Jesus was laid in a new garden tomb

JESUS WAS LAID IN A NEW GARDEN TOMB
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
JOHN 19:40-42,40 Taking Jesus’body, the two of
them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen.
This was in accordancewith Jewish burial customs. 41
At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a
garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no
one had ever been laid. 42 Becauseit was the Jewish
day of Preparationand since the tomb was nearby,
they laidJesus there.
JOHN 19:41, 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden,
and in the gardena new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
A Disciple, But Secretly
John 19:38
J.R. Thomson Of the man thus described by John we know but little. His birthplace, or family
seat, was Arimathaea; his rank among the Jews was of the highest, for he was a member of the
national council, or Sanhedrin. His wealth is mentioned, and accounts for his possession of land,
and for the provision by him of costly spices to be used in our Lord's interment. His moral
character is summed up in the description of him as "good and just." As he comes before us in
connection with the closing scene of our Savior's humiliation, he combines opposite elements of
disposition; for he is represented as timid and standing in dread of the Jews, and yet so bold as to
go to Pilate and to beg of the governor the body of the crucified Jesus. The office of committing
the body to the tomb was discharged by Nicodemus, also a ruler of the Jews, and also apparently
a secret disciple, and by this Joseph, who offered for the purpose the place of sepulture which he
owned, and evidently designed for the use of himself and his family. Joseph of Arimathaea may

be taken as a representative of the secret disciple. Circumstances vary with times, but the
disposition here exemplified still exists.
I. THERE ARE VARIOUS CAUSES WHICH ACCOUNT FOR SECRECY IN CHRISTIAN
DISCIPLESHIP.
1. It is natural and proper that the beginnings of conscious discipleship should be hidden. When
the seed begins to germinate, to put forth the signs and the promise of life, it remains hidden
beneath the surface of the soil unseen by any eye. And when a young heart in its yearnings, or a
penitent heart in its mingled regrets and hopes, turns to the Lord Jesus, as to a Divine Friend and
mighty Savior, the change is unknown, unheeded by the observer. The time comes when the
plant appears above the ground; and the time comes when the tokens of spiritual life in a
changed character, disposition, and habits are unmistakable. But there is a time for secrecy, and
there is a time for publicity.
2. There are those who keep secret their interest in Christian truth, their affection for Christ
himself, through a trembling reverence for spiritual and Divine things. Doubtless many are
sincere in the public shouts and songs, by which their boisterous natures boast of new-found light
and liberty. But many gentle, timid, and refined spirits are equally sincere and devout in their
reserve. Men and women there are like her who "kept and treasured these things in her heart." A
time there is in Christian experience when feeling is too sacred to be professed.
3. Distrust of self, and an awed sense of responsibility, account for the backwardness of many
sincere disciples to avow their faith and love. What if they should profess to be Christ's, and then
afterwards should prove ashamed of him, or should discredit him by any want of loyalty? The
very fear lest this should be so leads to reticence and silence.
4. An inferior motive has to be considered, viz. the fear of man. Some, especially among the
young, fear the opposition or the ridicule or the reproach of their fellow-men. Such was the case
with Joseph, who feared the Jews - dreaded lest he should, like Jesus, be persecuted, or lest he
should be despised and hated. A member of a distinguished and privileged class is peculiarly
sensitive to the coldness, the contempt, or the ridicule of those whose opinion makes the public
opinion which has most influence over him.
II. THERE IS MISCHIEF WROUGHT BY SECRET DISCIPLESHIP. When those who love
Christ, and make it their aim to serve him, conceal their attachment and their pious resolution,
whether through timidity or distrust, harm follows.
1. The disciple who withholds or delays his open confession of the Savior, by so doing thwarts
his own religious progress and happiness. "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and
with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." The very attitude of bold and public
acknowledgment of faith in the Lord Jesus is a means of spiritual confirmation and
improvement. For such an attitude is the natural expression of faith, and attracts the countenance
and sympathy of those who are like-minded.
2. The withholding of a confession of Christ is disobedience to Christ and to his Spirit. If we
learn of him, we are bound to obey him. And be has bidden us take up our cross and follow him.
He has bidden us observe the Lord's Supper in memory of his death. It is not honoring Christ to
delay, without sufficient reason, such an avowal of our faith in him as his own Word justifies,
and indeed requires.

3. Secrecy of discipleship is discouraging to the Church of Christ. That Church has many
enemies; it has need of all its friends. It weakens the forces of the spiritual host when those who
should fall into the ranks stand aloof. There is a sense in which those who are not with Christ are
against him.
4. The world is confirmed in error and unbelief when there is a disinclination on the part of
Christians openly to avow themselves what they really are. It is natural enough for the world to
interpret such conduct as indicating a want of heartiness and thoroughness in discipleship. Men
ask whether those who stand outside are not in the same position as those who go up to the door,
but do not enter in.
III. THERE ARE CONSIDERATIONS WHICH MAY PROTECT AGAINST THE
TEMPTATION TO CONCEAL CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP.
1. The greatness of the Master to whom we owe allegiance. Christ is so great that none need feel
any shame in belonging to him; such a relation is the highest honor accessible to man. Christ is
so great that none need feel any fear in openly avowing loyalty to him. None is so well able as
the "Lord of all" to protect and deliver those who adhere to him.
2. It should be remembered by those who are in doubt whether or not to confess Christ, that a
day is coming in which the real position of all men with regard to the Divine Redeemer must be
made manifest. Of those who are ashamed of him before men the Lord Jesus will be ashamed in
the judgment before his Father and the holy angels. - T.
Biblical Illustrator
Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden.
John 19:41, 42
The sepulchre in the garden
David Roberts.I. THE PLACE WHERE HE WAS CRUCIFIED. He has conferred honour upon
every place where He has been. The place where He was born. There belonged no distinction to
Bethlehem Ephratah before, she was little among the thousands of Judah; too little to be
represented in the Sanhedrim. But the fact that He was born there has conferred upon Bethlehem
undying fame.
1. It was in this place that was manifested the greatest love towards God, on one side, and the
greatest love towards men, the enemies of God, on the other side. We do not say that it was here
that He loved God and men most; but it was here that He manifested His love most. His love
towards the Father was always like the sun, but it was here that it reached the meridian. His love
towards mankind was like the sea, but it was here that it attained its spring-tide. The wave will
never lift itself higher than it did at Calvary.

2. It was in this place that Jesus suffered most from those to whom He manifested His love most.
3. It was in this place that the holiness of Christ shone brightest of all places, and yet it was in
this place that He was treated most like a sinner. I do not say that it was here that He was most
holy. The "Holy and Righteous" was He in all places. "That holy thing" He was when coming
into the world. But it was here that His holiness shone brightest.
4. It was in this place, of all others, that He was most completely given over to the hands of His
enemies, and yet it was in this place that He realized the completest victory over them. There
was some intervening shelter throughout the journey that prevented His enemies attacking Him.
5. It was in this place that He was treated as the most unworthy — and yet it was here that He
won the highest title to worthiness that He possesses.
II. IN THE PLACE WHERE HE WAS CRUCIFIED THERE WAS A GARDEN. We invite you
to visit the garden with us.
1. It belonged to an honourable councillor. Jerusalem was surrounded by gardens as well as by
hills. The night before, we have Jesus in a garden in another direction from this.
2. It was a garden in sight of Calvary. The last thing that was impressed on the retina of His eyes
was a garden. He saw many sad sights while He was here, but He closes His eyes upon our earth
in view of a garden. Almost would we say, "Blessed art thou, O garden amongst gardens; thou
hast been privileged to shed thy fragrance so as to counteract the offensive odours of the place of
skulls, and to fan with thy sweet perfumes the Saviour of the world in the agonies of His death."
Was it not something like a picture of what He would ultimately make the moral world to be?
Since I have come to this place a garden there must be now; I will convert the world into a
garden. The thorns and briars must yield to the fir and the myrtle
3. A garden with a grave in it! We scarcely expect to find a grave in a garden. But a grave is
appropriate in every place in our world. There are some of you who are permitted to pursue their
life journey amidst roses; I count no path too smooth for you; tread upon flowers, let perfumes be
diffused with every step you take; but will you be pleased to remember one thing? There is a
grave at the end of the walk. But when we consider it, a garden and a grave seem, after all, to be
quite in harmony with each other. What is the garden in the time of winter but a burial-place.
Where is there more life buried than there is in the garden? But yet she does not refuse to be
comforted, because they are not. That great Sun will come like an archangel, with his trumpet,
and with a loud call will say, "Awake, and sing, ye that dwell in the dust," and then there will be
a resurrection in power and in glory. In consequence of the garden and the grave in the text,
every grave has been in a garden ever since. Before that, it was in some waste howling
wilderness that the grave was, with no verdure around it, nor anything betokening life near to it.
The burial of the dead is henceforward a sowing. The cemetery is a garden, and beyond the grave
there awaits for us the "everlasting spring." The Great Sun of Righteousness will come to shed
His beams above the burial-places of the earth so that they shall be turned into gardens.
III. THE NEW GRAVE IN THE GARDEN. It is worth our while to look at this grave. There
was never one like it. There have been angels in this grave. Yes, here, the life lay sleeping on the
knees of Death.
1. There was great regard paid to this grave: the eye of the Eternal Purpose was upon it. The
honourable owner intended it for himself. Neither he nor the workmen who prepared it had any
intention but to have it ready as speedily as it was possible. But every detail was under the

