Matthew chapter 27, our focus tonight will be on the burial of Jesus in verses 57 to 66, but I want to read beginning in verse 32. Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear his cross. And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, place of a skull, they gave him sour wine mingled with gall to drink.

But when he had tasted it, he would not drink. Then they crucified him and divided his garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. Sitting down they kept watch over him there.

And they put up over his head the accusation written against him, This is Jesus, the king of the Jews. Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and another on the left. And those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads and saying, you who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself. If you are the son of God, come down from the cross.

Likewise, the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders said, he saved others, himself he cannot save. If he is the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross and we will believe him. He trusted in God, let him deliver him now if he will have him. For he said, I am the son of God.

Even the robbers who were crucified with him reviled him with the same thing. Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, "'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,' that is, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' Some of those who stood there when they heard that said, this man is calling for Elijah. Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed, and offered it to him to drink.

The rest said, let him alone, let us see if Elijah will come to save him. And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. Then behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.

And coming out of the graves after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. So when the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, Truly, this was the Son of God. And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

Scripture Reading

Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his new tomb, which he had hewn out of the rock.

And he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb and departed. And Mary Magdalene was there and the other Mary sitting opposite the tomb. On the next day, which followed the day of preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate saying, sir, we remember while he was still alive, how that deceiver said, after three days, I will rise. Therefore, command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night and steal him away, and say to the people, he has risen from the dead.

So the last deception will be worse than the first. Pilate said to them, you have a guard, go your way, make it as secure as you know how. So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard. Amen.

Opening Prayer

Well, let us pray. Our gracious God and Holy Father, we thank you for this account of our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for that life of perfect obedience. We thank you for that death which was substitutionary, which was sacrificial in our stead.

And we thank you for that burial and ultimately the resurrection from the dead. For we know in this gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have eternal life. We know our life is not predicated on our good works. It's not predicated on our obedience to the law. but it's all about the active and the passive obedience of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ.

So God, guide us now by your Holy Spirit, cause us to see this passage, to see its apologetic value, as well to see its theological value, and may we be encouraged at what our Savior did on behalf of guilty, vile, and helpless sinners. Forgive us now, we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Introduction

Well, we have seen the passion narrative and ultimately the death of our Lord Jesus Christ in the last time we gathered for the supper. Calvin says the burial of Christ is now added as an intermediate transition from the ignominy of the cross to the glory of the resurrection. theological reasons why we need to pay attention to the burial of our Lord. And we'll see that at the end of the message tonight. But I want to look at two things.

First, the burial of Jesus in verses 57 to 61. And then secondly, the security at the tomb of Jesus in verses 62 to 66. Now this security at the tomb of Jesus is only indicated in Matthew. because Matthew writes to Jews and this particular explanation circulated among the Jews that persons had stolen the body of our Lord Jesus. Turn over to chapter 28 at verse 11.

It says, now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers saying, tell them his disciples came at night and stole him away while we slept. And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure." So they took the money and did as they were instructed. And this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

There's a contrast between that statement and the Great Commission. Christ commissions his church to go therefore and make known to all nations everywhere the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. But these godless Jews circulate this false report that the body of Jesus was actually stolen. So you will not find this in the parallel accounts in Mark, Luke, and John.

That doesn't mean it's not true. It simply means that each of the gospel writers are doing theology from their vantage points.

The Burial of Jesus (vv. 57–61)

You've got the burial of Jesus, and you've got the security at the tomb of Jesus. First, let's look at the burial of Jesus.

Joseph of Arimathea's Request

Notice the request of Joseph of Arimathea. The timeframe is given in verse 57. Now, when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. So this is on the Friday afternoon, the day obviously before the Sabbath day.

And this Joseph of Arimathea, I'll just sort of piece together a biography of him from the gospel records. He came from Arimathea, but he now lives in Jerusalem. He obviously does live there. He buys a tomb in Jerusalem.

He was, in fact, a rich man. And this jives with and accords with the prophet Isaiah 53.9. We saw that when we read that passage at the outset of scripture. In Isaiah 53 at verse 9, they made his grave with the wicked, but the rich at his death, because he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

So that prophecy of Isaiah, even down to the burial plot of the rich, is brought to fruition here. He had been a secret disciple of Jesus because he feared the Jews, John 19.38. Sometimes you see things like that in the Bible and it gives us a bit of cause to reflect and wonder, well, is he truly a believer? Yes, the Bible says that he is.

Not every believer is an Elijah. Not every believer will go up to Mount Carmel and there challenge the prophets of Baal. Not every believer is going to be a John Knox hanging over his pulpit and pointing at the Queen of England. Not every believer has that kind of boldness and earnestness, and we're not to conclude, therefore, they're not believers.

