thus far the reading of God's Word. Well, again, why was Jesus buried? All four gospel writers record 
something along the lines of what we read here, that subsequent 
to the death of the Lord Jesus, that there were these attempts 
and successful attempts to actually bury Him. You read a text like 
this and it almost looks like it's a throwaway comment. It's 
filler. It needs to be there. I mean, 
what do you do with a dead body? You put it in the grave. We know 
something of the importance and the significance of the death 
of Jesus Christ, the death of Christ for sinners, the life 
and the death of Jesus Christ, His mediation for us. And we 
certainly know something of the resurrection of Jesus Christ 
and the significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And even as 
we sang one of the hymns that we did tonight, even subsequently 
the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, all of these events All 
of these activities, if you will, all of these things that occurred 
with regard to the Lord Jesus have significance and have eternal 
weighty and saving meaning. But what about the burial of 
Jesus Christ? Well, again, we might think of 
it as just a throwaway kind of statement. I mean, after all, 
what do you do with a dead body? Well, you placed it in a grave. 
And we might be inclined to think that that's the case. It's rather 
obvious, isn't it? He's died. He has to be buried. 
And, of course, the real significance is attached to the death of Christ 
and then to the resurrection of Christ and, of course, even 
beyond that. And yet again, it's important 
to notice that all four of the Gospel writers make mention of 
the burial of Jesus Christ. Paul also in his sermon at Antioch 
of Pisidia makes mention of the burial of Jesus Christ. And in 
1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 4 where Paul says, I make 
known unto you the gospel which I also received, also includes 
a reference to the burial of Jesus Christ. So biblically, 
it would seem that this is important and some significance is attached 
to it, and it's not just or far more than a kind of throwaway 
statement, a kind of completed statement, well, after all, what 
do you do with a dead body? But it's interesting to note 
as well that the Apostles' Creed also makes reference to the burial 
of Jesus Christ. And the Apostles' Creed, as you 
know, as creeds go, is an economy of words. It's very brief. Every 
word counts in that Trinitarian creed that we know as the Apostles' 
Creed. We are told in the Apostles' 
Creed that he was crucified, dead, and buried, and the third 
day he rose again. Isn't it enough to say that he 
was crucified, dead, and he rose again on the third day? Well, we might also be inclined 
to think, well, here it is. It's in the text. And therefore, 
it's important at some level, we don't really know why it's 
important, but it's possible that we look at a text like this 
and we might draw the wrong conclusion. That is, that we might look at 
it and see it little more than marked by sentimentality. The burial of Jesus Christ is 
all about grief. The disciples are grief-stricken. The women who had followed Jesus 
from Galilee are filled with grief. And here's a statement 
that's all about personal loss. And so there might be a tendency 
for us to focus, I think wrongly, on those sorts of things. It 
is true that it represents and reflects loss, but it must mean 
something more than that. Or we might look at this particular 
text and say, well, it's all about Joseph of Arimathea. It's 
all about human personality. It's all about believing personality. Here is a man who's brave, and 
along with Nicodemus, who was a wealthy man and had resources, 
We are able to do something for the dead Jesus. Everything is 
in disarray. The disciples are all about to 
be dispersed. Their leader, their teacher, 
their Lord is gone. Will someone do something? Well, 
Joseph of Arimathea steps up to the plate. and he does something. We might be inclined to look 
at it that way. Or, thirdly, we might say, well, 
this is something about testimony. It's testimony about those disciples 
who were hidden disciples and never really came forward during 
the life and especially during the last moments of our Lord's 
earthly life. And so, once again, it's about 
people and especially about the disciples, those hidden disciples. And then there are those, of 
course, who might place a feminist spin about on this and draw attention 
to the importance of the women. It's all about the women and 
certainly they're to be commended. And yet in chapter 23 and verse 
49, there's little to commend them as they stand far removed 
at some distance from the cross as well. So gender isn't the 
issue. And I would submit to you that none of those things 
are really what this text is all about. The orientation, I 
submit to you, is still about Jesus. It's not about Joseph, 
though he figures prominently. It's not about the women, though 
they certainly figure prominently. It's not about Nicodemus. It's 
not about anyone else, really, and at the end of the day, we 
still continue with the incarnational narrative. Jesus Dead, buried, 
and physically will rise from the dead. I submit to you as 
well that the burial of Jesus Christ is then a realistic and 
historic apologetic for the Christian faith. A realistic and historic 
apologetic for the Christian faith. How so? Well, let's look 
at it, this text, under a number of headings. First of all, notice 
the matter of conviction and the burial of Jesus. Or to put 
it differently, who was it that buried Jesus? Again, keeping 
in mind that at the end of the day, this is still really about 
the Lord Jesus Christ. You'll notice that the text begins 
with this word, behold, or pay attention. It's translated differently 
depending upon our translations. But the idea is pay attention 
to this. Even this is important. Even this is significant. That 
even the burial of Jesus Christ has real meaning. At the eleventh hour, Joseph 
was not afraid to show himself a friend of the Lord Jesus. When the disciples stood at a 
distance, and the women too, he stepped forward to do something. It's Joseph who goes to Pilate 
and asks for the body of Jesus. Now, we don't know anything about 
him. And that's all we know. We know his name, and we know 
that he was from a particular place called Arimathea, but we 
don't even know where that was. Traditionally, the place is Ramah, 
the birthplace of Samuel, but there's even some question as 
to whether it might not be some other place. But he'd come to 
live in Jerusalem. and had come to be a disciple 
of the Lord Jesus. He's a member of the Sanhedrin. 
