"Many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ministering to Him. Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave."
Good Morning my beloved,
We welcome you to worship in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are so grateful that the Lord lead you join us today. We are committed those pastors that we've been working with, equipping them with the tools they desperately need as they continue to point the lost to Christ in their areas. God is moving in tremendous ways globally, with countless lives being transformed by the power of the Gospel. Your continued prayers and support are crucial for the effectiveness of their ministries in spreading God's Word.
We welcome you to worship in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are so grateful that the Lord lead you join us today. We are committed those pastors that we've been working with, equipping them with the tools they desperately need as they continue to point the lost to Christ in their areas. God is moving in tremendous ways globally, with countless lives being transformed by the power of the Gospel. Your continued prayers and support are crucial for the effectiveness of their ministries in spreading God's Word.
Don't forget to check out Vanessa Taylor's at Go Ye Kids
children's ministry, who has graciously partnered with us in providing printable biblical resources for
children, many of them free. Please feel free to share with others. Be sure to thank her and let her
know that you heard about her here.
As we return to the gospel of Matthew, we are approaching the end of chapter 27. It's been a long and glorious journey, one that has taken us several years. I know that many of you are anxious to get to chapter 28 and see the single greatest miracle the world has ever or will ever know; the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But, as you well know by now, going through the entire New Testament, verse by verse, takes a great deal of time. Since everything from His birth to His burial, to His resurrection, is the fulfillment of divine prophecy, we dare not neglect a single passage. I believe it takes a whole Bible to make a whole Christian, it is to this end, I have given my life in service to the Lord. So, I pray that you will be patient for a little while longer as we complete our study of chapter 27.
When we left off last time, we saw the testimony of the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, "Truly this was the Son of God." I believe that is the best response that an unbelieving heart could ever give! As pastors, that is the response we hope and pray to see even today. But, as Jesus explained in the parable of soils, there are four responses to the Gospel. Which demonstrate for us the same kind of responses we can expect even in our own time. Not everyone will respond in saving faith. Nevertheless, we are called to continue to sow the seed and trust the increase to God.
Paul warns us in 2
Timothy 4:3-4, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate
for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will
turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths." Many who claim to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, are not godly ministers, but are shameless spiritual frauds. To say it plainly, they pretend to be messengers of Christ, but are actually the enemies of everything holy. They refuse to confront the wickedness of the culture, but rather pervert the gospel to become advocates of abortion, same-sex marriage and the transgender movement, all for personal gain. The worst part is, they deceive undiscerning people in the name of Jesus. Tragically, many of them have become the well-known faces of Christianity, in the eyes of most evangelical Christians, who surely should know better. Leading professing Christians to defile the purity of the visible church and profane the reputation of Christ before a watching world.
Jesus Himself told us in Matthew 24:11, "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many." And these dangerous religious charlatans are multiplying at a staggering pace, propagating their damning message, that if God is not so holy then I’m not so sinful! I can hardly stand to even hear it any more without feeling outraged. Though most church leader would never endorse such heresy, which is no gospel at all, they are often cowardly complicit by their silence rather than to boldly confront the totally unbiblical doctrine of "Love is love." Love is love, except when God calls it sin.
When Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-39, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’" He wasn't promoting tolerance of sin, but godly, sacrificial love.
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, thank You for the profound clarity of Your Word, I pray that no one receiving this message would be ignorant of the person of Christ, His holiness and righteousness. Grant us the boldness and the courage to confront sin and error, standing for Christ with love and compassion, in hopes of restoring those who have strayed. That no one claiming to love Christ would leave, having a view of Him that is antithetical to the Gospel Truth. Reveal the true spiritual condition of every heart, that we may know that we’re authentically Yours. Help us to be more like Christ, by loving our enemies and doing good to them, forgiving them even as oppose us, praying for those who seek to do us harm, so all may know that He is the Lord of our life. We thank You and praise You for the help of the Holy Spirit to confirm these truths to our hearts. All for Your glory and for Christ's sake.