Scripture tells us that Joseph of Arimathea was, but he did fear the Jews. There was great animosity to Jesus and to his followers, and so Joseph understood that. He took courage ultimately and approached Pontius Pilate to ask for the body so that he could give it a proper burial. He also was a member of the Jewish council, the Sanhedrin.

He was part of that body of elders, that body of religious figures that was made up of 71 persons. He was a member of the Jewish council, but he had not consented to their decision to murder Jesus. So in Luke 23, 51, it shows us or demonstrates that Joseph was not down with the execution of our Lord Jesus. He is described by Mark and Luke as a man who was waiting on the kingdom of God.

Typically that means he had a messianic expectation, he understood the prophets, he knew there was a champion coming in accordance with Genesis 3.15, and the farther steps after that that would indicate that Jesus was in fact the Messiah of God. He was, as our text says, specifically in verse 57, a disciple of Jesus. He was assisted by Nicodemus in the burial of our Lord. So in John's gospel, chapter 19 at verse 39, we see Nicodemus, the one who comes to Jesus by night in John 3, to sort of put Jesus on the horns of a dilemma, nevertheless comes to Christ and serves alongside of Joseph to give the body of Jesus a proper burial.

And as well, we see that he lavished honor and respect upon Jesus after his death. So in John 19, 39 to 40, being a man of means, being a man of resources, being a man who had money, he was able to splurge and able to do good things for the body of our Lord. Now there's an obvious contrast with him, member of the Sanhedrin, versus the others that are indicated here in verses 62 to 66, that were so intent on guarding the tomb so that they could indeed protect the idea that Jesus rose from the dead. And as I said, this jives with Isaiah 53, 9.

So what Joseph wants to do, according to verse 58, he comes to Pilate and he asks for the body of Jesus. R.T. France explains, and in the background is Deuteronomy 21, 21, 22, and 23. It says, if a man has committed a sin deserving of death and he is put to death and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree.

You shall surely bury him that day so that you do not defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, for he who is hanged is accursed of God." And that is fulfilled preeminently in the death of our Lord Jesus. Galatians 3, 13, the Apostle Paul tells us that Christ became a curse for us. been hanged on the tree. So France explains, the bodies of those who had died by crucifixion were often not given a proper burial, but left on crosses to disintegrate or thrown on the ground to be disposed of by scavengers and natural decay. But Jewish piety objected to any body being left unburied, Deuteronomy 21.

And so there was a provision there for the burial of those executed in a common burial plot rather than in a family tomb. So that's the stage, that's the scene, that's what's happening. And notice what Pilate responds according to verse 58. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him.

This underscores that Pilate knew that Jesus was dead. Remember, there are those who question the whole passion narrative. Muslims, for instance, imbibe what's called the swoon theory. They say that Jesus didn't die on the cross.

He was very much injured, he was very much destitute, but he was ultimately spirited away, and he was nursed back to health, and then it was given, or the testimony was given or conveyed, that he'd been raised from the dead. So with reference to this, the apologetic nuggets that you find in the passion narratives are very valuable in combating the assaults upon Christianity at the level of the historicity of the sacred texts. And intriguingly, these Jews do what the psalmist says in Psalm 76 10. It says, even the wrath of man shall praise you.

They take pains to secure the tomb. They take pains to secure it in such a way that the integrity of the tomb is maintained. Such that when the disciples arrive at the empty tomb and Christ is risen from the dead, it's obvious. They had put everything into place to try to debunk the idea that Christ would rise from the dead.

But they actually make it even more believable by the way that they conduct themselves in terms of security for the tomb. So Pilate grants permission for Joseph of Arimathea, along with Nicodemus, to bury the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Remember that. The Old Covenant, the Old Testament, the children of Israel buried their dead.

Typically, the pagans burned their dead. It was the children of Israel that buried. And we see burial here, dignified by our Savior going into the grave. So that's his request.

Preparation and Placement of the Body

Let's look secondly, under the burial of Jesus, at the burial of Jesus proper. Notice the preparation of the body in verse 59. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. Now as we move through this particular section, it's parallel to what we find in Matthew chapter 26 in terms of that woman who lavishly poured out oil upon our Savior.

Turn back to chapter 26, specifically chapter 26 at the very beginning in verse 6, the anointing at Bethany. And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. But when his disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, Why this waste? For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.

But when Jesus was aware of it, he said to them, why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for me. In the parallel in Mark, he says to them, leave her alone. She did what she could.

