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Set to dark modeMark 15:42-47
Jesus Is Buried
42 When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,
43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.
44 Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead.
45 And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.
46 Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.
47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was laid.
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Mark 15:42-47 meaning
The parallel gospel accounts of Mark 15:42-47 are found in Matthew 27:57-61, Luke 23:50-56, and John 19:38-42.
In Mark 15:42-47, Joseph of Arimathea courageously asks Pilate for the body of Jesus and, after Pilate verifies His death, takes Jesus down from the cross, wraps Him in linen, and lays Him in a rock-cut tomb before the Sabbath begins.
Mark begins his account of Jesus's burial by establishing its urgency:
When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath (v 42).
The expression when evening had already come (v 42) means that it was late in the day.
Jesus died around 3:00 p.m. (Mark 15:33-37), which meant that the sun would soon set. Mark explains the urgency for his Roman readers by adding that it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath (v 42).
The preparation day was the day when the Jews made preparations for the Sabbath. Because the Jewish day began at sundown, all necessary work had to be completed before the sun set and the Sabbath began.
Mark's explanation that preparation day is the day before the Sabbath (v 42) is another example of how his Gospel explains Jewish customs and expressions for his Gentile Roman audience.
The Sabbath was rapidly approaching, and once it began, work associated with taking Jesus down from the cross and preparing His body for burial would have to stop. Moreover, Jewish law prohibited allowing the body of an executed man to remain exposed overnight:
"his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day."
(Deuteronomy 21:23a)
John records that the Jewish leaders were also concerned that the bodies of Jesus and the two robbers not remain on their crosses during the Sabbath:
"Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath...asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away."
(John 19:31)
The soldiers therefore broke the legs of the two robbers who were crucified beside Jesus in order to hasten their deaths (John 19:32).
But when they came to Jesus, they discovered that He was already dead:
"but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs."
(John 19:33)
Once Jesus died, the race was on to take His body down from the cross, prepare it for burial, and bury His body before sundown.
Mark's account explains how Jesus's followers were able to accomplish these things in the short amount of time remaining.
The man who made this possible was Joseph of Arimathea (v 43):
Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus (v 43).
Mark identifies Joseph according to three important facts.
The first thing Mark says about Joseph was that he was of Arimathea.
The location of Arimathea is not precisely known. Luke describes it as "a city of the Jews" (Luke 23:51). Arimathea is generally believed to have been somewhere in Judea.
The second thing Mark says about Joseph was that he was a prominent member of the Council (v 43).
The Council was the Sanhedrin, the ruling religious body of the Jews.
Joseph was therefore not an obscure follower of Jesus. He was a man of considerable position, influence, and reputation.
All four Gospels describe Joseph with additional details: Matthew describes Joseph as "a rich man" who "had also become a disciple of Jesus" (Matthew 27:57). Luke describes Joseph as "a good and righteous man" and explicitly states that "he had not consented to their plan and action" against Jesus (Luke 23:50-51). John describes Joseph as "a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews" (John 19:38).
Taken together, the four Gospel accounts present Joseph as a wealthy and prominent member of the Sanhedrin who believed in Jesus but had previously kept his discipleship secret because he feared the Jewish authorities.
Each Gospel writer describes Joseph according to the purpose of his Gospel,
The third thing Mark says about Joseph was that he was waiting for the kingdom of God (v 43).
This description indicates that Joseph was a man who believed the promises of God and eagerly anticipated their fulfillment. And that he saw Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah who had come to inaugurate God's kingdom.
The kingdom of God was central to Jesus's message throughout Mark’s Gospel.
Jesus began His public ministry by proclaiming: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15).
Joseph had apparently recognized that Jesus and His message concerned the fulfillment of God's kingdom promises.
But Jesus was now dead.
Whatever Joseph understood or did not understand about Jesus's predictions of His resurrection, he now faced a choice. Joseph of Arimathea could remain a secret disciple and protect his position or he could publicly identify himself with Jesus and ensure that His body received a proper burial.
Mark writes: that Joseph gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus (v 43b).
The expression gathered up courage is a distinctive and significant detail in Mark's account.
Matthew simply says that Joseph went to Pilate and asked for Jesus's body (Matthew 27:58).
Mark emphasizes the courage required for Joseph to make this request. Courage was a virtue that would have especially resonated with Mark's Roman audience. Joseph's action was courageous because the powerful Sanhedrin Council under the leadership of the chief priests had just successfully conspired to execute Jesus.