He's a member of the Council of Bishops, if you will, to make 
it a bit more contemporary. He was a good man, we're told. He was a righteous man. He had 
not participated in the decision to put Jesus to death, which 
means that he probably wasn't present for that meeting since 
the decision to put him to death was unanimous by the Sanhedrin 
or the religious leaders. He is marked by opposition then, 
at least finally, and he's also marked by anticipation this language 
that is used here to describe him, looking for the kingdom 
of God, is code for the ministry of Jesus. Again, he was a disciple 
of the Lord Jesus. Matthew records that as such, 
John chapter 19 as well, a secret disciple for fear of the Jews. The point is that he continued 
to hope Despite the disorder, despite the disappointment, despite 
now the death of Jesus Christ, this had not rocked his faith 
to the extent that he now abandoned Jesus or abandoned faith. So, 
you see, the focus remains upon Christ. Christ is at the center, 
and here is a man who, though a secret disciple for a time, 
comes forward and registers himself as one who truly follows Christ 
because his hopes remained upon Him, in Him. He hoped for and 
was looking for the kingdom of God. Calvin says, he is likewise 
praised, no doubt for righteousness, but this waiting for the kingdom 
of God was the root and the source of his righteousness. So again, 
even though there is this focus upon a particular individual 
who acts in a particular way, The focus remains not so much 
upon this man's individuality or his character, except that 
it's rooted in waiting for the kingdom of God. Jesus is dead, 
but he still continues to hope. Secondly, notice what we might 
call confrontation and the burial of Jesus. What did this man do? Verse 52. It was a brave strategy. Pilate 
was the one who had killed Jesus, or at least he was the one who 
had condemned Him to the cross. It was rather dangerous. Here 
was a man who had condemned Jesus, now here is a man who goes to 
the very man who did that and requests the body of Jesus. He'd been a secret disciple, 
as I mentioned, but now the time arrived when he needed to do 
something. And isn't that the way it is 
with you and with me? We may be secret disciples in 
the sense that we're fearful to do something, perhaps even 
as Pastor Cam was talking to others about Christ and about 
their end if they die outside of Christ. Perhaps we're hesitant 
and we're reticent to do that, but the day comes when we have 
to do something. And the day may come when we 
have to do that very thing and talk to perhaps a family member 
who's been rather antagonistic to the gospel, or someone that 
we work with, or someone else. There comes a time in all of 
our lives when we have to stand up and do something. Can't be 
secret disciples forever. We can't just sit back and do 
nothing. And here is a man who, because of his hope, because 
of his belief, because of his conviction, he would not remain 
silent forever. He'd do something. And it was 
a very dangerous thing to do. Pilate responds with amazement. 