control of the Eternal Purpose, It was necessary to have it ready against the Passover. The
substance of the Passover was to spend the Passover in it.
2. It was a borrowed grave that Jesus had. This is the only One who was in our world who had no
grave. Sin has conferred on us a charter to a grave. In going to the grave He can only say, "With
a great sum obtained I this freedom;" while the sinner can say, "But I was free born." We sinners
are "free among the dead." Through our sin we have received the freedom of the city in the
Necropolis.
3. He gave the grave back, and paid for the use of it. It was Jesus' habit to return everything that
He had borrowed better than He had found it. I believe that the upper room which He borrowed
to eat the Passover in with His disciples was a better room after that supper, and that the boat
which He borrowed for a pulpit was a better boat after that service. And, indeed, He gave back
his grave to Joseph a better grave, though second-hand, than when it was new.
4. Oh, wonderful grave! It was in this grave that the bottom of the grave was knocked out. This
grave became a womb to give birth to the Heir of the resurrection of the dead. It is off this grave
that we gather the flowers with which to adorn our mourning garment after our dead. This is a
grave which reconciles us to our own graves.(1) There is another grave in sight of Calvary — a
grave in which to bury sin. Neither Justice nor Law would have consented to its being buried
anywhere else. Oh that we had this burial now!(2) That grave is "in the place." I know not what
distance there is from here to the graves in which these bodies of ours shall rest; perhaps there is
a much shorter distance than many think. But however near these graves are, the grave for
burying sin is nearer; it is "in the place." May our sins be buried so as never to be seen any more!
(David Roberts.)
The garden by the cross
J. Baldwin Brown, B. A.I. THE DARKEST ACT IN THE TRAGEDY OF LIFE.
1. The Crucifixion does not stand alone. It is but the culmination of all that good has suffered at
the hands of evil. Christ was the Man of Sorrows, but He was also the Head of the great
brotherhood of sorrow. There has never been an age in which the men whom God sent into the
world to serve and save it, have not been pierced with its shafts and crowned with thorns.
2. It is a dark tragedy which is played out here, and the bud of it is inevitably a death. Sin has
entered into the world and death by sin. There could be in such a world as this no other fate for
the Son of Man but a crucifixion.
3. But there is something deeper than mere human suffering in our Lord's passion. It was
emphatically the hour of the prince of darkness — his last. His victory broke his power for ever.
4. The nature of sin was never fully known till then when it slew the Lord. Then the Father gave
full expression of His mind about transgression, and gave to all intelligent beings the measure to
His abhorrence of it.
II. BUT IN THE PLACE WHERE HE WAS CRUCIFIED THERE WAS A GARDEN. It is a
startling contrast.
1. Very dear to Him during His lonely life-course were the flowers that bloomed round His feet.
None of the beauty of the world He had made was hidden from Him as He passed along its
pathways.

2. It is a question of deep and curious interest how far the modern intense delight in the beauty of
nature was shared by the ancients, and how far it is the gift of the advent of the Lord of nature to
His world. I believe that that advent has placed the whole sphere of nature in a new and closer
relation to man. Here and there are exquisite passages in the classics, which reveal a delicate and
cultured observation. And yet it is hardly for its own sake that nature is delighted in. The
Hindoos probably come nearest to the moderns, but always there is a strong tinge of melancholy
dashing the delight of the heathen heart. The Christian observation of nature is set in a new and
higher key. Through Christ, Christian peoples have a delight in their world, which before Christ
was hardly known to the elect spirits of our race. The Jews had much of the Christian enjoyment
of natural beauty, and for the same reason: they knew the mind and heart of their King. David's
psalms complete the chord struck in Deuteronomy 8:7-9; Deuteronomy 11:12.
3. Men will come to see one day that it is the Father's counsel which they are searching out when
they fathom the depths of creation; it is the benignity of a Father's smile that they are taking in
when they bask in the sunlight, when they watch the shadows play in the upper air upon the
snow peaks, or catch at even the last rosy kiss of the daylight, as it falls down the mountain
slopes on a weary world. It was right that the flowers should bloom their bravest around Calvary.
4. But still the contrast stands out sharply, and we will gather some of its suggestions.(1)
Consider the impassive serenity of nature through all the struggle and anguish of life. There are
times when this serenity becomes dreadful. It seems terrible that flowers should bloom when the
Lord who made and rules the universe was dying the death of a slave; yet the flowers never lifted
their heads more gaily in the sun than on that day. And it is ever thus. A mother who has watched
night long the death struggles of her darling who in the morning has gone home, looks bitter
reproach at the sun rising so calmly on her agony. The east flushes into rosy splendour, the birds
carol their gayest strains, the air is musical with the hum of life, while her heart is breaking, and
the night has settled over her inner world. We may blow thousands of earth's best and bravest
into fragments in the storm of battle; Nature buries them calmly, and next year she reaps her
richest harvests from their graves.(2) Let us thank God that it is so. The garden blooms on, the
cross has vanished, while the tradition of it has become the most sacred and blessed possession
of mankind. Pain and storm, strife and anguish, birth and death are for time: order, beauty, life
are for eternity. The sun shines gaily on the morrow of our anguish, and we writhe under it; but
the sun shines on, and we come to delight in it and to bless the constancy which brings it forth
morning by morning to prophesy to us of the world where sunlight is eternal. And nature is right.
She will not bewail our calamities as though they were irreparable. There is infinite solace in
Christ for the most burdened sufferers. "Our light affliction," &c. Why should nature weep and
moan, and stay her benign and beautiful process when she knows that the stroke which we think
is crushing us is a benediction.(3) Consider of how much that garden around the cross was
symbolic in relation to man and to the Lord. "He was delivered into the hands of men." Alas! that
this should mean to wounds and death. The first crime was one with the last — fratricide. His
brethren they were who were raging around Him; but around and above, all was calm, nay,
triumphant. The harps of heaven were swept to a more exulting strain. The great ones of the past
put on their glorious forms, and pressed through the veil to meet Him. The very dead beneath the
cross stirred as His footsteps pressed them, and bursting from their tombs prepared to join the
train which He would lead up on high. There was joy, an awful joy, throughout the universe
when that Cross was uplifted — "I, if I be lifted up," &c. Should the flowers then droop? No. "In
the place... there was a garden;" and it spread forth all its brightness as the Lord made it His

pathway to His throne. And it blooms still, and will bloom on till the death day of creation and
paradise is restored.
(J. Baldwin Brown, B. A.)
And in the garden a new sepulchre.
S. Cox, D. D."The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord." Every event of our life,
however minute and trivial, contains a purpose of God's. Then we may surely assume that every
fact in the life of the Perfect Man has its significance. The circumstances of our birth exert an
immense influence over us: they are ordered of God; they were yet more manifestly ordered for
His beloved Son. All the circumstances of our death, which is our second birth, have their
influence on us, and speak eloquently to those who come after us; and these are ordered for us,
and yet more manifestly for the Son. Think you it was a matter of indifference where Christ's
body was laid? We have a right then to look here for Divine thoughts, and there is one in
particular. The first Adam fell from the garden into the wilderness; the Second Adam rose from
the wilderness to the garden. Christ began where Adam ended, and ended where Adam began.
Adam armed death with his sting; Christ has taken away the sting of death. Adam hewed the
sepulchre, Christ consecrated it. Note —
I. EVERYWHERE DEATH LURKS BENEATH THE BEAUTIFUL. In other words, every
garden has its sepulchre.
1. The garden is the most express type of beauty. Children love flowers, as do all who retain the
childlike heart. Flowers are the traditions of Paradise, and speak to us of a more perfect world
and a higher blessedness. Man's career commenced and is to close in a garden. It is natural, then,
for man to love the garden.
2. But in every garden there is a sepulchre. "The brightest flower soonest fades."(1) The whole
world seems a huge tomb adorned outwardly with manifold forms of beauty. The rocks die
slowly, crumbling through the ages to give life to herb and tree. Tree and herb feed animals, and
animals man, and man is the prey of corruption.(2) Death, moreover, has a refined taste.
Loveliness has a fatal attraction. What is more lovely than light? And yet when it is fairest and
fullest, it slays men with a stroke. What is more glorious in beauty than the sea? Yet its bed is
lined with bleached bones. The beautiful birds are infested with murderous parasites. And have
we not known one in every circle whose very loveliness of body and mind, like the gorgeous
colouring of the fallen leaf, was the symbol of swift decay?
II. EVERY-THING, EVEN DEATH ITSELF, HAS BEEN MADE BEAUTIFUL BY CHRIST.
Every sepulchre is in a garden — not in an untended desert. The grave still stands; but it stands
in the open sunlight, and is adorned with flowers. The sting, the ugliness, the terror of death is
sin; and this Christ has taken away. Christ has invested it with beauty in that He has taught us
that it means —
1. Sacrifice. "The dying of the Lord Jesus" has brought to light the vacarious element of death.
The power and beauty of His death sprang from the fact that it was His submission to His
Father's will. So, in a lesser degree, with death everywhere. We see mountains tending to decay,
herbs and grasses consumed by beasts, &c., and till we know the meaning of Christ's death, the
sight brings grief and fear. But looking from the cross we can trace this vicarious law through
every province of creation and see beauty. The rocks decay, but it is that herbs may live; herbs

