Jesus' Body Clothed and Put in a Sepulcher - Mark 15:46

When Jesus was crucified, Mark wrote how, “Joseph of Arimathaea, an honorable counselor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. And Pilate marveled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph”, and in chapter fifteen and verse forty-six of his book, Mark shared how Joseph, “bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulcher” where we read:

And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulcher which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulcher.

The verse reads, “And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, ...” Mark began with the words, “and he bought fine linen” or “and Joseph of Arimathaea purchased cloth in the market place which was costly and in which the dead were wrapped”, “and took him down” which means “and brought Jesus down from the cross”, “and wrapped him in the linen” or “and rolled or winded Jesus within the expensive cloth”. Mark shared how Joseph of Arimathaea went to the market place to purchase “costly” “linens”, took Jesus down from the cross and “wrapped” His body in the “linens”.

The verse goes on to say, “... and laid him in a sepulcher which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulcher.” Mark continued with the words, “and laid him a sepulcher” or “and lay Jesus down in a grave or tomb” “which was hewn out of a rock” which means “that was cut or quarried within a rock, cliff or ledge”, “and rolled a stone” or “and rolled a large rock to block” “the door of the sepulcher” which means “the vestibule, entrance or passageway of the grave or tomb”. Mark shared how Joseph of Arimathaea put Jesus' body in a “tomb” which was cut out of a rock and rolled a “large stone” in front of the entrance to blocked access to His body.

When we consider Mark's words in this verse, we discover more of the care “Joseph of Arimathaea” took for the body of Jesus. Not only did he purchase “fine linen” for Jesus, but he “wrapped” Jesus' body within it, placed Jesus' body in a “tomb” and covered the entrance with a “large stone”. Joseph demonstrated his compassion for Jesus, and although he was a wealthy, well-known and respected member of the Sanhedrin, he risked his reputation to care for Jesus. God loves this kind of commitment to His Son Jesus, and when a person yields their life to Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”, everything they do in service to the Lord will be noted and rewarded by God His Father.

Next time Mark shares how, “Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid ”, 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".