It often took days for someone to die. And here is a man that 
has died within a matter of hours. And according to Mark chapter 
15, he actually sends a centurion to go back and to check to see 
if Jesus is really dead. Can this possibly be true that 
he's already dead? Pilate had authority. Pilate 
had authority to turn Joseph away. Pilate had authority to 
comply with that request. In fact, it's interesting that 
those who were guilty of treason were denied a burial by their 
family. It was customary to just let 
them rot upon the cross, and the birds of the air come to 
feed upon their flesh. But he asked for the body of 
Jesus, and how can you ask for the body of Jesus unless Jesus 
is actually dead? I'm leading up to something, 
but do you see this? You cannot ask for the body of Jesus unless 
he's dead, and Pilate certifies that Jesus is actually dead by 
sending an official, a centurion, and Pilate is satisfied. Again, coming back to the strategy 
and the bravery of Joseph, Luther said, but what moved Joseph to 
risk this so openly? Quite simply, that he was waiting 
for the kingdom of God. You see how we come back to that 
again? He's waiting for the kingdom of God. That is, he still had 
hope that although Christ had been hung and had died so miserably 
on the cross, the kingdom of God would not fail to appear, 
but would indeed come. He still hoped that God would 
accomplish and fulfill everything through this Christ, even though 
He was dead. That promise, or that which had 
been promised through the prophets about the Messiah and His kingdom. How strong was his faith? Well, 
it's interesting, thirdly then, to notice this man's contribution 
and the burial of Jesus Christ. How did he go about it? Or perhaps 
differently, what did it cost him to ask for the body of Jesus? Notice several things that he 
sacrificed. First of all, he sacrificed his 
standing, his reputation, He took the body down. Now, here's 
someone like Nicodemus, who is a man of some significance, a 
man of some authority. He's a member of the council. 
He's a member of the Sanhedrin. He's highly respected, and yet 
he gets his hands dirty, literally, by removing a dead body from 
the cross. Perhaps he had help. Nevertheless, 
this was something truly humbling and reflects his faith in the 
one whom he still believed would bring about the kingdom of God. Secondly, he sacrificed his safety. 
Consider the hostility and the opposition of the Jews, let alone 
Pilate, the ones who had cried out for the death of Jesus. He sacrificed his resources, 
his money. He's the one who purchased the 
particular things that were needed and gave up his own tomb. He sacrificed his perspective. 
He was waiting for the kingdom of God, still hoped that Jesus 
would fulfill those promises, yet he purchased the strips of 
cloth by which they would wrap the body of Jesus. wrap his body with spices. It 
was his purchase that the women would have used to apply these 
extra spices. He sacrificed his solitude. Everyone 
would know this. He became a very public person, 
no more secrecy, no more being a secret disciple. He sacrificed 
his own burial place, his own grave, one in which never a man 
had ever lain in. It was an expensive piece of 
real estate because usually in that day, tombs were used and 
reused again and again. And he sacrificed his own schedule. This had to be done now. It had 
to be done now because of the laws of the Jews. Burial had 
to take place between a certain period of time. This involves a tremendous amount 
of sacrifice. We see it in the life of this 
man. Fourthly, what influence did 
it have? Notice the kind of influence 
that his action actually had. We need to consider the influence 
that all of this had upon both the women and upon Joseph of 
Arimathea. Notice the women who followed 
Jesus had a regard for and respected the place of the tomb and the 
placement of Jesus. They recognized where he was 
to be buried, and they made plans to come back again. They did 
just that. The women who followed Jesus 
returned to the tomb, the very tomb that Joseph had purchased 
after preparing spices for burial. And notice also, interestingly 
enough, as a kind of an aside, the women who followed Jesus 
reverenced the Sabbath day. I know that men and women and 
young people would reverence the Sabbath. They kept it holy. 
It was not more important to anoint the body of Jesus than 
it was to observe the Sabbath. I find that interesting. They 
waited a day. And, of course, the reason for 
applying the spices was because of the decay of the body and 
the smell that would result from all of that. But they waited 
a day. And they waited a day because of their reverence for 
the Old Covenant Sabbath. Good intention and sympathy do 
not cancel out the law of God. How rare today that women, or 
men for that matter, have convictions regarding the Lord's Day Sabbath. What we do for Jesus must, like 
them, what we do for Jesus must conform to the law of God. Well, all of that prepares us 
for the fifth and the final point in the outline, and that 
is, why was Jesus buried? We began the sermon that way. 