In His name we ask and pray
Amen
Today's Message: Death and Burial of Jesus
Open your Bibles with me to the Gospel of Matthew chapter twenty-seven. Matthew 27:55-61. I
invite you to follow along with me as I read to set the text in our
minds. Let's open our hearts and our minds
to see what the Spirit of God has
to say us today.
"Many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ministering to Him. Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and
laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he
rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave."
Let's look at verse 55, "Many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ministering to Him." Collected around the foot of the cross would be the soldiers, who were unbelievers when they came, and by the power of the Spirit of God, some of them were saved. Then, there were the crowds, and apparently somewhere in the distance, were these women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem, ministering to Him and now they are watching Him die. Ministering is the verb "diakonéō," means to serve, means caring for the needs of others in a practical manner. So, in loving service, they were likely preparing and serving the food to care for Him. Until recently, when feminism came along, this was not considered to be demeaning task, or a sign of weakness, but one of great value. These women were sitting outside of His tomb after His burial, and the first to see the Risen Christ. God highly honors women, so don't misunderstand or underestimate importance of the role of faithful women in the home or the church. As I have stated a number of times, I am personally indebted to the godly women in my life.
Verse 56, "Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee." Mary Magdalene, she's identified as that because she’s from Magdala, and has no husband and no children, I believe this is a beautiful picture of the role single women play in the provision of God. Then, there's Mary the mother of James and Joseph, the wife of Cleophas, who is also known as Alphaeus, she's mother of James the Less, an Apostle. And then there's the mother of the sons of Zebedee, James and John, the cousins of Jesus. Her name is Salome, she's also known as Zebedee’s wife, and the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. John tells us Mary the mother of Jesus was also there. Where are the rest of the disciples? They were facing a spiritual struggle, Satan was sifting them. In fear for their lives, they forsook Him and fled. It's surprising that Peter isn't there. After he denied Christ three times, he wept bitterly, crying out "O God, forgive me." Even today, Satan shakes up believers with more than they can endure, they run and hide in fear for their lives or to avoid confrontation, when they should be standing for Christ.
Though they were off in the distance, they were not far enough away to be unrecognizable. Their hearts are so filled with love and sympathy that they aren't too concerned about the Roman authorities or of the crowds, or being identified with the crucified Christ, indicating they probably didn’t face the threat of harm. Nevertheless, their courage is beautiful. If you will recall, the ten disciples had already abandoned Jesus, but these brave, broken hearted women and John remained faithful. During His ministry, Jesus had many women followers, which in those days women were not considered to be as valuable as men, but Jesus loved and cared for all. I'll tell you something, the loyalty and sympathy of a virtuous godly woman, in most cases, far exceeds that which can be produced in the life of a man.
According to John, at some point they move closer and it is then that Jesus speaks to them. "But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then He *said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" From that hour the disciple took her into his own household."
Joseph of Arimathea, who we really don’t know much about, we do know he was a rich man, a member of the highest religious council in Israel, the Sanhedrin and is the first focal point in the burial of Christ in verses 57 through 60. There are two very explicit prophecies that must be fulfilled in the burial of Jesus, He must be buried with the rich and He must buried for a period of three days. The first one in the Old Testament, given by Isaiah in chapter 53, "His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth." and the second one in the New Testament, given by the Lord Himself in Matthew chapter 12, "But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Joseph of Arimathea was the human instrument that God used to fulfill these prophecies as they relate to the burial of Christ. By the way, three days and three nights was a very familiar Jewish expression.
Verse 57, "When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus." It was imperative that Jesus would be dead by 3 o'clock, so that He could be buried and be in the grave a portion of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, just as it was prophesied that He would. "When it was evening," is important, because it leaves no doubt that it was still Friday, which was the day of preparation for the Sabbath. You may remember, in Exodus16, they were instructed to collect enough manna on Friday to carry them over because they were not permitted to do that on the Sabbath, which was set apart unto devotion to God.
Joseph of Arimathea, came out of devotion to Jesus, so that His body would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), indicating this was not just any Sabbath, it was also Passover. We know that the Jews were very careful to observe all of the traditional rules and regulations of the Sabbath. That was in part the reason they hated Jesus, because He healed on the Sabbath. Deuteronomy 23 says, "If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance."
