The Burial

There was a garden in that place and a new tomb in it, is the testimony of John. By garden what is meant is a private plot of land planted with olive trees. Joseph was a wealthy man. He was a member of the Sanhedrin. There were many tombs hewn out of rock outside the city walls of Jerusalem. However, it's unlikely that Joseph had made a tomb or had bought a tomb for himself in that area. Because, given his devotion and stature we can rightly assume that he would have had it somewhere in the Jehoshaphat valley, where the ancestral burial grounds of Israel were. The owner of the garden must have hewed out a tomb in the rock in his garden with the thought that he could sell it to someone for a dear price.

It was a Friday. The following day was the great Sabbath. Jesus died at around three o’clock in the afternoon. If we assume that Joseph went to Pilate at three-thirty asking for Jesus’ body; If Pilate sent a soldier right away to Calvary to confirm the death of Jesus, and that he had arrived at Calvary in fifteen minutes and told the centurion in charge that Pilate wanted to see him; and that the centurion right away rushed to Pilate and arrived Pilate's palace in fifteen minutes and confirmed to him that Jesus was already dead; and at the centurion's word Pilate right away gave permission to Joseph to take Jesus’ body down from the cross and gave a burial; and that he had already coordinated with Nicodemus of the buying of spices and that Nicodemus had loaded it on to a donkey, and had servants and undertaker standing ready; and if they had all rushed to Calvary at the earliest: if all this had happened in a hurry - we can presume that by now it would have been at least four-thirty by the time Joseph, Nicodemus and their entourage reached Calvary. And there was barely an hour and a half left before the Sabbath began. With all this in mind, Joseph would have bought the tomb for the full price the owner had quoted, even before he had gone to see Pilate.

When the undertakers arrive at the scene and hand over the note of permission for the body, the soldier in charge had to ensure that the condemned was already dead. That was the reason why he thrust his lance on Jesus' side, piercing his heart and liver, confirming that Jesus was dead.

Now the undertakers that Joseph has brought must take down Jesus' body. For inexperienced hands this would not have been easy. They had to do it with respect. Especially because Joseph, who had hired them had such a great love and admiration for the one executed - and he himself was a member of the Sanhedrin! And if that wasn't enough, the mother and friends of the one-executed were also present!

After taking down the body, his mother and relatives were to be given time for viewing and paying respects; after which the body had to be sponged and cleaned with wine and oil. While wrapping the body in linen shroud, all around the body spices had to be thickly covered. It would take time to prepare and wrap the body for burial. Then the body had to be placed in the tomb, and the huge stone had to be rolled into place, quickly some mortar had to be made with dirt, and the gaps and holes must be sealed. Then, they had to reach their homes with the tools and stuff they had brought along. All of this must have to be done within an hour-and-a-half or two! Because Sabbath would begin at sunset. Then no one could carry anything.

If it had been anyone else, certain matters could be over-looked. But Joseph and Nicodemus were teachers of Israel. Under their command and leadership, a violation of the law could never have occurred.

Besides all that, they all had to have have a bath and purified themselves, and be ready to eat the Passover.

For all these reasons, perhaps this must have been the burial that they had to perform in such an unusual and hurried manner. No one before or after was like this one!