Understanding the burial of Jesus in light of first-century Jewish culture.
Sometimes I find the Bible confusing. For instance, in Matthew 27:57-61, we read about Joseph of Arimathea burying Jesus. But still, isn't it strange that a member of the Sanhedrin is giving an honorable burial to Jesus?
If we are going to understand the resurrection, then we need to understand how Jewish people in first century Jerusalem thought about burials.
Thankfully, in the book Jesus, the Final Days, Dr. Craig Evans devotes a chapter to discussing the burial of Jesus. He explains:
"In the Mediterranean world of late antiquity, proper burial of the dead was regarded as sacred duty, especially in the culture and religion of the Jewish people... To leave the dead, even enemy dead, lying about unburied was to bring a curse on the land (Deut. 21:22-23)... The reason given for taking the bodies down and burying them the day (or evening) of death is to avoid defiling the land, for the executed person is 'cursed of God.'"
Evans also explains why the Gospels tell us that Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin, buried Jesus:
"According to Jewish law and custom, the executed criminal could not be buried in his family tomb. Instead, his body was to be placed in one of the burial vaults set aside for such persons... Because the Jewish Council (or Sanhedrin) delivered Jesus to the Roman authorities for execution, it was incumbent upon it to arrange for proper burial... This task fell to Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the council. The Gospel narrative is completely in step with Jewish practice, which Roman authorities during peacetime respected...
The Gospels tell us that 'Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was laid' (Mark 15:47). It was necessary for Jesus' family and friends to observe the place where the body of Jesus was placed, for it was not placed in a tomb that belonged to his family or otherwise was under their control."
**Here's the point: the gospels provide eyewitness testimony that Jesus was buried in Joseph of Arimathea's tomb.** Further, the specific way in which they explain how Jesus' body was buried is a precise match with the legal and cultural expectations for this situation. By contrast, we have no records that suggest Jesus was not buried or that the location of the tomb was not known.
The earliest creed of the Christian church tells us that Jesus was buried. You now have good reason to confirm that Jesus was buried. We know who buried him, where he was buried, and how these eyewitness reports fit, hand-in-glove, with the culture of their time.
When it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph came, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. He approached Pilate and asked for Jesus's body. Then Pilate ordered that it be released. So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in clean, fine linen, and placed it in his new tomb, which he had cut into the rock. He left after rolling a great stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were seated there, facing the tomb.
Compare the eyewitness reports of Jesus' burial in Mark 15:42-47, Matthew 27:57-61, and John 19:38-42. Make a list of the similarities and differences.
Research and evaluate potential counterarguments to the burial of Jesus.
How does understanding 1st century Jewish culture help us understand the New Testament?
Read Deuteronomy 21:22-23 and reflect on how Jewish burial customs illuminate the gospel accounts.
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