Verse 58, "This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him." We know that "this man," was Joseph of Arimathea. Normally, the Romans take a large wooden mallet and break the legs of a crucified criminal, giving what was referred to as the death stroke to ensure that they would die immediately. Once the legs were broken, the body would slump and they would suffocate. Then the body would take the body down off the cross and it would be tossed, probably in Gehenna, the valley of Hinnom to be consumed by fire. But Joseph of Arimathea asked for the body of Jesus. Whether is was because he was a rich man, or a member of the Sanhedrin, we can't say for certain, but Pilate could have just left Him there. It is implied that he begged Pilate, because amazingly he granted Joseph's request even though he had no right to the body not being a member of the family and Pilate ordered it that he may take possession of Jesus’ body and give Him a dignified burial. It’s remarkable to me that Joseph would have even defiled himself going into Pilate's praetorium to ask for the body. He would have further defiled himself by carrying Jesus' dead body to the tomb. You can just imagine the price he paid for doing that. I believe he was more concerned about Jesus being in the grave before the Sabbath began than he was with his own observance of Jewish tradition. Maybe he remember Jesus saying in Matthew 12:8, "For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
John 19 tells us "So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with Him; but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out."
This is significant because Psalm 34 very explicitly says "He keeps all his bones, not one of them is broken." Of course, the Romans wouldn’t even have known that, this is the testimony of Scripture is, that even in His death, prophecy is fulfilled.
Verse 59, "And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth." According to the other Gospel accounts, Joseph of Arimathea had the help of Nicodemus in preparing Jesus’ body for burial. In the burial of Jesus, we see the remarkable magnification of His deity in these disciples risking resources and reputation, ministering for the glory of Jesus. John and the women didn’t have the resources to bury Him. God supernaturally got hold of their heart, both were members of the ruling body that convicted Jesus, and now they were willing to sacrifice greatly on behalf of Jesus. Remember, with God all things are possible! Up until this point, Joseph of Arimathea was secretly a disciple for fear of the Jews. And Nicodemus was afraid of what it would cost him, he would lose everything. They had to have known word would spread like a wildfire. It's literally amazing what God can do when He moves on a man's heart.
John tells us "Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid." The women may have helped filling the linens with spices, wrapping His body.
Verse 60, "And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away." Jesus body is in the garden tomb, just outside Jerusalem, adjacent to Calvary. A tomb of this size would have a large rock placed in front of it that was very difficult to move. They rolled the stone across the tomb to seal it so no one can get in, or out, to protect the body. Isaiah said He would be assigned with the wicked in His death, but He would wind up with the rich. Matthew is very meticulous to make sure we know that every detail of prophesy was being fulfilled. Of course, we know He would be raised again the third day and tomb would be empty! By the way, any portion of a day was considered a day, it doesn't mean a literal 24 hour period. We go to church on Sunday, it doesn't mean we're there for the entire 24 hour day. Though I often wonder if we wouldn't be far better off, maybe more people would come to understand the Word of God more clearly. But that's another sermon for another time.
That brings us to verse 61, "And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave." We don’t know whether it was their agonizing sympathy for the things that He went through or perhaps they wanted to watch and see what was going to happen next. Either way, these two dear dedicated women remaining after everyone else left. Don't miss the powerful testimony to the deity of Jesus, Truly this man was and is the Son of God, that's the significance of this verse.
In Closing..
I pray that we will all let the death of Jesus challenge us to live differently and our love and devotion cause us to magnify Him, and show our gratitude for all He's done. He is worthy of our selfless sacrifice, our suffering and all of our praise! In other words, if you claim to know Jesus, live like it!
If you don’t know the risen Christ, the Son of the living God, now is a good time to repent of your sin and ask Him to forgive you and to be your Lord and Savior, while the Holy Spirit is working on your heart. Put your life is the safest place it can possibly be, in the hands of Jesus Christ.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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