Luke tells us that Joseph did not consent to the Council's plan or action to kill Jesus (Luke 23:51).
Joseph was a prominent member of the Council (v 43). By publicly asking Pilate for the body of the man whom the Council had just illegally condemned, Joseph risked his position, reputation, and relationships among the Jewish leadership.
This appears to have been the moment when Joseph ceased being a disciple in secret and publicly identified himself with Jesus.
There is also an irony in Joseph's courageous action. While Jesus was living, Joseph had apparently been afraid to publicly identify himself as Jesus's disciple (John 19:38). Now Jesus was dead.
From a worldly perspective, there was nothing Joseph could gain by identifying himself with Jesus. Jesus's movement appeared defeated. His closest disciples had fled and His enemies had succeeded in killing Him. Yet this was the moment when Joseph gathered up courage to step forward when almost everyone else had stepped away.
Joseph went before the Roman governor Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus (v 43). Joseph's courageous request is an example of the kind of faithful action that Mark's Roman audience would have understood. Joseph placed duty above self-interest and risked his status to honor Jesus. And he served Jesus when there appeared to be no earthly advantage for doing so.
Mark then records Pilate's surprising reaction:
Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead (v 44).
Pilate wondered if Jesus was dead by this time (v 44) because crucifixion victims often suffered for days before they finally expired. Jesus was crucified at the third hour--approximately 9:00 a.m. (Mark 15:25) and He died around the ninth hour--approximately 3:00 p.m. (Mark 15:34-37).
Jesus had therefore been on the cross for only six hours. Pilate was surprised that Jesus had died so quickly.
The governor did not simply accept Joseph's report. Pilate summoned the centurion who had been entrusted with overseeing Jesus's crucifixion and questioned him as to whether He was already dead (v 44). This appears to be the same centurion whom Mark had just described standing directly in front of Jesus when He died and who confessed "Truly this man was the Son of God!" (Mark 15:39).
Now this same officer was summoned before Pilate to officially verify that Jesus was dead.
John's crucifixion account mentions that one of the soldiers pierced Jesus's side with a spear:
"But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out."
(John 19:34)
This act confirmed that Jesus was physically dead and that He did not merely lose consciousness. The Roman soldiers who were professionally responsible for executing Him verified His death.
Mark continues:
And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph (v 45).
Pilate confirmed from the centurion that Jesus was indeed dead. Only after receiving this confirmation did Pilate grant the body to Joseph.
Joseph's bold request and Pilate's permission to take Jesus's body not only ensured that Jesus would be buried before the Sabbath, it also meant that His body would be buried in a known location instead of being discarded in an anonymous burial place for executed criminals.
This was significant because after Jesus rose from the dead, His tomb could be identified and inspected and seen as empty. The women knew where Jesus was buried (Mark 15:47). Joseph knew where Jesus was buried. The Romans and the Jewish officials also knew where Jesus was buried (Matthew 27:62-66). The empty tomb could therefore serve as physical evidence that Jesus had risen from the dead.
Mark next describes how Joseph buried Jesus:
Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock (v 46).
Mark explains that Joseph bought a linen cloth.
Matthew describes it as "a clean linen cloth" (Matthew 27:59). Joseph purchased this cloth for the purpose of preparing Jesus's body for burial.
After obtaining the linen, Joseph took Jesus's mangled and lifeless body down from the cross.
This would have involved considerable physical effort. Jesus's body had to be removed from the cross and the nails that held Him to it.
Joseph then wrapped Him in the linen cloth according to Jewish burial customs.
The Gospel of John reveals that Joseph had a fellow Sanhedrin member helping him prepare Jesus's body for burial. John writes:
"Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight."
(John 19:39)
This man was Nicodemus, "who had first come to Him by night" (John 19:39). Nicodemus first appears near the beginning of Jesus's ministry when he came to speak privately with Jesus (John 3:1-21). Later, Nicodemus cautiously spoke on Jesus's behalf during a contentious debate among the Jewish leaders, but he was rebuked for doing so (John 7:50-52). Now, like Joseph, Nicodemus publicly elevated his association with Jesus at His burial.
John explains:
"So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews."
(John 19:40)
Nicodemus supplied a lavish amount of burial spices "a hundred pounds weight" (John 19:39).
Together, Joseph and Nicodemus prepared Jesus's body for burial.
Mark then says that Joseph laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock (v 46).
Matthew adds that this was Joseph's "own new tomb" (Matthew 27:60).