are consumed — a sacrifice to the higher life of sheep and oxen. These also die that man may
live. Earthly homes are broken up that the mansions of the Father's houses may be occupied.
Civilization has its myriad victims that subsequentages may rise to purer life. The kingdoms of
the world decay that the kingdom of Christ may come. All things tend to a better time. No
suffering is superfluous. Eternal wisdom marshals the progress; infinite love appoints to each its
place.
2. Glorification. Christ died to live. He could not be "holden" by the power of the grave. He rose
into a higher region. Apply this to the general phenomena of death, and mark the beauty with
which it invests them. The rocks crumble away into soil; but that is taken up into the higher
vegetable kingdom, &c. In every case the soul of these several kingdoms passes through death
into higher spheres. Mark, then, the perfect sympathy between the creation and the Christ whose
it is and whom it serves. As His spirit returned to glorify His earthly frame, in the end the whole
framework of creation will be restored and glorified; and those who are in Christ partake of the
power of His death and Resurrection. Conclusion: We need not mourn that death is every. where.
We need not weep by the sepulchre as those who have no hope; it stands in a garden. To die is no
more to venture on a lonely path; Christ has trod it before us, and will tread it with us. If the
sepulchre still speaks of corruption, the garden speaks of the resurrection. Nor when those whom
we love are summoned to depart should we indulge in hopeless sorrow. They have gone into the
garden. Their flesh rests in hope; their spirits are in Paradise.
(S. Cox, D. D.)
W. Landells, D. D.I. SIN OBTRUDES ITSELF INTO THE FAIREST SCENES. You see around
a cross a multitude come together to perform the foulest act ever perpetrated. The object of their
hatred has never wronged them; but, on the contrary, has even blessed them. His character
presented an assemblage of graces such as the world had never witnessed. And now He hangs on
a cross in a garden I What a place for the perpetration of such a crime! A garden! where nature
seems best fitted to exert a soothing influence on the angry passions! Surely nature cannot have
her sanctuary violated by such an outrage. Thus the text contains a most emphatic refutation of
the fancy that by giving them access to natural beauty you may restrain the wickedness, if not
transform the character, of men. True, there is nothing in what is beautiful, whether in nature or
art, unfavourable to religion — but very much by which religions feeling may be induced and
fostered. And, certainly, they are not the worst Christians who have the most extensive and
loving acquaintance with nature's works. But nevertheless the influence which these things exert
depends entirely on the state of mind with which they are surveyed. They may foster and
strengthen feelings which already exist; they have no power to produce feelings which are not
there. They have no power to change the heart, so as to make bad men good. One of the loveliest
scenes in the world is the site of Pompeii, but it would seem that God has preserved her ruins that
she might testify to the nineteenth century that she resembled Sodom in the depth of her
wickedness before she resembled her in the terribleness of her overthrow. Man fell in Eden —
angels sinned in heaven. "In the place where He was crucified there was a garden."
II. SORROW MINGLES WITH ALL EARTHLY ENJOYMENT. "In the garden a sepulchre."
How emblematical of human life — in which every joy is marred by some sorrow, and the
presence or the memory or the prospect of death casts its shadow over all. There is some fitness
in the choice. A garden is the scene of beautiful life, where everything is fitted to minister
pleasure. And to erect in such a scene the receptacle of death, might, without destroying the

pleasure which the place afforded, serve as a useful monitor to remind men of the sorrows which
lie so near and mingle with our joys, and of the termination which death brings to all earthly
pursuits. It is a good thing, as moderating our present expectations and leading us to seek after a
better inheritance, to be reminded that there is no such thing here as pleasure without drawback
or alloy. Most people have a sepulchre in their garden; for have not they suffered loss here and
disappointment there? But others whom they see — what sepulchre have they? Their life is all
garden. It has neither desert bounding it nor sepulchre within its walls. But depend upon it you
see not all. "The heart knoweth its own bitterness." Could you look beneath the surface, you
would see even in that lot which seems so enviable, not a little which might excite your pity or
surprise. Of Naaman the Syrian, it is said, that "he was captain of the host," &c.; but he was a
leper. Of Haman we read how he told his wife and friends of his good fortune, and then add yet
— "yet all this availeth me nothing so long as I see Mordecai," &c. And so there is some "but" or
"yet" to the most favoured condition, no rose without its thorn, in every garden a sepulchre.
III. THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST CONVERTS DEATH INTO LIFE, AND SORROW INTO
JOY. It was meet that the sepulchre should be placed in a garden —
1. Seeing it was to contain the body of our Lord. His presence there gave to the grave a
significance which it had never possessed before. And it is meet also in the case of all who are
His. I like the change from the crowded unattractive churchyard to the garden-like cemetery. I
like, too, to see flowers growing around, or strewn upon the grave of the loved ones. The tomb in
which Christ lies, in the person of His members, is a seed-plot of immortality, from which
radiant and glorious forms shall spring; "for that which thou sowest is not quickened except it
die."
2. Because of the change which the Saviour's death is to produce in the aspect of the world.
Reduced by sin to a desert, physically and morally, it shall yet be covered with garden-like
beauty and fertility because Christ has died. It is a sufficient pledge of its renovation that it has
contained His sepulchre. Men are said to take possession of a country when they have buried
their dead in it. So the Saviour will never regard with indifference the world which contains His
tomb. He will return living and glorious to the place where once He lay dead and dishonoured,
and the same scene which witnessed the commencement shall witness the completion of His
triumph over sin and hell — over death and the grave.
3. As symbolical of how the presence of Jesus tends to change our sorrow into joy. Christ in the
sepulchre transforms the receptacle of death into the source of higher life. And therefore have no
sepulchre without a Saviour in it — no trouble in which you do not seek to have the presence of
your Lord. A life all pleasure would neither be so desirable nor so profitable as a life whose
sorrows are sanctified by fellowship with Christ. Nor should you seek, as is sometimes done, to
have the sepulchre of your own fashioning, saying, "If I had only such-and-such trials, I could
bear them well: I should not complain if I were only like so-and-so." No man ever yet had to
choose his own trials. He who gives the garden gives the sepulchre with it; and determines at
once its position and its form. All that you need is to have Christ in it.
(W. Landells, D. D.)
Christ in a borrowed grave
C. H. Spurgeon.I take it not to dishonour Christ, but to show that, as His sins were borrowed
sins, so His burial was in a borrowed grave. Christ had no transgressions of His own; He took
ours upon His head. He never committed a wrong, but He took all my sins, and all yours, if ye

are believers. Concerning all His people, it is true He bore their griefs and carried their sorrows
in His own body on the tree; therefore, as they were other's sins, so He rested in another's grave;
as they were sins imputed, so that grave was only imputedly His. It was not His sepulchre; it was
the tomb of Joseph.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
H. N. Powers.I. EACH MAN HAS A GARDEN. It may not be that where the outward sense is
regaled with fruits and flowers and odorous airs, but a sacred enclosure of the heart. As on bleak
hill-sides of splintered rock, green things and flowers here and there spring up, so there is
something still bright where poverty and care exist. Very beautiful are some of these gardens,
with dear friendships, the engaging interests of home, noble plans for self-culture and
benevolence, generous trusts, and holy endearments, and the music and sunshine of dreams. All
have their garden; BUT, guard and prize it as they may, it shall be the scene of tragedy; IT
CONTAINS A SEPULCHRE.
1. The generous and aspiring youth seems to stand on the border of a land that will never lose its
morning freshness; but this radiant landscape contains a tomb; the grave of glorious hopes that
withered in the hot glare of an unsympathizing world.
2. In practical life there is no garden without a grave, and not merely in the case of the man who
has fallen from prosperity to penury. There are tombs in the gardens of the rich, the gifted, and
the great. Baffled purposes, alienated friendships, exhausted energy, the corpse of many a brave
endeavour, the lost inspiration of eager manhood when the path to victorious light seemed
garlanded with light — all this, and more, speaks of death.
3. But sadder still is the tomb in the garden of the affections. If anything on earth is sacred, it is
home; yet the sepulchre is here; and it will not be empty long. There is a vacant place by the
hearthstone. That home may be pleasant still, and the casual visitor may not think that it contains
a place of burial. Yet, though the spot is sealed, it is not forgotten. The great world goes on as
before. But bereaved hearts know it is there. In the garden is the sepulchre.
4. And it is well that it should be so; well that we learn our frailty, our ignorance, our sin, and be
disciplined for our eternal home. For with man's sinful nature and tendencies, how fearful might
be his career in transgression, and how reckless his presumption upon the forbearance of God,
did he never suffer from the evil within and without him!
II. THE GRAVE IN THE GARDEN IS NOT A PLACE OF EVERLASTING STILLNESS
AND DECAY. The stone shall be rolled away. If you have died unto sin, anti are buried with
Christ in His death, you shall rejoice in the final resurrection of all that can contribute to the bliss
of the soul in the eternal kingdom. There shall be no death there. There none shall bear the cross
of secret trial. But how dark is your prospect if you do not believe upon His name, nor love His
appearing! The sepulchre in the garden of your life is then the symbol of the death which
awakens to no celestial fruition.
(H. N. Powers.)
A sepulchre in every garden
S. Cox, D. D.You climb an eminence, and look on the underlying scene. The river flows gently
through yellowing fields and woods that teem with life. The birds fill the air with song and

gladness. The fish sport and leap in the waters. Cattle roam or recline in the meadows. Man
goeth forth to labour with a cheerful heart. "Unawares," you bless the earth and the great Giver
of its goodliness. The eye fills with happy tears as you pronounce it "a garden which the Lord
hath blessed." And then the cold shadow comes creeping on; reflection stills the song of the
heart; the trace of the spoiler, for a moment forgotten, stands once more revealed. You see or
remember that the insects sporting in the air are the prey of birds; the birds flutter and scream
beneath the pursuing hawk; the splash in the river tells of some eager little life swallowed up
quick; the flowers close and wither as you gather them; the woodcutter's axe fills the air with its
resounding strokes; the sheep and oxen are led away to the slaughter; the funeral train winds
along the white road, flecking it with blackness, while the passing bell reminds you that another
of your flesh has seen corruption. The Skeleton Shadow broods over the entire scene, obscuring
its brightness. The air grows stifling; and you feel as if suddenly immerged in the gloom of some
monstrous grave. And yet you have but discovered the open secret — that death is the shadow of
beauty: you have but passed through the garden into the sepulchre. So, too, with the varied
human world. You think of the kindnesses and charities of home — the nobilities and patriotisms
of national unity; the discoveries, utilities, refinements of civilization, and you bless God that
you are a man of this clime and age. Again you are wakened from your pleasant dream. The veil
is lifted from the home; you find mean anxieties, wearing toils, heartburnings, jealousies,
despotisms; or where love abides, you find as its attendants sorrow and solicitude; Death has
driven its chariot, armed with scythes, through the family array, leaving cruel gaps and
innumerable wounds. The veil is lifted from the age, and beneath its high civilization you discern
want, misery, vice, disease, war, with their kin — a terrible brotherhood, the offspring of death,
doing the works of their father — preying on the foundations on which the social fabric is
upreared.
(S. Cox, D. D.)
The cemetery a garden -- Christ the Gardener
P. E. Kipp.(Text, and John 20:15): —
I. THE SEED.
1. All seed does not germinate, and seeds, in themselves, are worthless unless they are
fecundated. Cut open a seed-bearing flower, and in its axis you will find a seed-pod, from which
grows an elongated stem called the pistil. On the end of this pistil is a little tongue, or stigma.
This, of all the parts of the flower or plant, alone has no skin. About the pistil are the stamens, on
the top of which are the anthers, or pollen-bearing organs of the flower. This pollen must fall
upon the stigma which thus receives the fecundating principle, and transmits it to the seeds; and
so they are quickened into life. In many trees this pollen is produced not on themselves, but on
other trees belonging to the same species, and it is carried to the stigma of the blossoms to be
fecundated by the wind or the bees.
2. The same principle, the Gardener tells us, prevails among His plants; there must be an extra-
human quality imparted to every one of His seeds before they are planted or they cannot bloom
immortally. That quality was produced by that which was planted in the dust of the earth in
Joseph's garden and became "the first fruits from the dead." The reason why he Son of God was
incarnated, died, was buried and rose again was that He might produce this Divine — pollen
(may I term it?), so that His seeds might receive that fecundating principle which quickens to an