She did what she could. I always love that statement. She couldn't go preach at the Areopagus. She certainly couldn't go stop the pilots of the world.

But what she could do, she did. And Jesus honors that act of devotion on her part. Verse 11, he says, Well, we see the... The same sort of emphasis now with reference to Joseph of Arimathea.

Joseph used his riches. He was a man of means. Now we know it's not many wise, not many noble, it's not the rich of the world that ultimately secure favor with God, but there are some. And this particular fellow had means, and with that means, what does he do with it?

He lavishes praise upon the Savior. He does what he can as well. Now notice with reference to the burial in chapter 27 at verse 60. It says, And he laid it in his new tomb, the body, which he had hewn out of the rock, and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb and departed.

The tomb was a new tomb. Why do you think Matthew and the gospel writers tell us that? So that there's no mistaken identity. It's not the case that they would have gone to a particular tomb and found perhaps a different body.

This was a new tomb. Nobody had ever been laying in it. This was in fact the real deal. There was no mistaken identity.

France says the point is significant for apologetics and that it makes it more difficult to explain the women's discovery as due to mistaken identity. There was only one body in the tomb. It had been placed there by Joseph and Nicodemus and had been raised by the power of God Most High. So we're not dealing with a used tomb.

We're not dealing with possible identities. We're dealing with the self-same tomb that the Savior went into, the Savior departs from.

The Women's Faithful Witness

And then notice as well that the women are there. Verse 61. Go back for just a moment to chapter 26 at verse 56. 56b, then all the disciples forsook him and fled. And yet when it comes time for the crucifixion, the women are there.

When it comes time for the burial, the women are there. And when it comes time for the resurrection, the women are there. Now I'm not suggesting that women are superior, that women are somehow better, but women are portrayed in a very positive light in the gospel records. While all the male disciples departed from him and forsook him, The women are there at the cross, the women are there at the tomb, and the women are there at the empty tomb.

So they are witnesses for this particular situation. And it does evidence or does declare or demonstrate their devotion to Jesus. Their devotion to Jesus. They're at the cross.

They're at the tomb, they're at the empty tomb. Listen to Spurgeon. He says, and think about it in terms of the burial of Christ. So you've been with Jesus now for three years.

You've seen Jesus feed the poor by miraculously multiplying fish and loaves of bread. You've seen Jesus, you know, heal blind people. You've seen Jesus cure lepers. You've seen Jesus actually raise the dead.

You've seen Jesus stand toe to toe with the religious leaders of his age and call them or denounce them as hypocrites and as broods of vipers. So you've lost this particular man, this significant man in your life. You've witnessed him now be placed into this tomb by Joseph of Arimathea and by Nicodemus, and nevertheless, They are present. Nevertheless, they're there.

Spurgeon says, can we cling to Christ when His cause seems to be dead and buried? In other words, are we simply fair-weather fans? We'll preach the gospel, we'll live the Christian life, we'll do the Christian thing, insofar as it is advantageous to us. But when it becomes difficult, or when it becomes a hardship, or when it does seem as if there's nothing really in it for me, do we then fade away?

So he asks the question, can we cling to Christ when His cause seems to be dead and buried? When truth is fallen in the streets or is ever buried in the sepulcher of skepticism or superstition, can we still believe in it and look forward to its resurrection? That's a good spiritualizing point. Can we with the women maintain our fidelity even at the full tomb in light of and with an expectation of an empty tomb?

So the devotion and the worship and the praise and the adoration of these ladies is demonstrable in the gospel narratives. So for those who say that the Bible is against women, or the Bible is chauvinistic, or God has an ex, that is absolute garbage. It is not consistent with the data, it is not consistent with the facts, it is not consistent with what scripture teaches.

Security at the Tomb (vv. 62–66)

Now notice in the second place, the security at the tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Religious Leaders' Request

Notice in the first place, the request of the religious leaders. So verse 62 gives us the setting. It says, "...on the next day, which followed the day of preparation." If you're paying attention, you'll know that this is indeed the Sabbath. So on the Sabbath, these fastidious wretches, who wanted to murder Jesus concerning his Sabbath ethics in Matthew chapter 12, go to the pagan governor, make a deal with the pagan governor, and then put a Roman soldier on the tomb to guard Jesus.

Remember, on the day of preparation, on the Friday morning, when they sought audience with Pontius Pilate, they wouldn't go into the praetoria. Why? Because they would have been rendered ceremonially unclean. They didn't want to defile themselves, and they didn't want to bring any disrepute upon themselves so that they could participate in the Passover feast.

