Some Facts About Jesus' Burial (John 19:31-42)

Today's scripture: John 19:31-42

Anyone who is a follower of Jesus knows the story of His burial. We know that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took the body from the cross. We know they wrapped His body with spices and put Him in a new tomb.

But many of us don't know Jewish tradition of that day, so we overlook many of the details. However, those details are extremely important in so many ways. I didn't really realize this until I decided to research a bit as I was meditating on today's verses.

I found a website that gives some perspective:

• Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were influential men. Their testimony of Jesus' death would have helped to validate this event. Jesus did die and was placed in a tomb.

• "The task of burying Jesus, in the two-three hours of daylight remaining before the beginning of the Sabbath, could not have been carried out by just two men. Jesus' dead body would not have been easy to carry, and the stone at the entrance of the tomb required several men to move it. Joseph and Nicodemus were both rich men who would have had a number of servants at their disposal."

• "Jesus'  burial was quickly done. Everything had to be finished in the short period remaining before sundown—all the people involved were strict Jews, carefully observant of the Sabbath."

• "If Jesus' body was the only body in a new tomb, this would rule out the possibility of several dead bodies being confused. Keep in mind that the gospel writers were telling their story after the Resurrection, when there were plenty of doubters to question the veracity of Jesus' death and Resurrection."

• "Matthew's gospel (27:62-66) mentions an additional measure to prevent the theft of Jesus' body: the posting of a guard at the tomb and the sealing of the tomb. Admittedly this was done on the Saturday morning, but the guard would certainly have checked the tomb first to see if Jesus' body was there."

Knowing these details can help us better refute any argument that Jesus didn't die or that He really wasn't buried in the tomb. And when we talk about His resurrection, we can use many of the same details to prove that a dead Man was buried ... and lives again!