immortal life. It is scattered like the natural pollen — broadcast on the breezes, so that all who
will may receive it and live again; or it is carried about by the busyness of Christian workers.
3. But you cannot be planted, with a hope of the glorious resurrection, unless you have received
this fecundating principle from Christ; otherwise you must there remain, sterile and dried, unable
to rise in a new life. This is one of the fixed laws of nature. Why should we not expect the same
in grace? "He that believeth in Me, though he were dead yet shall he live." But believing is only
receiving this Divine quality from Christ, as the stigma of the seed-pod receives the pollen, to
quicken and give it life.
II. THE SOWING. For in the Lord's garden what we call burying is only planting; for the
Apostle says, "If we be planted in the likeness of His death," &c.
III. THE BLOOMING.
1. Are we to be different? Hear the Apostle, "It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption;
it is," &c. Our God doeth great things which we cannot comprehend. Who can understand the
change wrought under ground which gives us a plant for our seed.(1) Here we are, dried and
shriveled. Sin has stripped us, yet is there great latent power for beauty, &c.(2) Here there is no
sweetness about us. Such is the wonderful alchemy of nature that the seed that rots sends up a
flower rich in fragrance. More wonderful is the alchemy of grace, &c.(3) Here there is no beauty
about us, we are frost-marked. The Lord will not do half-work. He will not repair, but recreate,
&c. "It doth not yet appear what we shall be," &c. Who can guess by looking at the shriveled
seed what the flower will be?
2. Shall we, then, fear to be planted in His garden, if we shall so soon rise to such life and beauty
and sweetness? Conclusion: Let us walk with the Gardener while He points out to us some of His
rarer plants. He points to this bed and says, "There rests a precious seed, oh, how lovely will its
blooming be! On earth it was called Bleeding Heart. It grew in great tribulation." "And what lies
here in this bed, Gardener?" "You would call that, in earth's botany, a Heliotrope — the flower
that ever turns toward the sun. And there lies the Lily of the Valley, &c. And there the Calla,
whose roots had to be submerged in water," &c. "But," we ask, "Gardener, canst Thou care for
all these? Will there be no confusion or neglect? Thy flowerbeds are so many, is there no
possibility that some will be overlooked?" "Oh, no," He answers; "their names are all graven on
the palms of My hands, and are written also in the Book of Life." Oh blessed truth! What flowers
shall spring up from these grassy mounds!
(P. E. Kipp.)
The decorated grave
T. de Witt Talmage, D. D.Mark well this tomb.
I. It is THE MOST CELEBRATED TOMB IN ALL THE AGES. Catacombs of Egypt, tomb of
Napoleon, Mahal Taj of India, nothing compared with it. At the door of that mausoleum a fight
took place which decides the question for all graveyards and cemeteries. Sword of lightning
against sword of steel. Angel against military. That day the grave received such a shattering it
can never be rebuilt. The King of Terrors retiring before the King of Grace. The Lord is risen.
II. See here POST-MORTEM HONOURS IN CONTRAST WITH ANTE-MORTEM
INGNOMINIES. If they could have afforded Christ such a costly sepulchre, why could not they
have given Him an earthly residence? He asked bread; they gave Him a stone. Christ, like most
of the world's benefactors, was appreciated better after He was dead. Poet's Corner, in

Westminster Abbey, attempts to pay for the sufferings of Grub Street. Go through that corner.
There is Handel Think of the discords with which his fellow-musicians tried to destroy him.
There John Dryden, who, at seventy, wrote a thousand verses at sixpence a line. There is Samuel
Butler, who died in a garret. There the old blind schoolmaster, John Milton, whom Waller said,
"has just issued a tedious poem on the fall of man. If the length of it be no virtue, it has none."
There is poor Sheridan. If he could have only discounted that monument for a mutton-chop! Oh!
do justice to the living. All the justice you do them, you must do this side of the necropolis.
Gentleman's mausoleum in the suburbs of Jerusalem cannot pay for Bethlehem manger, and
Calvarian cross.
III. FLORAL DECORATIONS ARE APPROPRIATE FOR THE PLACE OF THE DEAD. Put
them on the brow — it will suggest coronation; in their hand, it will mean victory. Christ was
buried in a garden. Flowers mean resurrection. Death is sad enough anyhow. Let conservatory
and arboretum contribute to its alleviation. The harebell will ring the victory. The passion-flower
will express the sympathy. The daffodil will kindle its lamp and illume the darkness. The cluster
of asters will be the constellation. Your little child loved flowers when she was living. Put them
in her hand now that she can go forth no more to pluck them for herself. On sunshiny days take a
fresh garland and put it over the still heart. Brooklyn has no grander glory than its Greenwood;
but what shall we say of those country graveyards, with the vines broken down and the slabs
aslant, and the mound caved in, and the grass the pasture-ground for the sexton's cattle? Were
your father and mother of so little worth that you cannot afford to take care of their ashes? Some
day you will want to lie down to your last slumber. You cannot expect any respect for your
bones if you have no deference for the bones of your ancestry.
IV. THE DIGNITY OF PRIVATE AND UNPRETENDING OBSEQUIES. Joseph was mourner,
sexton, liveryman; had entire charge of every thing. Only four people at the burial of the King of
the universe. Oh! let this be consolatory to those who through lack of means, or large
acquaintance, have but little demonstration of grief at the graves of their loved ones. Not
recognizing this idea, how many small properties are scattered, and widowhood and orphanage
go forth into cold charity. That went for crape which ought to have gone for bread.
V. YOU CANNOT KEEP THE DEAD DOWN. Seal of Sanhedrim, regiment of soldiers, door of
rock, cannot keep Christ in the crypts. Come out and come up He must. First-fruit of them that
slept. Though all the granite of the mountains were piled on us we will rise.
(T. de Witt Talmage, D. D.).
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(41) Now in the place where he was crucified there
was a garden.—Comp. John 18:1. St. John’s account makes the choice of the sepulchre depend
on its nearness to the place of crucifixion; the account in the earlier Gospels makes it depend on
the fact that the sepulchre belonged to Joseph. The one account implies the other; and the burial,
under the circumstances, required both that the sepulchre should be at hand, and that its owner
should be willing that the body should be placed in it.
A new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.—An emphatic combination of the two
statements made in Matthew 27:60 and Luke 23:53.

MacLaren's ExpositionsJohn
THE GRAVE IN A GARDEN
John 19:41.
This is possibly no more than a topographical note introduced merely for the sake of accuracy.
But it is quite in John’s manner to attach importance to these apparent trifles and to give no
express statement that he is doing so. There are several other instances in the Gospel where
similar details are given which appear to have had in his eyes a symbolical meaning-e.g. ‘And it
was night.’ There may have been such a thought in his mind, for all men in high excitement love
and seize symbols, and I can scarcely doubt that the reason which induced Joseph to make his
grave in a garden was the reason which induced John to mention so particularly its situation, and
that they both discerned in that garden round the sepulchre, the expression of what was to the one
a dim desire, to the other ‘a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead’-that
they who are laid to rest in the grave shall come forth again in new and fairer life, as ‘the garden
causeth the things that are sown in it to bud.’
To us at all events on Easter morning, with nature rising on every hand from her winter death,
and ‘life re-orient out of dust,’ that new sepulchre in the garden may well serve for the starting-
point of the familiar but ever-precious lessons of the day.
I. A symbol of death and decay as interwoven with all nature and every joy.
We think of Eden and the first coming of death.
The grave was fittingly in the garden, because nature too is subject to the law of decay and death.
The flowers fade and men die. Meditative souls have ever gathered lessons of mortality there,
and invested death with an alien softness by likening it to falling leaves and withered blooms.
But the contrast is greater than the resemblance, and painless dropping of petals is not a parallel
to the rending of soul and body.
The garden’s careless wealth of beauty and joy continues unconcerned whatever befalls us. ‘One
generation cometh and another goeth, but the earth abideth for ever.’
The grave is in the garden because all our joys and works have sooner or later death associated
with them.
Every relationship.
Every occupation.
Every joy.
The grave in the garden bids us bring the wholesome contemplation of death into all life.

It may be a harm and weakening to think of it, but should be a strength.
II. The dim hopes with which men have fought against death.
To lay the dead amid blooming nature and fair flowers has been and is natural to men. The
symbolism is most natural, deep, and beautiful, expressing the possibility of life and even of
advance in the life after apparent decay. There is something very pathetic in so eager a grasping
after some stay for hope.
All these natural symbols are insufficient. They are not proofs, they are only pretty analogies.
But they are all that men have on which to build their hopes as to a future life apart from Christ.
That future was vague, a region for hopes and wishes or fears, not for certainty, a region for
poetic fancies. The thoughts of it were very faintly operative. Men asked, Shall we live again?
Conscience seemed to answer, Yes! The instinct of immortality in men’s souls grasped at these
things as proofs of what it believed without them, but there was no clear light.
III. The clear light of certain hope which Christ’s resurrection brings.
The grave in the garden reversed Adam’s bringing of death into Eden.
Christ’s resurrection as a fact bears on the belief in a future state as nothing else can.
It changes hope into certainty. It shows by actual example that death has nothing to do with the
soul; that life is independent of the body; that a man after death is the same as before it. The risen
Lord was the same in His relations to His disciples, the same in His love, in His memory, and in
all else.
It changes shadowy hopes of continuous life into a solid certainty of resurrection life. The former
is vague and powerless. It is impossible to conceive of the future with vividness unless as a
bodily life. And this is the strength of the Christian conception of the future life, that corporeity
is the end and goal of the redeemed man.
It changes terror and awe into joy, and opens up a future in which He is.
We shall be with Him.
We shall be like Him.
Now we can go back to all these incomplete analogies and use them confidently. Our faith does
not rest upon them but upon what has actually been done on this earth.
Christ is ‘the First fruits of them that slept.’ What will the harvest be!
As the single little seed is poor and small by the side of the gorgeous flower that comes from it;
so will be the change. ‘God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him.’