There are all of these particulars about Joseph's faith, faith despite 
what had occurred. What is it that the burial actually 
confesses or asserts or acknowledges? I think there are at least four 
things. First of all, notice with me that the burial of Jesus 
Christ is important and significant because it is a proof of the 
incarnation of Jesus Christ. He could die because He was born. rather obvious, is it not? He 
could die because He was born. Here was a real man. Now we often 
focus upon the deity of Jesus Christ because the deity of Jesus 
Christ in the last maybe 200 years or so, has been largely 
assailed. But we need to remember that 
Jesus was also a man. He was a real man with a true 
human body and a reasonable soul, as the Confession says. He was 
a real man. He was God, yes, and He was man. God cannot die. Jesus died. And we need to remember that 
this was a very real death, and we know that it was a real death 
because only dead men are placed in the ground, and Jesus was 
placed in a tomb. I think the burial of Jesus Christ 
also testifies to the humiliation and to the depth of humiliation 
of Jesus Christ. It illustrates the depth of our 
Lord's humiliation. Here is the lowest point of the 
son's humiliation. He dies as a real man. He takes 
upon himself the wrath of his own father, and he's placed in 
a tomb, and he remains in the tomb for three days. How much 
lower can he go? The last part of his humiliation 
was attained in the burial of Jesus Christ. Genesis chapter 
3 and verse 19 reminds us of the curse, that out of the ground, 
out of the dust of the earth we came and to the dust we will 
return. The burial of Jesus Christ is 
the necessary prerequisite for the resurrection. The resurrection 
was physical, it was bodily, it was a real body that returned 
to life, not just spiritual. In other words, it isn't a ghost 
that came back to life. The resurrection is not a metaphor 
for something, but it's real. The resurrection was no apparition, 
and in anticipation of the resurrection, Jesus was buried. It proved that He had overcome 
death. The hope of the resurrection 
depends upon this gospel fact that He actually died and was 
buried, and it is certified in the burial that He actually die 
and therefore it's a real body that returns from the grave. Calvin writes, although at that 
time the weakness of the flesh was still visible and the divine 
power of the spirit was not clearly seen before his resurrection, 
yet God determined by this as a sort of preparation to shadow 
out what He was shortly afterwards to do that He might exalt gloriously 
above the heavens His Son, the conqueror of death. Proof of the incarnation, picture 
of His humiliation, a prerequisite for the resurrection, and then 
fourthly and finally the burial of Jesus Christ testifies to 
the fact that it was a real death. It exists or it occurred for 
the purpose of attestation. It was a proof that he really 
did die. Jesus died. And how do we know 
he died? He was buried. And what's the 
significance of his death? His mediation for us is dependent 
upon a very real death. The details here of Joseph and 
the women and all of the rest show the reality of his death. 
The sepulcher, the linen, the request from Pilate, all of it 
points in the direction of Jesus and of a real death that he died. It is a fact beyond dispute. It is a matter of historic record. Or Sinus in the Heidelberg Catechism 
says, he would be buried for the confirmation of his death. The promise to Adam was that 
if he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, if 
he transgressed God's commandment, if he sinned, in that day he 
would die. But Jesus committed no sin, and 
yet he died. did not die for himself, but 
he died for us. He died in full payment for our 
sins to satisfy the just demands of a holy God. And how do we 
know that happened? He was buried. As J.C. Ryle wrote, the great 
sacrifice was really offered. And how do we know that? Because he was buried. Again, then and now, the death 
of Jesus Christ has been denied. But if He did not die, there 
is no forgiveness of sin. There are all of these suggestions. Someone else was crucified by 
mistake. He merely swooned upon the cross. 
He was given a calmative, a sedative to tranquilize him. He was drugged 
and really didn't die. And then, of course, there are 
those who say the body of Jesus was stolen. How do we know that 
all of that is false? The gospel record, all four of 
them, the book of Acts, and 1 Corinthians, he was buried. He was buried in a tomb, a tomb 
belonging to a particular Again, the Heidelberg Catechism, 
why was he also buried? And the answer, thereby to prove 
that he was really dead. And Calvin again says, true indeed, 
God determined for another reason that Christ should be buried, 
that it might be more fully attested that he suffered real death on 
our account. J.C. Ryle wrote, the penalty 
threatened to the first Adam was eternal death in hell. If 
the second Adam had not really and actually died in our stead 
as well as taught us truth, the original penalty would have continued 
in full force against Adam and all his children. It was the 
lifeblood of Christ which was to save our souls. I think that's the real emphasis 
in the Scriptures in the New Testament. While all of the other 
things are true, here is the real focus to attest to the fact 
that Jesus really died, and therefore, it is a means to us who believe, 
a means of assurance, of the assurance of our salvation. How 
do you know? that you may have life eternal. Jesus died. And how do you know 
that Jesus died? Because he was placed in a tomb. 
