Jesus Foretold: Buried With The Rich

When Jesus died, the Sabbath day was near;
He needed a tomb, and needed it fast;
Most apostles had run, because of fear;
Mourners were few, their grief too fresh and vast!
A certain rich man loaned the Son his cave,
Joseph, who boldly revealed he believed,
Voting “not guilty”, Jesus’ life to save,
Asked Pilate let him the problem relieve!
Others believed, too, but unknown they kept,
In fear of losing their posts and power;
But not this Joseph, who publicly wept
O’er His dead body in man’s saddest hour!
Joseph glorified the Christ on that day,
Risking public scorn honor to God pay!

Scripture Quoted (NIV) [Brackets added]
Prophecy Made: Isaiah 53:9—“He [Jesus Christ] was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.” (Written in the 7th century B.C.)

Prophecy Fulfilled: Mark 15:42-46—“It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council [the Sanhedrin], who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God [a believer in Jesus Christ], went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body, … he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body [from the cross], wrapped it in the linen and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus, saw where he was laid.”
(Written in the 1st century A.D.)

Commentary On: “Jesus Foretold: Buried With The Rich”
Jesus died on the cross at about three o’clock on Friday afternoon. This was a problem for Mary, His mother, Mary Magdalene, and John the apostle, who were among the very few mourners at the foot of the cross, for Friday was the sixth day of the Jewish week; the Sabbath day began at six o’clock p.m. No work of any sort could be done after six on Friday, for work was prohibited on the Sabbath. Jesus had to be buried quickly; the Roman soldiers had no responsibility to care for His body; besides, any Jew who touched a dead body became “unclean” and had to go through a purification ritual or he or she could not enter the temple area; furthermore, that Friday evening was to be the Passover meal for all Jews, and unclean persons could not partake. What were the pitifully few mourners to do?

Joseph of Arimathea, a rich and prominent member of the Sanhedrin Council, who was a believer in Jesus Christ and had voted “not guilty” when the verdict of His trial was taken, stepped up and proved His love for the Lord. He boldly went straight to Roman governor Pilate and asked permission to take charge of the precious body of the Savior, which he received. He bought the finest linen cloth in which Jesus was to be completely wrapped; went to Golgotha, took the body down from the cross, and laid Him in his own expensive tomb, a cave cut into the solid rock of the same small mountain. In doing all these things he exposed himself to public ridicule, persecution, possible loss of his prominent positions of leadership, and even the loss of his wealth. It took great courage for Joseph to do these great deeds for Christ, and it is a good example for all Christians to follow.

Others among leading Jews also believed, but most of them did not reveal their belief for fear of the punitive consequences that might follow. Nicodemus, a very rich Pharisee and Council member, helped Joseph bury the body of Jesus. Tradition (not the Bible) reports that he lost everything at the vicious hands of Judaistic leadership. After Jesus’ resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit, the disciples, who were all Jewish to begin with, began to preach the gospel and Christianity began to grow rapidly, strict prohibitions were pressed against any Jew who accepted Christ; the synagogues expelled those known to believe in His name. The Church began as a movement within Judaism, like Pharisees, but it was quickly expelled from Judaism and severely forbidden. Instead of quenching belief in Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah, though, the persecution only succeeded in accelerating its growth.

The expression “waiting for the kingdom of God” has the spiritual meaning of a person who accepts Jesus Christ and is waiting for His Second Coming to the earth.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)