How then to think of death for ourselves and for those who are gone? Thankfully and hopefully.
Benson CommentaryHYPERLINK "/context/john/19-41.htm"John 19:41-42. Now in the place
where he was crucified — In the same tract of land; there was a garden — But the cross did not
stand in the garden; and in the garden a sepulchre — Which happened very commodiously for
his immediate interment. By the circumstance of the sepulchre’s being “nigh to the place where
Jesus was crucified, and consequently nigh to Jerusalem, all the cavils are prevented, which
might otherwise have been occasioned, in case the body had been removed farther off.
Moreover, it is observed that the sepulchre was a new one, wherein never any man had been laid.
This plainly proves that it could be no other than Jesus who arose; and cuts off all suspicion that
he was raised by touching the bones of some prophet who had been buried there, as happened to
the corpse which touched the bones of Elisha, 2 Kings 13:21. Further, the evangelists take notice
that it was a sepulchre hewn out of a rock, to show that there was no passage by which the
disciples could get into it, but the one at which the guards were placed, Matthew 27:60; and,
consequently, that it was not in their power to steal away the body, while the guards remained
there performing their duty.” — Macknight. There laid they Jesus, because of the Jews’
preparation — That is, they chose the rather to lay him in that sepulchre, which was nigh,
because it was the day before the sabbath, which also was drawing to an end, so they had no time
to carry him far. “The boldness of Joseph, and even of Nicodemus himself, deserves our notice
on such an occasion. They are not ashamed of the infamy of the cross, but come with all holy
reverence and affection to take down those sacred remains of Jesus; nor did they think the finest
linen or the choicest spices too valuable on such an occasion. But who can describe their
consternation and distress, when they saw him who they trusted should have delivered Israel, a
cold and bloody corpse in their arms; and left him in the sepulchre of Joseph, whom they
expected to have seen on the throne of David. We leave, for the present, his enemies in triumph,
and his friends in tears, till his resurrection; which soon confounded the rage of the former, and
revived the hopes of the latter; — hopes which must otherwise have been for ever entombed
under that stone with which they now covered him. But happy and comfortable is the thought,
that this his transient visit to the grave has (as it were) left a perfume in the bed of dust, and
reconciled the believer to dwelling a while in the place where the Lord lay.” — Doddridge.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary19:38-42 Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Christ in
secret. Disciples should openly own themselves; yet some, who in lesser trials have been fearful,
in greater have been courageous. When God has work to do, he can find out such as are proper to
do it. The embalming was done by Nicodemus, a secret friend to Christ, though not his constant
follower. That grace which at first is like a bruised reed, may afterward resemble a strong cedar.
Hereby these two rich men showed the value they had for Christ's person and doctrine, and that it
was not lessened by the reproach of the cross. We must do our duty as the present day and
opportunity are, and leave it to God to fulfil his promises in his own way and his own time. The
grave of Jesus was appointed with the wicked, as was the case of those who suffered as
criminals; but he was with the rich in his death, as prophesied, Isa 53:9; these two circumstances
it was very unlikely should ever be united in the same person. He was buried in a new sepulchre;
therefore it could not be said that it was not he, but some other that rose. We also are here taught
not to be particular as to the place of our burial. He was buried in the sepulchre next at hand.
Here is the Sun of Righteousness set for a while, to rise again in greater glory, and then to set no
more.

Barnes' Notes on the BibleSee the notes at Matthew 27:57-61.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary41, 42. Now in the place where he was crucified
there was a garden, and in the garden a new sepulchre—The choice of this tomb was, on their
part, dictated by the double circumstance that it was so near at hand, and by its belonging to a
friend of the Lord; and as there was need of haste, even they would be struck with the providence
which thus supplied it. "There laid they Jesus therefore, because of the Jew's preparation day, for
the sepulchre was nigh at hand." But there was one recommendation of it which probably would
not strike them; but God had it in view. Not its being "hewn out of a rock" (Mr 15:46), accessible
only at the entrance, which doubtless would impress them with its security and suitableness. But
it was "a new sepulchre" (Joh 19:41), "wherein never man before was laid" (Lu 23:53): and
Matthew (Mt 27:60) says that Joseph laid Him "in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in
the rock"—doubtless for his own use, though the Lord had higher use for it. Thus as He rode into
Jerusalem on an ass "whereon never man before had sat" (Mr 11:2), so now He shall lie in a
tomb wherein never man before had lain, that from these specimens it may be seen that in all
things He was "SEPARATE FROM SINNERS" (Heb 7:26).
Matthew Poole's Commentary As all their gardens were out of the city, so also their burial
places, which usually were vaults, or caves within the earth.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleNow in the place where he was crucified,.... Which takes in
all that spot of ground that lay on that side of the city where he was crucified; or near to the place
of his crucifixion, for it was not a garden in which he was crucified:
there was a garden; all gardens, except rose gardens, were without the city, as has been observed;
see Gill on John 18:1. This, it seems, belonged to Joseph: rich men used to have their gardens
without the city for their convenience and pleasure:
and in the garden a new sepulchre; they might not bury within the city. Some chose to make their
sepulchres in their gardens, to put them in mind of their mortality, when they took their walks
there; so R. Dustai, R. Janhal, and R. Nehurai, were buried, "in a garden", or orchard (f); and so
were Manasseh and Amon, kings of Judah, 2 Kings 21:18. Here Joseph had one, hewn out in a
rock, for himself and family, and was newly made. The Jews distinguish between an old, and a
new sepulchre; they say (g),
, "a new sepulchre" may be measured and sold, and divided, but an old one might not be
measured, nor sold, nor divided.''
Wherein was never man yet laid; this is not improperly, nor impertinently added, though the
evangelist had before said, that it was a new sepulchre; for that it might be, and yet bodies have
been lain in it; for according to the Jewish canons (h),
"there is as a new sepulchre, which is an old one; and there is an old one, which is as a new one;
an old sepulchre, in which lie ten dead bodies, which are not in the power of the owners, , "lo,
this is as a new sepulchre".''
Now Christ was laid in such an one, where no man had been laid, that it might appear certainly
that it was he, and not another, that was risen from the dead.
(f) Jechus haabot, p. 43. Ed. Hottinger. (g) Massech. Sernacot, c. 24. fol. 16. 3.((h) Ib.
Geneva Study BibleNow in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the
garden a new sepulchre, wherein was {e} never man yet laid.

(e) That no man might frivolously object to his resurrection, as though someone else that had
been buried there had risen; Theophylact.
EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Expositor's Greek TestamentHYPERLINK "/john/19-41.htm"John 19:41. ἐνταφιάζειν, see
Genesis 50:1-3. ἦν ἐν τῷ τόπῳ, “There was in the place,” i.e., in that neighbourhood, κῆπος, a
garden, which, according to Matthew 27:60, must have belonged to Joseph. μνημεῖον καινόν, a
tomb, rock-hewn according to Synoptists, which had hitherto been unused, and which was
therefore fresh and clean.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges41. there was a garden] Contrast John 18:1. S. John
alone tells of the garden, which probably belonged to Joseph, for S. Matthew tells us that the
sepulchre was his.
a new sepulcher] S. Matthew also states that it was new, and S. Luke that no one had ever yet
been laid in it. S. John states this fact in both ways with great emphasis. Not even in its contact
with the grave did ‘His flesh see corruption.’
S. John omits what all the others note, that the sepulchre was hewn in the rock.
Bengel's GnomenHYPERLINK "/john/19-41.htm"John 19:41. Ἐν τῷ τόπῳ, in the place) The
cross itself was not in the garden.
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 41. - Now there was in the place where he was crucified, close at hand
to the very cross, a garden, and in the garden a new sepulcher, wherein as yet no man was laid
(on site, see ver. 17, notes). John alone tells us of the "garden;" and he clearly saw the
significance of the resemblance to the "garden" where Christ agonized unto death, and was
betrayed with a kiss, and also to the garden where the first Adam fell from the high estate of
posse non peccare. We are not told, however, by him that this sepulcher was Joseph's own
(Matthew gives this explanation), nor that it was cut out of a rock, nor the nature or quality of it.
Matthew, Luke, and John remark that it was καίνον, not simply νέον, recently made, but new in
the sense of being as yet unused, thus preventing the possibility of any confusion, or any
subordinate miracle, such as happened at the grave of Elisha (2 Kings 13:21), and so our Lord's
sacred body came into no contact with corruption. Thus from the hour of death, in which the love
of God in Christ is seen at its most dazzling moral luster, and the glorification of Christ in his
Passion reaches its climax, death itself beaus to put on new unexpected forms and charms:
(1) the symbolic effusion of water and blood;
(2) the costly unguent spices and honorable burial lavished on One who had been put under ban,
and had died the doom of the slave;
(3) the garden and the watchers.
Vincent's Word StudiesA garden
Mentioned by John only.
New (καινὸν)

