CHAPTER 28

There was a rich man named Joseph from the town of Arimathea in Judea. He was a prominent member of Jerusalem’s religious council and was waiting for the kingdom of God to come. Joseph was a good and righteous man. Although he was a disciple of Jesus, he kept it a secret because he was afraid of the religious leaders. He strongly opposed the religious council’s decision to have Jesus crucified.

Joseph boldly went to Pilate and asked him for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead. When Pilate learned from a Roman solider that Jesus was dead, he ordered that his body be given to Joseph.

After Joseph received the body of Jesus down from the cross, he went and bought some high-quality linen cloth. He then wrapped Jesus’ body in a linen cloth and covered it with fragrant oils according with Jewish burial customs.

Then the religious leader Nicodemus—also a member of the religious council—met Joseph. He was the one who had earlier talked with Jesus under the darkness of night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of oils that weighed about 75 pounds.

Because it was late on Friday, Joseph and Nicodemus laid the body of Jesus in a new tomb cut into the rock, The new tomb was located in a garden near where Jesus was crucified; it was a tomb that had never been used before. Then Joseph and Nicodemus rolled a large stone in front of the tomb’s entrance and went away.

The women disciples of Jesus followed Joseph. The women sat near the tomb and saw how they laid Jesus’ body inside. After seeing the tomb of Jesus, the women went home. They rested in obedience to the Sabbath law of Moses and prepared fragrant spices and oils to put on Jesus’ body.

The next day on Saturday, the religious leaders went to Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember that when the deceiver Jesus was alive, he said, ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ So give the order for your soldiers to seal the tomb for three days. Otherwise, his disciples will come and steal his body and tell the people that he has risen from the dead. This lie will be a great deception.” Pilate said to them, “Take some guards and make the tomb as secure as you want.”

So the religious leaders went and sealed the entrance, and had the soldiers guard the tomb.