This is typical with hypocrites. This is typical with the fastidious among us. This is typical with those who engage in a majoring on the minors, all the while swallowing camels. They'll strain out gnats, We can't go into the praetorium because Pilate and his paganism will infect us.

But on the Sabbath day, they'll go to that self-same Pilate and they'll say, we want a guard for the tomb. All of that completely inconsistent with any sort of logic or any sort of rationality, but absolutely consistent in the topsy-turvy world of the self-righteous Pharisee. As far as they are concerned, as long as you strain out the gnat, you can go ahead and swallow a few camels along the way. So that's the kind of persons that are being dealt with in this particular text.

Now

Their Motivation and Wickedness

notice in their motivation in verse 63. So on the next day, verse 62, which followed the day of preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember while he was still alive, how that deceiver said, after three days I will rise. they too confirm his death, right? No swoon theory, no possibly, you know, mostly dead. He's actually dead and Pontius Pilate, the soldiers confirm it.

And even these wretches who are opposed to Jesus affirm the same thing. Notice the wickedness of their words. Sir, we remember while he was still alive, how that deceiver said, That's rich, isn't it? These guys, all they do is lie.

All they do is speak falsehood. It's sort of like in Orwell's 1984. You've got the ministry of truth. Well, if you've read 1984, you'll know what the ministry of truth was.

It was about propaganda. It was about falsehood. It was about deceit. It was about lies.

It was about calling white black and black white. It was talking about double thing. and all those sorts of things, the same thing here. We remember that while he was still alive, that deceiver, what did he ever deceive on? What were his lies?

What were his falsehoods? What did he say during his earthly ministry that does not bear up under the scrutiny of 2000 years since? If Christ lied in the gospel records, somebody somewhere by this time should be able to furnish the evidence of that allegation. The fact that they can't underscores the reality that it was them that were the deceivers and not our blessed Savior.

So notice, Sir, we remember while he was still alive how that deceiver said, after three days I will rise. Now that's curious. How would they know of the announcement made by our Lord Jesus Christ concerning his resurrection? On three instances, the Lord Jesus prophesied or promised to his disciples that he would go to Jerusalem, that there he would be tried, there he would be crucified, and there he would be raised again.

He does that in Matthew 16. He does that in Matthew 17. He does that in Matthew 20. Well, he speaks that to his disciples.

So how could these wretches from the Sanhedrin ever have known that? Perhaps Judas told them. Judas had truck with those men and Judas could have said, oh, by the way, he actually claims that he's going to be raised again from the dead. Or they could have known his meaning in John 2.19.

That comes up in the Sanhedrin trial in Matthew chapter 26. Remember, Jesus said, destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. And John the Apostle tells us he's talking not about the physical temple, but about the temple of his body. Which if they did understand that, it only underscores their wickedness even more, because at the Sanhedrin trial, they had false witnesses allege that Jesus basically said he was going to destroy the physical temple.

Or it could have been that they remembered the sign of John the prophet. Turn back to Matthew chapter 12. Matthew chapter 12, Jesus says this not just to his disciples, he says it to these wretches. Matthew 12 at verse 38, then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.

But he answered and said to them, an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. As I've said, In the prophet Jonah, many commentators lean toward the direction that Jonah was actually dead in the belly of the great fish, and that he was raised again by the power of God, and then the fish vomits him out on dry land. So the type would be similar to the anti-type.

The typology pointing forward to the actual act would indeed be consistent. Notice in verse 41, the men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the south will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. See what Jesus is saying?

We know and we ascribe to the Lord Jesus threefold office. He is prophet, priest, and king. But he's a greater prophet than Jonah. He's a greater king than Solomon.

He's also a greater priest than the actual temple itself, as he says previously in Matthew chapter 12. So perhaps these religious leaders are reflecting upon that, and this is why they say, we know or we remember, while he was still alive, how that deceiver said, after three days, I will rise. Either way, they understand that He has made the declaration that He will be raised again from the dead and that the tomb will be empty. So now they want to take pains to make sure that no one could ever come up with that interpretation.

They want to make sure that they stack the debt. Notice, they call Jesus a deceiver. They call Jesus a problem. It's similar to when Ahab and Elijah come together, and Ahab says to Elijah, oh, the troubler of Israel is here.

Really? Elijah co-opted Baal worship? Really? Elijah built a temple to Baal in the northern kingdom?

Really? Elijah led all of Israel astray? No, it was Ahab that was the troubler of Israel, just like it's these men that are the deceivers of Israel and not the Lord Jesus Christ. They are vile, reprehensible, godless men, and they are seeking to stack the deck in such a way that they can advance their own agenda that Jesus was a fake.