See on Matthew 26:29. John omits the detail of the tomb being hewn in the rock, which is
common to all the Synoptists.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
CHRIS BENFIELD
Burial in the Borrowed Tomb
John 19: 31-42
The agonies of the cross have ended for our Lord. He has endured the suffering of the
cross, bearing our sin and facing the righteous judgment of God for sin. After declaring the
work of redemption finished, Jesus laid down His life, willingly giving up the ghost as He
breathed His last.
These verses reveal the events that surrounded the removal of Jesus from the cross and His
burial in the borrowed tomb. We will discover the continued animosity of the Jewish elite
and the Roman soldiers, as well as the tender compassion of two faithful followers of Jesus.
This passage deals with the finality of Jesus’ death and His commitment to fulfilling the
plan of redemption for humanity. However, if this were the end of the story, we would not
have the hope and assurance of eternal life with the Lord. I am certainly thankful for the
provision that Jesus made for all men as He died on the cross for sin, but I also rejoice that
He rose again triumphant over death, securing eternal life for all believers.
Let’s take a few moments to look in on the events of that moment in time as we conclude
our study on the last hours of Jesus’ life. I want to preach on: Burial in the Borrowed
Tomb.
I. The Bustling around the Cross (31-37) – Following the death of Jesus, there was a flurry
of activity around the cross. Notice the activity of:
A. The Sanhedrin (31) – The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies
should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high
day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
Bear in mind John is speaking of the Jewish leadership, the Sanhedrin. These events
happened on Friday, the day prior to the Sabbath. This was a special Sabbath, the day in
which they celebrated the Passoverin remembrance of the Passover lamb that was slain

just prior to the Exodus, preventing the death of all who had placed the blood of the lamb
on the doorposts and lintel. This was a day of celebration and rejoicing for the Jews.
lf as
the sacrificial Lamb that would fully and finally atone for sin, but the majority of the Jews
rejected Jesus as the Christ. They viewed Him as an imposter and blasphemer. They had
no problem consenting to the death of an innocent Man, but they wanted to appear
righteous in regard to the preparation for the Passover. For the religious elite, it would
have been unthinkable to allow such condemned men to remain upon the cross during such
a holy time. This was in relation to the Old Testament law. Deut.21:23 – His body shall not
remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is
hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth
thee for an inheritance.
May 3, 2015
Pas t o r C h r i s B e n f i e l d , F e l l o w s h i p M i s s i o n a r y B a p t i s t C h u r c h
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would have created intense pain and suffering for the condemned, but it would also hasten
their death. Being unable to push up with their legs, the men would be unable to get a
breath of air and would literally suffocate on the cross. These self-righteous men had no
regard for the physical pain and suffering of the condemned.
B. The Soldiers (32-34) – Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the
other which was crucified with him. [33] But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was
dead already, they brake not his legs: [34] But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his
side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. True to his nature, desiring to appease
the Jews, Pilate consented to their demands and ordered the soldiers to break the legs of
the crucified. This was typically done with a large mallet, literally crushing the bones of the
condemned. The soldiers broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus, but when they
came to our Lord, they discovered He was already dead and saw no need to break His legs.
However, apparently in an effort to ensure that Jesus was dead, the soldier pierced His side
with a sword, from which flowed blood and water.
to a ruptured heart within the Savior. For me the debate is senseless. These events took
place after the death of Jesus. He had willingly laid down His life for the sin of humanity.
He suffered in agony upon the cross, bearing our sin and the judgment of God, but He was

not murdered by the Romans. He chose the moment of His death and was in complete
control of that moment!
C. The Scriptures (35-37) – And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he
knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. [36] For these things were done, that the
scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. [37] And again another
scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced. Again we discover that the
events of the crucifixion went entirely according to the plan and will of God. Jesus had
already died so there was no need to break His legs. The soldiers did not know, but their
restraint in breaking His legs were the fulfillment of Scripture. Exodus 12:46 – In one
house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the
house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof. This refers to the Passover lamb that was
eatenprior to the Exodus. Jesus became the ultimate PassoverLamb. Psalm 34:20 – He
keepethall his bones: not one of them is broken. Some may consider it trivial, but many of
the songs we sing are not biblically sound. We sing of His broken body, but there was never
a bone broken in Jesus’ body.
– And I
will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of
grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they
shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as
one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. Clearly this speaks of the piercing of Jesus’ side,
and those who were there that day witnessed this. It also
May 3, 2015
Page 3
speaks of a time yet future when a repentant Israel will be gathered in the end times, and
look upon Him who they pierced.
II. The Burial of the Christ (38-42) – These verses reveal the events surrounding the burial
of our Lord following His death on the cross. Consider:
A. The Participants (38-39a) – And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of
Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of

Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. [39a] And
there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night. John speaks of the
men who took the body of Jesus from the cross and buried Him in the tomb. Joseph of
Arimathaea went to Pilate and received authority to remove Jesus’ body and place Him in
the grave. Most agree that Joseph would have also been a member of the Sanhedrin.
Matthew described Joseph as a rich man. Mark referred to him as an honorable counsellor
who waited for the kingdom of God. Luke also referred to Joseph as a counsellor who was
good and just. Joseph was apparently a secret disciple of Christ.
ph was Nicodemus who first came to Jesus by night. This is the man
that spoke to Jesus regarding salvation in John chapter three. He too was a follower of
Jesus, but wasn’t willing to make a public display of his faith, coming to Jesus by night.
Some think that Nicodemus would have belonged to the Sanhedrin as well since he was
referred to as a ruler of the Jews. These were men of means and influence.
the crucifixion and sacrifice of Jesus, these men were unwilling to publicly identify with
Him, but following His sacrificial death, there fear has been replaced with devotion and
commitment. The same is true for us as well. It is impossible to experience the truth of the
cross and yet be unwilling to identify with Jesus. Gal.6:14 – But God forbid that I should
glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me,
and I unto the world.
B. The Preparation (39b-40) – Nicodemus…brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about
an hundred pound weight. [40] Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen
clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Nicodemus met Joseph and
brought spices weighing about 100 pounds. This was customary of the Jews, but it also
reveals his devotion to Christ. This would have been very costly for Nicodemus. They
wrapped Jesus’ body in linen cloth and applied the spices to anoint His body. This was
similar to that which was done for royalty.
t want to appear to over-spiritualize Scripture, but there is a lessonto be
learned here. First, it is a shame these men were unwilling to publicly identify with Christ
while He was alive. We must be willing to embrace the cross and the Gospel of Christ
regardless of what the world thinks. Second, we find they spared no expense and were
willing to pay whatever price
May 3, 2015

it cost them to follow Jesus at this point. Their lives had been changed and they were
willing to make whatever sacrifices necessary to serve the Lord. We too must develop that
attitude!
C. The Placement (41-42) – Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden;
and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. [42] There laid they
Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.
Near to Calvary’s hill was a sepulcher in which no man had everbeen lain. It was a fresh,
new grave. This too was a fulfillment of Scripture. Isaiah 53:9 – And he made his grave
with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither
was any deceit in his mouth.
emotion. Consider the thoughts of John Phillips: We can imagine how things probably
went. Pilate went home to supper and to make a report to his wife of the day's events.
Annas and Caiaphas presided at their respective Passoverfeasts. Peter wept alone. The
body of Judas lay forgotten. John sought to comfort his new mother. The other disciples
hid themselves from public eye. Herod and his men of war mocked. Did Mary of Bethany
have a sense of expectation in her heart? Did a Roman soldier try on his new robe, and
another try to wash the blood of the Son of God off his spear? The world spun 'round.
Angels watched as some of their number went down to earth to prepare for the dawn of a
new day. i
faith has been strengthened through our study of Jesus’ final hours before His death, but
thank God His death is not the end of the story. I cannot leave you with Jesus remaining in
the grave. Consider the very next verse in John’s gospel. John 20:1 – The first day of the
week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth
the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Mary Magdalene was the first to discover Jesus
was no longer in the grave. He rose triumphant in resurrection life, defeating sin, death,
and Hell. Later that morning He would appear to Mary in the garden, alive and well. He
appeared to those who walked on the way to Emmaus, revealing truth to them and broke
bread among others. That evening He appeared to the disciples behind closeddoors. Eight
days later, He reappeared, revealing Himself to Thomas. Sometime later He showed
Himself to Peter and the others by the sea shore. 1 Cor.15:5-8 – And that he was seenof
Cephas, then of the twelve: [6] After that, he was seenof above five hundred brethren at
once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. [7]
After that, he was seenof James; then of all the apostles. [8] And last of all he was seenof
me also, as of one born out of due time. The record proves the grave was not the end. Jesus
was seenof many witnesses following His glorious resurrection. He ascended back to the

Father, where He is seatedat His right hand, but we are promised He will return. Acts 1:9-
11 – And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud
received him out of their sight. [10] And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he
went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; [11] Which also said, Ye men of
May 3, 2015
Page 5
Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you
into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seenhim go into heaven.
Conclusion: I am certainly thankful that Jesus was willing to endure the suffering of the
cross, bearing our sin and shame while drinking the cup of the wrath of God on our behalf.
He purchased our redemption, providing the means of forgiveness of sin and reconciliation
to God. However, I rejoice that death and the grave were not the end. We might have been
forgiven of sin, but we would have no hope of eternal life had He not risen victorious. In
fact, He would have been like all others before Him had He not come forth triumphant.
Jesus died for our sin, and yet He rose again! It has been some 2,000 years and He lives
today!
I am thankful that I was given the opportunity to respond to the Gospel by faith, receiving
Jesus as my Lord and Savior. How have you responded? Have you confessedyour sin unto
Him and embraced His sacrifice for sin by faith? If not, I urge you to do so. You will not
find hope and salvation in any other. Look to Jesus and respond to His call in salvation!
i John Phillips Commentary Series, The - The John Phillips Commentary Series –
STEVEN COLE
Lesson 99: The Cross and Our Commitment
(John 19:31-42)
August 9, 2015
A hen and a pig saw a church sign announcing the sermon: “What Can We Do to Help the
Poor?” The hen suggested that they feed them bacon and eggs. The pig thought about it and