And he remained in the tomb for three days. And what does that 
do for us? But it certifies beyond any shadow 
of a doubt that here was a real death. Now, I think by extension 
that does something that is truly encouraging at another level. And that is the death or rather 
the burial of Jesus Christ is mentioned in the scriptures for 
the principle of sanctification. What do I mean by that? His burial sanctifies our graves 
as well. Lest we be terrified of death, 
we have the promise of resurrection, resurrection-related and as a 
result of Christ's resurrection. And so He died, and He died uniquely, 
and He was buried, and He remained in the grave, and then He was 
raised from the dead. And as a result of our union 
with Jesus Christ, though we will die, we too will be buried, 
but that burial, our burial, is not the last chapter. We too 
will be raised from the dead. And so your grave and my grave 
is but a resting place until the resurrection. resurrection. As one writer has 
said, that they may be chambers and resting places until the 
resurrection. Jesus Christ identifies with 
us in all of the experiences of life, even death and burial. Brothers and sisters in the Lord 
Jesus Christ, you have no reason to fear the grave. No reason 
at all to fear the grave. Follow Jesus, as it were, boldly 
into death and even into the tomb. It's not the last chapter. It certifies for us principally 
His death, and it sanctifies for us our own grave. So two things I would leave you 
with this evening. First of all, and once again, 
you and I as believers in Jesus Christ may have full assurance 
and be not afraid. For our salvation is rooted in 
the death of Jesus Christ. And again, how do we know that 
He really did die? He was buried. And again, there's 
the significance. There's the significance of His 
death. The penalty due to sin has been discharged. We have 
hope. He died and He remained dead 
for three days as an apologetic for the satisfaction for our 
sins. You have no reason to doubt. 
You have no reason to be afraid. You can face life and death with 
full assurance. that your sins have been paid 
for through the merits of Jesus Christ. Even the burial, which 
seems on the surface to be a throwaway, barely worth mentioning. Well, 
what else do you do with a body? You put it in the grave. Oh, 
brothers and sisters, it's far more than that. It certifies 
to us the reality of His death and therefore the fact that the 
penalty for our sins have been taken away. And then secondly, 
as I said moments ago, Jesus sanctifies the grave for us. Burial is important because it 
honors the body. The body is significant. The 
body is important. And this really could very well 
introduce another sermon, and we obviously aren't going to 
do that this evening, but the body is important. And we need 
to reject every form of asceticism. Your future is not a disembodied 
future. Your final future is not sitting 
on a cloud with angelic wings in a kind of spiritual body in the sense that 
it's something like a ghost. You know, resurrection is in 
your future. And just as Jesus' body was raised 
from the dead, so your body will be raised from the dead, and 
our salvation includes the body. Let us not demonize what God 
has made good. Let us not deify the body, and 
yet at the same time, let us not demonize the body. We don't deify it, neither must 
we despise it. Our future is not that of disembodied 
spirits, but a reunion of body and soul in the new heaven and 
the new earth. All of that is to say that just 
as Jesus' body was respected and it was laid in the tomb, 
so the bodies of dear loved ones ought to be respected as well 
as they too are laid in the ground, laying it to rest until the resurrection 
even as Jesus rose from the grave. Another way of saying all of 
that is that you and I never need to be afraid to go where 
Jesus went. You see the point that I'm trying 
to make? You don't need to be afraid. Jesus died, died uniquely. Jesus was buried. you and I will 
undoubtedly die unless the Lord Jesus returns and our bodies 
will be placed in the tomb. And we need not fear that. We 
need not fear to go anywhere that Jesus himself went. Well, there's something to the 
burial of Jesus Christ. Far more than a throwaway comment, 
far more than just a sort of interlude between the death and 
the resurrection, but it has real significance. Real significance 
for our salvation, real significance for the human frame and for the 
human body. And while it may sound strange 
to say this, we ought to rejoice in the knowledge that Jesus was 
actually placed in the tomb. in the ground for us and for 
our salvation. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, it 
certifies and attests to the fact that Jesus really did die. and really did die for us and 
for our salvation. And if you're here this evening, 
and you question this, and you have reservations, and you wonder 
about this whole matter of salvation, and how do we know, and how can 
you be certain, here is an element of certitude. Here is one, and 
it's a matter of history. It's historic. Jesus did die, 
and He was buried. and he remained in the tomb for 
three days certifying that you and I might truly know that his 
death was real. And if his death was real, then 
we can come to appreciate that promise, the promise of salvation 
through the death of Jesus Christ. Father in heaven, we do thank 
you for the word of truth and for this particular portion of 
your word that seems on the surface to have so little relevance, 
and what relevance it does have perhaps has relevance, has something 
to do with Joseph or with Pilate or with the women. And yet, as 
we've come to see, the relevance is all about Jesus and all about 
His work. and all about the certainty of 
that work. We thank you for even this element, 
this portion of your word which gives to us sure and certain 
hope of our salvation, satisfaction for all of our sins, pardon for 
all that we have committed against Your holy law, a perfect righteousness 
imputed to us through the life and the death of Jesus Christ. We pray these things in Jesus' 
name, asking once again that You might work in the hearts 
of those in particular who may still be outside of gospel promise. Bless them, we pray, with saving 
faith, in Jesus' name. Amen.