So notice the specific request in verse 64. Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day. lest his disciples come by night and steal him away, and say to the people, he has risen from the dead. So the last deception will be worse than the first." So the request for security at the tomb with the specific focus, lest his disciples come by night and steal him away. France again says, the authorities' fears focus, explicitly at least, not on the possibility that Jesus might actually rise from death.

That's not what they're doing. They don't actually think that this man is going to rise from the dead. They've called him a deceiver. They've put him to death.

They've seen him as a messianic pretender, not as the real deal. So it says, the authorities' fears focus not on the possibility that Jesus might actually rise from death, but on the opportunity for his disciples to cash in on such language to stake a fake resurrection. an explanation which they will continue to uphold even after the event, chapter 28, 13-15. He says a Messiah allegedly returned to life after being officially executed for blasphemy will, they rightly perceive, be far more dangerous to their religious authority than Jesus had been while alive. They get a real conundrum if it can be maintained that Jesus rose from the dead.

If the disciples come by stealth and steal the body and fabricate a story that he was raised from the dead, that will present these religious leaders with a big problem that they will then have to solve. But interestingly, and we've already reflected upon it when we contrasted the disciples with the women, what did the disciples do at the cross? They forsook Him. They fled from Him.

The thought that they would return at night and move a big rock and fetch a dead body out of the tomb does not seem consistent with what we know of the men selected by Jesus in Matthew chapter 10 to function as the apostles. They forsook Him and fled when the pressure increased and the heat was on. They're gonna, you know, paint their face in camo and put knives in their mouths and wear their tactical vests and shimmy over walls and gather together and fabricate a lever and move that stone and fetch the dead body and take it where and then fabricate the story. It makes no sense, but again, godlessness makes no sense.

And that is precisely what we are dealing with in this passage. John Gill comments here. He says, but of this there was no danger, the thought of the disciples stealing his body. They were too fearful and timorous to do such an action, had they been ever so much inclined to it.

They all forsook him and fled immediately upon his apprehension, nor durst any of them appear at the time of his crucifixion but John. and were now shut up for fear of the Jews. And besides, they had forgot what Christ said to them about His resurrection, though these men remembered it and even disbelieved it when it was told them." So that concept or construct or that idea is absolutely ludicrous. But then notice in terms of their argument for their case. Therefore, verse 64, command that the tomb be made secure, until the third day, lest his disciples come by night and steal him away and save the people." Notice, he is risen from the dead.

So the last deception will be worse than the first. What was the first deception in their minds concerning our Lord Jesus Christ? It was his claim to messiahship. It was his claim to being the man that the prophet spoke of.

It was his claim in Luke chapter 4 when he reads Isaiah 63 and he closes the scroll and he hands it back to the attendant and he says to the entire synagogue, today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. As far as these men were concerned, the first deception was the messianic claim of the Savior, to be the man that Isaiah wrote about, to be the man that Moses wrote about. When Jesus says in John 5, 39, you search the scriptures, in them you think you have eternal life, but these are they which testify of me, they didn't believe that. They thought he was a joke.

They thought he was a liar. They thought he was a deceiver as they manifest right before Pontius Pilate. And so they say, so the last deception will be worse than the first. The first being Jesus teaching that He was the Messiah, the last being that He was raised from the dead.

Now the irony of this is simple. that this proverb actually applies to them. Their last deception, denying the resurrection in the face of overwhelming facts, is worse than their first, rejecting Jesus and teaching others to reject him also. They have it exactly backwards. And again, typical of the godless, that they're that foolish.

The Guard and Seal Provided

Now notice finally the security provided for the tomb in verses 65 and 66. Pilate gives permission. There's some question concerning the tense used in the verb, whether it's an indicative or whether it's a command. The indicative is you have already have a guard go your way.

The imperative, you may take a guard go your way. The second is likely considering chapter 28 11 to 15. So essentially what we have, Pilate says to them, you have a guard, go your way, make it as secure as you know how. And then they seal it with a stone and they set a guard.

Verse 66. I think that most of you were here when we've covered Elijah on Mount Carmel and 1 Kings chapter 18. Remember that contest? Elijah meets them on their home turf.

Elijah goes to Baal country. Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal on their home turf. It's their grass. It's their dirt.

They've got the home field advantage. And then Elijah proposes a simple contest. We'll each offer up a sacrifice to our God. And whichever God answers by fire, that's the true and the living God, right?

Simple contest. It's a God contest at Mount Carmel. Of course, after he throws down the challenge, how long will you falter between two opinions? If God is God, then serve him.

If Baal is God, then serve him. Don't try to marry the two together or don't give yourself to Baal worship. And then when it comes time for their sacrifice, again, he doesn't put a time limit on it. He doesn't say, well, you've got, you know, five or 10 minutes or even, you know, an hour.