replied, “There’s one thing wrong with your idea: for you it requires only a contribution, but for
me it requires total commitment!”
When I saw the photos a few months ago of the 21 Egyptian Christians who were beheaded on
the beach in Libya or when I read stories about our brothers and sisters who are asked by Muslim
extremists on threat of death, “Are you a Christian?” I wonder, “What would I do?” Perhaps we
can never know for sure in advance how we would respond if we were faced with martyrdom.
God would have to give special grace at that moment. But we all should be concerned about how
we can deepen our commitment to Christ now so that we can be faithful to Him in this
increasingly hostile world. Two minor characters in John’s Gospel, Joseph of Arimathea and
Nicodemus, offer a lesson on how to deepen our commitment to Christ.
When I was in college, there was an ad for Clairol hair-coloring that had the tag line, “Only her
hairdresser knows for sure.” You couldn’t tell by looking whether she dyed her hair or not. So
we used to refer to certain Christians, who were quiet about their faith, as “Clairol Christians,”
because only God knew for sure that they were believers.
Up to this point, both Joseph and Nicodemus had been “Clairol Christians.” Nobody except God
knew that they were followers of Jesus. John (19:38) says that Joseph was “a disciple of Jesus,
but a secret one for fear of the Jews.” From the other gospels, we learn that he was a prominent
member of the Council (the Sanhedrin) who was waiting for the kingdom of God and that he had
to gather up courage to ask Pilate for Jesus’ body (Mark 15:42). Luke (23:50-51) adds that he
was a good and righteous man who had not consented to their plan and action to crucify Jesus.
We have encountered Nicodemus twice before in John’s gospel. In John 3, he visited Jesus by
night, acknowledging that He was a teacher who had come from God as evidenced by His many
miracles. Jesus startled Nicodemus, a Pharisee and “the teacher of Israel” (John 3:10), by saying
(John 3:3), “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of
God.” All of Nicodemus’ religious activities and scrupulous obedience to the Law of Moses
would not qualify him for God’s kingdom. Rather, he must be born of the Spirit.
We don’t know how Nicodemus responded to that meeting with Jesus. But in John 7, after the
Pharisees were frustrated because their officers had not arrested Jesus, they scornfully ask (John
7:48), “No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he?” Nicodemus weakly
defended Jesus by stating (John 7:51), “Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from
him and knows what he is doing, does it?” His colleagues put him down by replying (John 7:52),
“You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.”
Both Joseph and Nicodemus may have been among those whom John 12:42-43 negatively refers
to: “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they
were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the
approval of men rather than the approval of God.”
But now, after Jesus has been crucified, Nicodemus joins Joseph in giving Jesus a proper burial.
Joseph went to Pilate to ask for the body, while Nicodemus provided about 65-70 pounds of
myrrh and aloes to fold in with the linen wrappings to offset the stench of the decomposing
corpse. The two men took Jesus’ body from the cross, prepared Him for burial, and laid Him in
Joseph’s personal new tomb, a cave near Golgotha hewn out of the rock, where no other bodies
had yet been placed (Matt. 27:60; Luke 23:53; John 19:41).
So you have this odd situation where the disciples, who had followed Jesus when He was alive,
and had expressed their willingness to die with Him (John 11:16; 13:37), all fled when He was

arrested and crucified. It seems that only John dared to come back to the scene at the cross. But
Joseph and Nicodemus, who had hesitated to confess Christ publicly when He was alive, now
risk their positions on the Sanhedrin and take this bold, open stand for Christ after He has died.
Although a few commentators question whether these two men came to saving faith on the
grounds that John never directly states this, it seems to me that the fruit of their bold actions here
testifies to their underlying faith.
So you have to ask, “Why the change?” Why did these men now come out boldly for Christ
when they easily could have reasoned, “He must not have been the Messiah or He would not
have been crucified”? Why risk the wrath of Pilate and rejection from their fellow members on
the Council now to join what seemed to be a lost cause? Why didn’t they just shrug their
shoulders and say, “Oh well, I hope that His disciples give Him a decent burial”?
I believe that the answer lies in the way that John juxtaposes the final scene at the cross (John
19:31-37) with the actions of these two men (John 19:38-42). These men had watched Jesus die
and it deeply affected them. Seeing Christ crucified solidified their commitment to Him. Thanks
to them, Jesus’ body was not thrown on the ash heap where they burned the bodies of other
crucified men. Of course, God could have raised Jesus from the dead even if He had been burned
to ashes. But then we wouldn’t have the evidence of the empty tomb, which had been secured by
the Roman guard. So God used these two men’s late, but costly, commitment. The application
for us is:
Looking on the crucified Christ deepens our commitment to Him.
First, let’s look at the crucified Christ; then we’ll look on the commitment that results from
looking to Him.
1. A look at the crucified Christ: He died to provide a full
salvation in fulfillment of prophecy.
Note three things:
A. Jesus died.
Maybe you’re thinking, “Well, duh! Of course He died!” But that seemingly obvious fact has
been denied down through the centuries. Late in the first century, Docetists denied that Jesus was
truly a man. They asserted that He only seemed to be a man. Thus it only seemed that He died.
Mohammed, whose knowledge of Christianity came through Docetist sources, wrote in the
Quran (Sura 4.156), “They did not kill him, neither did they crucify him; it only seemed to be
so.” (D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John [Eerdmans/Apollos], pp. 623-624, footnote 3)
Note the devastating impact of false teaching, with over a billion Muslims today believing that
fatal error! More recently there have been attempts, such as Hugh Schonfield’s, The Passover
Plot, to revive the theory that Jesus didn’t die on the cross; He just swooned and was placed in
the tomb, where the cool air revived Him.
But if Jesus didn’t die, then He didn’t atone for our sins. If He didn’t die, then He was not raised
from the dead, which means that our faith is worthless and we are still in our sins (1 Cor. 15:17).
If Jesus didn’t die, you have to throw out the entire gospel record, which is the only eyewitness
testimony that we have about Jesus.
John establishes the fact of Jesus’ death in three ways. First, in John 19:31 he reports: “Then the
Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on

the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and
that they might be taken away.” It was a “high Sabbath” because it immediately followed the
Passover. Deuteronomy 21:22-23 states that if a man was condemned to death and hung upon a
tree, his corpse should not hang on the tree overnight so as not to defile the land. So the Jews
wanted these crucified men’s bodies removed from the cross so that they would not defile their
land at the same time that they had crucified an innocent man who was, in fact, their Messiah!
So, Pilate gave the order to break the crucified men’s legs, which would result in quick death. If
you’ve ever hit your shin hard on something, you know how painful it is. Well, after these men
had already suffered for hours on the cross, the soldiers would come and shatter their shins with
a heavy mallet, disabling them from using their legs to push up for another gasp of air. The shock
and pain of the broken legs along with the lack of air would quickly result in death. So the
soldiers smashed the legs of the two thieves, who were on either side of Jesus, but when they
came to Jesus they saw that He was already dead and so they did not break His legs (John 19:33).
They would not have ignored Pilate’s orders unless they were absolutely certain that Jesus was,
in fact, dead.
The second way that John shows that Jesus was dead is that he reports how one of the soldiers,
presumably to make sure that Jesus was dead, pierced His side with a spear, resulting in blood
and water gushing out (John 19:34). Medical experts disagree on exactly what happened
(Carson, p. 623, cites the two most common theories), but it’s obvious from the flow of blood
and water that Jesus was dead before the spear thrust. But even if He hadn’t already died, this
spear thrust would have finished the job. It wasn’t a minor puncture wound—it left a scar large
enough to put your hand into (John 20:27)! John (19:35) underscores his eyewitness testimony of
the truth of the piercing of Jesus’ side: “And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is
true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.”
The third way that John proves that Jesus was dead is that Joseph and Nicodemus prepared Him
for burial by wrapping His body with linen and spices (John 19:40). If there had been the
slightest evidence of breath or of a pulse, they would not have continued with the process. So we
can be certain that Jesus died and was buried, which are essential to the gospel we believe in and
proclaim (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
B. Jesus’death provided a full salvation.
Jesus’ death was unique among all human deaths that have ever occurred because Jesus was
unique. As fully God, His death satisfied God’s righteous requirement. As fully man, His death
atoned for human sins. He paid in full the debt for the sins of His people (Matt. 1:21). As He
proclaimed just before He expired (John 19:30), “It is finished!” The Greek word means, “Paid
in full.”
But also, John wants us to think about the significance of the flow of blood and water from
Jesus’ side as it relates to our salvation. Through his eyewitness testimony to the truth of this
event he wants us to believe (John 19:35). Beyond the fact that the flow of blood and water
certify Jesus’ death, John, who loves symbolism, most likely wants us to think about the
symbolic meaning of this. But the problem is, commentators differ on what it means. The most
common suggestion from Chrysostom on has been that the water represents baptism and the
blood represents the Lord’s table, but most modern commentators view that as reading
something foreign into the text (Carson, p. 624).