The fact that Joseph owned a newly cut rock tomb was another indication of his wealth. Most people could not afford this kind of burial place. Jesus's burial in the tomb of a rich man fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the Messiah:
"His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death."
(Isaiah 53:9a-b)
Jesus had been executed between two criminals (Mark 15:27). But through the courageous intervention of the wealthy Joseph of Arimathea, Jesus "was with a rich man in His death" (Isaiah 53:9). Matthew's Gospel emphasizes this connection by identifying Joseph as a rich man and explaining that Jesus was laid in Joseph's own tomb (Matthew 27:57, 60).
Mark does not explicitly point out this fulfillment of prophecy. Instead, Mark emphasizes Joseph's prominence, his hope for the kingdom of God, and his courage.
John adds another important detail about the location of the tomb:
"Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid."
(John 19:41)
Joseph's tomb was near the place where Jesus was crucified.
This proximity was important because time was rapidly running out before the Sabbath began and they would not be permitted to bury anyone.
John explains:
"Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there."
(John 19:42)
Joseph's nearby tomb made it possible for Jesus's body to be properly buried before sundown when the Sabbath began.
John's description of the place as "a garden" may also recall the Garden of Eden.
In the first garden, the first Adam exalted himself and disobeyed God, bringing death into the world. In this garden, Jesus, the second Adam (Romans 5:12, 18-19), had humbled Himself and obeyed God unto death (Philippians 2:8), so that the world might not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
After Joseph placed the body of Jesus in the tomb (v 46), Mark writes:
and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb (v 46).
The stone closed the entrance to the tomb. This action completed Jesus's hasty burial before the Sabbath.
All of the following had taken place during the brief period between Jesus's death around 3:00 p.m. and the beginning of the Sabbath at sundown.
The work was finished before the Sabbath began.
Luke writes:
"And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment."
(Luke 23:56b)
It is fitting that Jesus had completed His mission. His final words recorded by John were: "It is finished!" (John 19:30). And now His body rested from His work on the Sabbath.
This honored the pattern of the seventh day of creation, when God rested from His work (Genesis 2:1-3, Exodus 20:11).
But Jesus's rest in the tomb would not be permanent.
On the first day of the week, there would be a new creation--the resurrection of Jesus, the first fruits of the resurrection hope of everyone who believes in Him (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).
Mark ends his account of Jesus's burial by identifying two witnesses who knew exactly where His body had been laid:
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was laid (v 47).
Both Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses had witnessed Jesus's crucifixion.
Mark had just identified them among the women who were "looking on from a distance" as Jesus died (Mark 15:40).
Now they were looking on to see where He was laid (v 47). These women therefore witnessed both Jesus's death and His burial.
The fact that Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was laid (v 47) is important.
Because they were looking on to see where He was laid (v 47) they knew exactly where His body was buried. They were looking on to see where He was laid (v 47) for the very purpose so that they would know where to return when it came time to finish preparing the body of Jesus after the Sabbath had passed.
When they returned after the Sabbath and found the tomb empty, they were standing at the same tomb where they had watched Jesus's dead body be laid.
Luke explains that the women "followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid" (Luke 23:55). They then returned to their lodgings and prepared spices and perfumes before resting on the Sabbath according to the commandment (Luke 23:56).
Mark will record that after the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices at sundown, so that they could return (in the morning) and anoint Jesus's body (Mark 16:1).
But Mark 15:47 ends Mark's account of Jesus's crucifixion and burial. Mark 16:1 begins the day after the Sabbath, the day after Jesus's death and the day before His resurrection.
Mark ends his account of Jesus's burial with Joseph rolling the stone against the entrance of the tomb and the two Marys observing where Jesus was laid.
But Matthew's Gospel continues the burial narrative with an event that Mark omits.
Matthew records that on the following day, the chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate because they remembered Jesus's prediction that He would rise again after three days (Matthew 27:62-64).
Fearing that Jesus's disciples might steal His body and claim that He had risen from the dead, they asked Pilate to secure the tomb (Matthew 27:64). Pilate granted their request.
Matthew writes that the Jewish leaders and Roman authorities "went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone" (Matthew 27:66).
Ironically, Jesus's enemies took extraordinary measures to prevent anyone from claiming that He had risen from the dead. Their precautions would make the empty tomb even more difficult to explain away after Jesus actually rose. Mark omits all this scheming for the sake of brevity and moves directly from Jesus's burial to the women returning to the tomb after the Sabbath (Mark 16:1).
To learn more about the sealing and guarding of Jesus's tomb, see The Bible Says commentary for Matthew 27:62-66.