Put up your fire or put up your sacrifice rather, and, you know, you've got an hour for Baal to respond. I mean, it seems like a pretty typical, easy thing for a god to do, right? throw out some meat, let the God send the fire, consume it, shouldn't take an hour, shouldn't take five minutes, but he gives them that time. So much so that they dance around, they cut themselves, they're bleeding all over, they've engaged in complete frenzy as they call upon Baal. They are pleading with Baal.

Now when Elijah comes up to the plate, what does he do? He sets up his sacrifice and he douses it in water. It is the case that Elijah stacks the deck, but it's stacked against him, not him, but Yahweh. He is making it so obvious that even a dullard will be able to see and interpret that this was divine in terms of origin.

When that fire comes down out of heaven and consumes Elijah's sacrifice, then all the world will know there is a God in Israel. So he douses that, he draws or he makes a moat around it and fills it with water. And for those of you who say, well, it was a time of famine. I don't think we should have been wasting water like that.

They were right near the Mediterranean Sea. It was likely seawater that he was dousing the sacrifice with. So he stacks the deck against Yahweh so that when Yahweh does what Yahweh does, no one can question it. It's the same thing here in verse 65.

Look at what these fools do. So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard. France says the sealing of the tomb and the placing of an armed guard, mentioned only by Matthew, add to the dramatic triumph of Jesus' resurrection despite every human precaution. John Chrysostom, they called him the silver-tongued preacher in the early church, he said, behold, both a seal, a stone, and a watch, and they were not able to hold him.

And Matthew Henry says, to guard the sepulcher against the poor weak disciples was folly because needless, but to think to guard it against the power of God was folly because fruitless and to no purpose. So these men actually paved the way for a strong apologetic element in the gospel records. In other words, it wasn't the case that there was no fastidiousness taken with reference to securing the tomb. Oh yeah, it was.

Such that when the angel appears, such that when the Lord leaves that tomb, it is a glorious expression of the triumph of our blessed Savior.

Application

Now, in terms of some thoughts with reference to practical application, we ought to see the folly of the religious leaders. The folly of the religious leaders. In the first place, they impugn the entire ministry of Christ. They refer to him as that deceiver.

They refer to his last deception and his first deception. These are not soft words. This isn't a bit of difference in terms of theological debate. This isn't even getting a little bit fired up on Facebook and, you know, maybe saying something you later regret.

These are horrific accusations brought against the only one ever that walked this earth who could be described in the language of Hebrews 7 as wholly harmless and undefiled. As well, they impugned the character of the disciples, 1st century disciples, and as well, 21st century disciples. The thought that we worship and serve and glorify a man, a God-man, who was, who lived for us, who died for us, and was raised again, that makes us, in many places, the object of scorn and ridicule. Not that I'm suggesting we care about that one bit, but simply highlighting the folly of the religious leaders.

And then they unwillingly help confirm the resurrection. As I said, Psalm 7610, surely the wrath of man shall praise you. This is the category of a Luke 15. In Luke 15, all the tax collectors and the sinners draw near to Jesus to hear Him.

And it's in that context that Jesus, or rather that the religious leaders say, this man receives sinners and eats with them. Yeah, exactly. Genius. That's the whole purpose behind the gospel.

It's that he receives sinners. So while they're castigating, while they're insulting, while they're wagging their heads, while they're looking down their noses, they are actually declaring the truth of the Holy Gospel. That's what I mean. The wrath of man shall praise thee.

Notice what J.C. Ryle says here. They were actually making it impossible to prove that there was any deception or imposition. Their seal, their guard, their precautions were all to become witnesses in a few hours that Christ had risen.

They might as well have tried to stop the tides of the sea or to prevent the sun rising as to prevent Jesus coming forth from the tomb. They were taken in their own craftiness. Their own devices became instruments to show forth God's glory. So take the pains and the efforts and the instruments that you want to try to rewrite the narrative.

Jesus' resurrection will shatter that. Secondly, we see the faithfulness of the disciples. We have the two men involved in the burial. We have this man, Joseph of Arimathea, and we have the man, Nicodemus.

And again, Nicodemus doesn't start off well. Shows us and displays for us the grace of God Most High in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus didn't hold that personal animosity. Well, that fellow came to me in John chapter 3, and I didn't quite like his attitude, and he was there at the behest of the Sanhedrin to try to show me out to be...

He doesn't do that! There's mercy to be had with our God. There is forgiveness to be had with our God. There's the grace of God in the life of a Nicodemus, the man who questioned the new birth, the man who said, who had the arrogance to say, can a man be born when he is old?

