Jesus' Body Laid in Joseph's Tomb Matthew 27:60

Matthew the apostle wrote, “When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple. He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth”, and in chapter twenty-seven and verse sixty of his book, Matthew shared how Joseph, “laid” Jesus' body “in his own new tomb” where we read:

And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock:

and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher, and departed.

The verse reads, “And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock:” Matthew began words, “and laid it” which means “and put, placed, fixed and established Jesus' body” “in his own new tomb” which means “within Jesus' personal unused and unworn sepulcher” “which he had hewn out” or “that Joseph had quarried and cut” “in the rock” which refers to “within the cliff, ledge or rocky ground”. Matthew shared how Joseph took Jesus' body and put it within his “unused sepulcher” which he had cut out of a “rocky crag”.

The verse continues, “... and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher, and departed.” Matthew added the words, “and he rolled” or “and Joseph rolled against the sepulcher” “a great stone” which means “a massive, large ad abundant millstone” “to the door” or “to the opening or entrance” “of the sepulcher” which means “belonging to the grave or tomb”, “and departed” or “left and went away”. Matthew shared how Joseph “rolled” a huge “stone” over the opening of the “sepulcher” and left from there.

When we think through Matthew's words in this verse, we see more of the way “Joseph of Arimataea” cared for Jesus' body. He placed Jesus' body in his own “personal” “sepulcher” and secured the opening of it with a large “stone”. Can we imagine what Joseph must have felt like as he left this site? God loves for people to care about Him in the manner of Joseph, and when they submit themselves to His Son Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord” they align themselves with the purpose and reason for Jesus not only being killed, but also being resurrected in the days to come.

Next time Matthew shares, “there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulcher”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".