Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
I happen to have a time machine and so I decided to go back to this afternoon and watch this scene. Of course, I brought my Zoom H1 Handy Recorder – the digital recorder of a generation. I’ve transcribed a few of their statements below. It is hard to recount it now, as the sorrow is contagious.
These two guys believed in Jesus – at least to some extent. They both kinda hid in the background, not wanting to be known as one of this guy’s followers. If people found out, they’d lose their reputation, their standing in the community and, with the mob mentality that was rampant, possibly their lives.
The details of this incident are probably pointed at by critics to try and give their accusation some standing ground. Some Jews and Muslims claim that Jesus was never resurrected, but that this theft of his body concealed it and thus gave Christians the idea to say that Jesus was no longer dead. After all, there was no body.
Others have claimed that Jesus was never officially dead, since his legs were not broken like the other two guys on his left and right. Those in this camp argue against the resurrection by taking an entirely different line of reasoning – allowing for post-resurrection sightings and encounters, but just explaining them away by claiming that he wasn’t ever dead in the first place.
Either one of these accusations – that the resurrection was a hoax – would dismantle the Christian faith.
If I was a liar and part of a conspiracy that was trying to start a new religion (at the time called “the Way”), I would eliminate this passage from the Gospel of John (19:38-42). I’d leave out any room for critics to point to and say, “See! They took his body away and disposed of it without supervision. There was no resurrection! Just a hidden body. They probably ate it, those cannibals!”
If I was a conspirator, I wouldn’t like that accusation. I’d try my best to control the situation and put an end to those accusations and notions. One thing I like about God, though, is He is not afraid of telling the truth. This account of the burial of Jesus, though some latch on to certain details, is how it happened and He doesn’t hide or try to polish up the story to keep it accusation-proof. Ultimately, the truth can withstand accusations and suspicion.
One of the bigger obstacles to the hoax claim, though, is how these fearful disciples, who all split from the arrest and crucifixion scenes for fear of guilt by association, later stood up as public leaders of this movement. When the arrest went down they all took off or at least watched from a cautious distance until time permitted closer proximity. John was standing right next to the cross near the end, allowing Jesus to look down and basically tell him, “this is your mom” and, to his mom, “this is your son.” That, by the way, is good evidence that something happened to Jesus’ earthly dad – Joseph – or else otherwise he would have been there. John the disciple from that day on took Mary into his house to take care of her. The point I want to make before I wander too far off is that these disciples that feared for their lives were suddenly (with about 52 days) turned into courageous men that all boldly claimed that Jesus rose from the dead. All but one of them died for that claim. They didn’t recant their confession. What would turn cowards into lions? The best explanation is that they saw the resurrected Jesus. The truth gave them all the conviction they’d need to live the daring, bold and adventuresome lives they led from then on. In fact, we wouldn’t be writing or reading a blog about Christianity today if these men had not “turned the world upside-down” with their leadership, preaching and miracle-working.
Okay, back to the garden. I stole into first century Jerusalem with a robe and recorder. I immediately noticed that my robe wasn’t too authentic and too “new,” so I stopped by an open market and paid for it with some coins I lifted from a distracted merchant. Thievery is sin. I know. I know.
I found the garden and followed in the shadows. I turned my recorder on to save the audio as .wav files. I hope to transfer them to .mp3 files later and post as a podcast, but I can’t figure out how to do that. I have to thank Maury Millican for translating the Hebrew for me. Anyway, here’s what I heard:
(sobs. not just a sniffle or two, but heaving, catching a breathe and heaving sobs again. the two men comforted each other.)
“They killed an innocent man,” Joseph muttered.
“I know, I know,” confirmed Nicodemus.
“I will carry his teachings forever,” said Joseph.
“I, too, will remember what he said,” agrees Nicodemus, “but I have to wonder, ‘Was it all for naught? He’s gone now. This could not have been the messiah. Our messiah would not go out in a whimper.”
“I have my doubts, too,” said Joseph. “I came this close to publicly claiming my allegiance to his way, but I think I’m glad now that I did not. I might be in jail right now – or worse yet, dead!”
“My brother, my brother,” Nicodemus said as he wiped away blood from Jesus’ ribcage, “why did you allow yourself to be taken away like this? You could have lived to fight another day. I’m like a man without a home now,” Nicodemus turns back to Joseph. “How can this man have been the messiah and how can the kingdom he taught about ever be ushered in with its leader gone? I cannot follow the Way, but how can I continue to honor the faith of my family when it wantonly kills an innocent?!”
“How could this have been part of his plans? Did you see the look of sadness yet determination on his face as he was led out of Pilate’s Gabbatha? It wasn’t the look of a desperate man. It wasn’t one of a convicted killer, filled with venomous rage. He acted as if he knew it was going to happen. But how on earth can his kingdom be fulfilled now? He is gone!”
“Hey! Who are you? What are you doing here?”
They were looking at me. I split as fast as I could.
I wish I could have stayed for the whole conversation. They had about 75 pounds of spices to anoint his body with. I’m sure it took some time. So, there you have it. It’s all true (as far as you know). You don’t think I made up the part about a time machine, do you? As Fletch would say, “I assure you. I assure you.”
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