Can he enter into his mother's womb a second time? Well, let us know how that all goes, Nicodemus, when you've been regenerated by the sovereign spirit of God Almighty. Again, it's like describing color to a blind man. They really don't get it until they get it.

And that's what happens in the life of this man, Nicodemus, and of course, Joseph of Arimathea. We don't know as much about his background. C.H. Spurgeon again.

It says, Joseph and Nicodemus are types of many more who have been emboldened by the cross of Christ to do what without that mighty magnet they would have never attempted. When night comes, the stars appear. So in the night of Christ's death, these two bright stars shone forth with the blessed radiance. Some flowers bloom only at night.

Such a blossom was the courage of Joseph and Nicodemus. It's a great testimony to these faithful men who showed care, concern, and regard for the body of our Lord Jesus. So you've got the faithfulness of those two men, and of course you've got the faithfulness of the women at the cross, at the full tomb, and at the empty tomb. And then, thirdly, the apologetic emphasis of the burial.

I'm just going to read through these. Pilate, first of all, confirms with his centurion that Jesus was, in fact, dead. This comes out more in Mark 15. Mark 15.

You may meet people that say, oh, the swoon theory. James Cameron popular... popularized this in the last several years. He's some Hollywood guy, but he was a big proponent of the swoon theory, and I think he made a documentary or something, and people watch things like that on A&E, and they feel like they're biblical scholars afterwards, because, I mean, James Cameron said so, and he's such an authority, and he's really done his research. Yeah, but the 2,000 years of Christ preachers, they haven't done any research.

I mean, they're just hacks that fall off turnip trucks and get up in the pulpits and say, duh, and, you know, mumble on for a while. It's amazing. I remember working with a fellow, he'd come into work and he'd watch something on you know, on A&E or Discovery, and I'm not saying don't watch A&E or Discovery, but it'd be some Bible thing, and he'd come in loaded for bear, ready to throw down. Oh, yeah, I watched this thing about Samson.

He was a wretch. He was a horrible guy. You know, this stuff, because his TV documentary, written by God-haters, put Samson in a negative light. I wanted to say, guess what, pal?

Everybody in the church thinks you're right, too. Everybody has this wrong view of Samson. Anyways, look at 1544. 1544, Pilate marveled that he was already dead, and summoning the centurion, he asked him if he had been dead for some time. So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.

That's not afterthought material. There's no wiggle room there. There's no, well, you know, he wasn't quite sure. He confirmed it with a centurion.

A centurion whose job was to make sure that people were not mostly dead, but wholly and absolutely dead. That was the purpose. That's what these guys did. What do you do for work?

I kill people. I make sure they're dead. That was their job. That would be a pretty bad guy if he put a living human being into a tomb.

That would be atrocious, and no doubt he would be fired. Secondly, the religious leaders confirmed that Jesus was, in fact, dead. 2763. Sir, we remember, while he was still alive. What does that imply?

It means he's presently dead. Third, the tomb was new, one in which no one had ever lain, so there was no mistaken identity. Four, the tomb was secured with a large stone. Five, the large stone was sealed so that tampering would have been evident.

And six, the tomb was guarded by a Roman soldier. Brethren, you couldn't have made it more difficult. The deck was stacked against Jesus. And yet, like Yahweh, sending fire out of heaven to consume Elijah's sacrifice wasn't hard, wasn't difficult.

They don't need an hour to do those sorts of things. Davies and Allison say the tomb that is filled here is emptied there in chapter 28. The stone that is here rolled across the door of the tomb is there rolled back. The guard that here secures the sepulcher there proves ineffective.

The leaders who hear worry that the disciples will come and steal Jesus' body, there put out the lie that just such a thing happened. And the women who hear see all become witnesses there to the empty tomb. So the apologetic emphasis of the gospel writers leave us in a blessed predicament that we have the tools necessary and the resources available to withstand atheistical and agnostic thought. Why is it that believers capitulate on such clear things?

It's not the case that we're left wanting for information. The information has been supplied. Oftentimes I think we're lacking or wanting the backbone to stand in the face of the unbeliever and tell him the truth as it is in Jesus.

Theological Significance of the Burial

And then in terms of the theology, and I'm leaning on her sinus here in his commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism, with reference to the theology behind the burial. Remember, it makes it into the creeds and the confessions, this idea that he was buried. What is the theological significance? Well, in the first place, it confirms his Death.

Again, you don't bury living people, you bury dead people. Heidelberg Catechism 41, why was he also buried? Thereby to prove that he was really dead. See, if we're gonna hang our soul, our life, our eternal destiny on the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord, each of those ingredients need to be true.

