Why Was Jesus Buried? The Forgotten Part of the Gospel Copy Righteous: use as the Holy Spirit leads but be like the Bereans (Acts 17:11) The Gospel (1 Cor 15:1-4) 1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, The Gospel (1 Cor 15:1-4) 1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died on account of our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, Christ Was Buried in a Rich Man’s Tomb 57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. (Matt 27:57-60) Burial Practices of Romans & Jews • The Roman practice was to leave a body upon the cross until it decayed • The Jewish custom was that those sentenced to death by the Sanhedrin were not to be buried in the sepulchres of their fathers • The burial of the Christ’s body conformed to neither Jewish nor Roman custom in relation to criminals Why Did Jesus’ Burial Conform to Neither Roman Nor Jewish Practice? Prophecy foretold the manner of Christ’s burial: And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, (Isaiah 53:9a) Pharisees Tried to Prevent “False” Resurrection 62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead’, and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. (Matt 27:62-64). Neither Oblivion Nor Obscurity • Christ was to rise again on the third day i.e., He was not destined for oblivion • Christ was buried in the tomb of a prominent man • If the location of His grave was obscure, His enemies would have claimed that He hadn’t been resurrected, rather His grave was unknown or misidentified Physical Resurrection Was Vital • Christ’s physical resurrection was vital to the Christian faith • 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins … 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Cor 15:17, 19) • If Christ received a new body at his resurrection then his original body would have remained in the tomb • The proof that Christ’s resurrection body was the same body that died on the cross was the empty tomb • Jesus showed his disciples the nail holes in his hands and feet (Luke 24:39) He Was Buried, But Now He is Risen • Christ’s burial is as important as His death and His resurrection • We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:4) References • The Cornerstone of Redemption: Christ’s Physical Resurrection by Randy Alcorn http://www.epm.org/blog/2015/Apr/3/christs -physical-resurrection • The Burial of Christ’s Body by Wayne Jackson https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1340burial-of-christs-body-the