It is more likely that the blood and water point to the eternal life and cleansing that flow from
Jesus’ death (ibid.). J. C. Ryle (Expository Thoughts on the Gospels [Baker], p. 331) believed
that John had in mind Zechariah 13:1, “In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of
David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity.” That verse occurs just five
verses after Zechariah 12:10, which John (19:37) quotes with reference to the piercing of Jesus’
side. So the blood refers to the fact that Jesus’ blood cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). The
water also pictures cleansing, as well as eternal life and the Holy Spirit (John 4:14; 7:37-39;
Carson, p. 624). Several beloved old hymns express this. William Cowper wrote,
“There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.”
Augustus Toplady’s “Rock of Ages” put it:
“Let the water and the blood,
From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Cleanse me from its guilt and power.”
Fanny Crosby sings,
“Jesus, keep me near the cross;
There a precious fountain
Free to all, a healing stream,
Flows from Calv’ry’s mountain.”
The important thing is that you don’t just say, “That’s interesting,” and move on without being
moved. Jesus’ death on the cross should be real and personal for you! John testifies that he saw
the blood and water flow from Jesus’ side, and he reports it “so that you also may believe.”
Through the blood of Jesus there is a full pardon for all the sins of everyone who puts his or her
trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord.
Before we move on, there is one more thing to note in looking at the crucified Christ:
C. Jesus’death and burial uniquely fulfilled prophecy.
Although Jesus’ crucifixion must have been a horrifying sight, especially for those who knew
Him and loved Him, John wants us to know that God sovereignly ordained it. He uses even the
wicked to fulfill His purposes (Acts 4:27-28). John has already shown this in his narration of
Jesus’ crucifixion (see my previous message), but he continues to drive home this point.
First, he writes (John 19:36), “For these things came to pass to fulfill the Scripture, ‘Not a bone
of Him shall be broken.’” John is probably combining three Old Testament Scriptures: Exodus
12:46 & Numbers 9:12, which prohibit breaking the bones of the Passover lamb; and, Psalm
34:20, which refers to God protecting the righteous man from his enemies breaking his bones
(Andreas Kostenberger, Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament [Baker
Academic], ed. by G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson, p. 503). It’s significant that these soldiers who
were under orders to break the legs of the crucified men would skip Jesus, who was in the
middle! Even when they saw that He was dead, it would have been normal for them to break His
legs, too, so that they didn’t get in trouble. But God sovereignly prevented the soldiers from
obeying their orders so that Jesus would fulfill Messianic prophecy!

Also, a soldier thrust his spear into Jesus’ side, probably to make sure that He was dead. He
wasn’t under orders to do this; it was just something that he did on a whim. But John (19:37)
points out that this fulfilled Zechariah 12:10, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.” That
prophecy will have its final fulfillment when Jesus returns (Rev. 1:7), but it had its initial
fulfillment here. It also fulfills Isaiah 53:5, which says that the Suffering Servant “was pierced
through for our transgressions.”
The third prophecy that Jesus’ burial fulfilled was Isaiah 53:9, “His grave was assigned with
wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, …” Normally, a crucified man’s body
would be left on the cross until the vultures had eaten it and then taken down and thrown on the
ash heap called Gehenna. But because God always accomplishes His purpose (Isa. 46:8-11),
Jesus was buried in this rich man’s tomb. One writer (cited by J. C. Ryle, p. 344) observes that
Jesus was rich twice: once at His birth, when the wise men brought gold, frankincense, and
myrrh; and again, at His death, when He was buried in the rich man’s tomb.
So looking at the crucified Christ should lead us to commitment because He died for our sins to
provide a full salvation and He is the fulfillment of God’s prophetic promises. God planned
every detail of His death and resurrection for our salvation. Let’s look briefly at …
2. The commitment which results: It costs you rejection,
your religion, and your riches.
Salvation in Christ is free, but costly!
A. Commitment to Christ costs you rejection.
By burying Jesus, Joseph and Nicodemus would have incurred the wrath and rejection of the
other Council members, who would have viewed them as traitors. Their reputation with the
influential men of Jerusalem was ruined because they now identified with this despised, crucified
Galilean.
Commitment to the crucified Christ will also cost you rejection. People don’t mind if you say
that you admire Jesus as a great moral teacher. They’re okay if you say that He is a way to God.
But when you say that Jesus was crucified for sinners and that He is the only way to God, you
will feel their rejection: “Are you saying that I’m a sinner who needs a Savior?” That’s
offensive! Prepare to be rejected.
B. Commitment to Christ costs your religion.
The Jewish leaders wouldn’t set foot in Pilate’s dwelling so as not to incur defilement for the
Passover. They wouldn’t dare touch a dead body, especially during the Feast of Unleavened
Bread! But Joseph walks into Pilate’s presence to ask for Jesus’ body and then he and
Nicodemus defile themselves by preparing that body for burial. In so doing, they lost their
religion, but they gained Christ!
By “religion,” I’m referring to those who are scrupulous about outward appearances, but don’t
deal with God on the heart level (see Mark 7:1-23). Religious people are fastidious about
cleaning the outside of the cup, while inwardly they are full of sinful self-indulgence (Matt.
23:25). Religious people do things to look good before people, but they don’t come to Christ as
needy sinners to receive mercy and to live in holiness on the thought level. To be committed to
Jesus Christ, you’ve got to give up religion and replace it with reality with God.

C. Commitment to Christ costs your riches.
Both Joseph and Nicodemus were fairly well off. To bury Jesus, Joseph had to give up his
personal tomb (remember, he wasn’t expecting the resurrection!). Nicodemus supplied a lot of
costly spices for Jesus’ burial. If both men later joined the early church in Jerusalem, they may
have been among those who sold their properties to provide for the needy saints (Acts 4:34-35).
Jesus made the radical claim (Luke 14:33), “So then, none of you can be My disciple who does
not give up all his own possessions.” God doesn’t just own a tenth of your income; He owns it
all!
So commitment to Christ is costly. But, do you gain anything?
3. The gains of commitment to Christ: What you lose
temporally you gain eternally.
Joseph and Nicodemus were rejected by the Jewish leaders, but by confessing Christ on earth
they gained eternal acceptance in heaven (Matt. 10:32-33). They lost their rules-keeping religion,
but they gained an eternal relationship with the risen Savior. They lost their earthly riches, but
they gained treasures in heaven. Remember Jesus’ words (Matt. 16:25-26): “For whoever wishes
to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it
profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in
exchange for his soul?”
Conclusion
Of course, there are also temporal benefits that accompany commitment to Christ. Peter said
Jesus (Mark 10:28), “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” Jesus replied (Mark
10:29), “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or
father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a
hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and
children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.” There may be
persecutions, but the Lord always takes care of His children!
So to deepen your commitment to Christ, meditate often on His death for you. Isaac Watts
captured it well:
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Application Questions
1. What is your biggest hindrance in seeking to be fully committed to Jesus Christ? How
can you remove it?
2. Consider the words of missionary C. T. Studd, who gave away a fortune to follow Christ:
“If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make
for Him.” What does the Lord want you to sacrifice for Him?

3. Missionary martyr Jim Elliot wrote: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to
gain that which he cannot lose.” If you haven’t done so, read Elisabeth Elliot’s, Shadow
of the Almighty.
4. Some Christians are needlessly abrasive and insensitive towards unbelievers. Where is
the balance between tactfulness and boldness in our witness (see Col. 4:2-6)?
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2015, All Rights Reserved.
A. MACLAREN
THE GRAVE IN A GARDEN
John 19:41.
This is possibly no more than a topographical note introduced merely for the sake of accuracy.
But it is quite in John’s manner to attach importance to these apparent trifles and to give no
express statement that he is doing so. There are several other instances in the Gospel where
similar details are given which appear to have had in his eyes a symbolical meaning-e.g. ‘And it
was night.’ There may have been such a thought in his mind, for all men in high excitement love
and seize symbols, and I can scarcely doubt that the reason which induced Joseph to make his
grave in a garden was the reason which induced John to mention so particularly its situation, and
that they both discerned in that garden round the sepulchre, the expression of what was to the one
a dim desire, to the other ‘a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead’-that
they who are laid to rest in the grave shall come forth again in new and fairer life, as ‘the garden
causeth the things that are sown in it to bud.’
To us at all events on Easter morning, with nature rising on every hand from her winter death,
and ‘life re-orient out of dust,’ that new sepulchre in the garden may well serve for the starting-
point of the familiar but ever-precious lessons of the day.
I. A symbol of death and decay as interwoven with all nature and every joy.
We think of Eden and the first coming of death.
The grave was fittingly in the garden, because nature too is subject to the law of decay and death.
The flowers fade and men die. Meditative souls have ever gathered lessons of mortality there,
and invested death with an alien softness by likening it to falling leaves and withered blooms.
But the contrast is greater than the resemblance, and painless dropping of petals is not a parallel
to the rending of soul and body.
The garden’s careless wealth of beauty and joy continues unconcerned whatever befalls us. ‘One
generation cometh and another goeth, but the earth abideth for ever.’
The grave is in the garden because all our joys and works have sooner or later death associated
with them.
Every relationship.
Every occupation.
Every joy.

The grave in the garden bids us bring the wholesome contemplation of death into all life.
It may be a harm and weakening to think of it, but should be a strength.
II. The dim hopes with which men have fought against death.
To lay the dead amid blooming nature and fair flowers has been and is natural to men. The
symbolism is most natural, deep, and beautiful, expressing the possibility of life and even of
advance in the life after apparent decay. There is something very pathetic in so eager a grasping
after some stay for hope.
All these natural symbols are insufficient. They are not proofs, they are only pretty analogies.
But they are all that men have on which to build their hopes as to a future life apart from Christ.
That future was vague, a region for hopes and wishes or fears, not for certainty, a region for
poetic fancies. The thoughts of it were very faintly operative. Men asked, Shall we live again?
Conscience seemed to answer, Yes! The instinct of immortality in men’s souls grasped at these
things as proofs of what it believed without them, but there was no clear light.
III. The clear light of certain hope which Christ’s resurrection brings.
The grave in the garden reversed Adam’s bringing of death into Eden.
Christ’s resurrection as a fact bears on the belief in a future state as nothing else can.
It changes hope into certainty. It shows by actual example that death has nothing to do with the
soul; that life is independent of the body; that a man after death is the same as before it. The risen
Lord was the same in His relations to His disciples, the same in His love, in His memory, and in
all else.
It changes shadowy hopes of continuous life into a solid certainty of resurrection life. The former
is vague and powerless. It is impossible to conceive of the future with vividness unless as a
bodily life. And this is the strength of the Christian conception of the future life, that corporeity
is the end and goal of the redeemed man.
It changes terror and awe into joy, and opens up a future in which He is.
We shall be with Him.
We shall be like Him.
Now we can go back to all these incomplete analogies and use them confidently. Our faith does
not rest upon them but upon what has actually been done on this earth.
Christ is ‘the First fruits of them that slept.’ What will the harvest be!
As the single little seed is poor and small by the side of the gorgeous flower that comes from it;
so will be the change. ‘God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him.’
How then to think of death for ourselves and for those who are gone? Thankfully and hopefully.
FB MEYER
CHRIST'S BURIAL

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