Each of those things need to prove faithful. Each of those things are absolutely crucial to the reality behind Romans 4.25. He was delivered up because of our offenses and he was raised for our justification. But if he wasn't raised, then we have no justification.

So it confirms his death. Secondly, it is the last part of his humiliation that was attained. Remember the language of God to Adam. Genesis 319, for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.

Christ, the last Adam, even takes that for us. He even goes to the tomb. He even goes to burial on our behalf. Thirdly, it is the demonstration of his overcoming death.

So he's buried and then he's resurrected. And in our confession, it says on the third day, he arose from the dead with the same body in which he suffered. This goes back to the quote I gave at the outset, when Calvin says the burial of Christ is now added as an intermediate transition from the ignominy of the cross to the glory of the resurrection. And then fourthly, the removal of the fear of the grave for his people.

You can turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. That Christ was buried. That Christ died and that Christ was buried. And that Christ was raised again serves as a great encouragement to the people of God not to have an unbiblical and an irrational fear of death.

Now, I'm not suggesting we go out and welcome it. I'm not suggesting you walk down Wellington Avenue in light of a big truck and just take your chances. No, I'm not suggesting that at all. But this unbiblical and irrational and, dare I say, paralyzing fear of death?

The believers shouldn't have that. Again, brethren, I'm not a fool. I don't mind dying. I just don't want to be there when it happens, right?

This whole idea of pain and suffering and hurting and injury, that's not pleasant, but living in a sin-cursed world, we need to come to grips with it. We need to come to grips with the reality that we have car crashes, with the reality that there is cancer, with the reality that there are viruses, with the reality that there are other sicknesses, with the reality that there are injuries and all kinds of things that obtain in a sin-cursed world. This idea where we have an unbiblical and irrational fear of death is not consistent with what we find in Holy Scripture. Look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 at verse 50.

He says, Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. Oh, death, where is your sting? Oh, Hades, where is your victory?

The apostle Paul, as it were, is taunting the grave. You do not have a binding, lasting influence upon the people of Jesus, because Jesus lived for them, Jesus died for them, Jesus was buried for them, and Jesus was raised again the third day. He has taken the fangs out of the tomb for all of God's people. And finally, the confirmation of the hope of the resurrection of the dead for his people.

Ursinus says, Christ our head has opened up the way for us from the grave to glory. And I think that is great theology necessary for the people of God as they consider the blessed Savior. Yes, life, but also death, and death, including burial, and then resurrection from the dead. And a burial, by the way, that was set up in such a way as to stack the deck against him.

And nevertheless, he comes forth in splendor and in glory and in majesty. And thus he demonstrates for us that same trajectory. We will die. We will enter into the grave and we will ultimately ascend into glory.

That in term of the general resurrection. If we drop dead right now, the spirit departs and is present with the Lord. They put our bodies into the tomb and it's worm food until that great day when God will raise us from the dead and reunite body and soul and bring us back into the presence or bring us into the presence, body and soul into the presence of God Almighty. So the burial of Jesus is significant. the burial of Jesus is glorious, and what we find in terms of the disciples attending him serve as great models for our devotion to our blessed Savior.

This rich man lavished what he had upon Jesus in his death. We ought to lavish what we have upon Jesus in his life. We ought to serve him with our time, talents, and our energy, and we ought to praise him and thank him that he went to these lengths for us men and for our salvation.

Closing Prayer

Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for the beauty and the clarity that we find in the Gospel narratives concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. We see the consistency with the prophetic announcement in the Old Testament, and we see the blessedness of realization and fulfillment, such that the Apostle Paul can say that all the promises of God our yea and amen in our Lord Jesus Christ. God, we thank you and we praise you for so great a gospel and for so great a salvation.

And we pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Scripture References

• Genesis 3:15; 3:19
• Deuteronomy 21:21-23
• 1 Kings 18:1
• Psalm 76:10
• Isaiah 53:9; 61:1-2
• Matthew 10:1; 12:1; 12:38; 12:41; 16:21; 17:22; 20:18; 26:6; 26:11; 26:56; 27:32; 27:57-66; 27:58; 27:59; 27:60; 27:61; 27:62; 27:63; 27:64; 27:65; 27:66; 28:11-15
• Mark 15:44-45
• Luke 4:18-21; 15:1; 23:51
• John 2:19; 3:1; 5:39; 19:38; 19:39-40
• Romans 4:25
• 1 Corinthians 15:50
• Galatians 3:13
• Hebrews 7:26
• Heidelberg Catechism Q41