Friday - The Burial

We find ourselves today talking about the burial of Christ and I intend to spend tonight on the burial and then next time we are together, we will begin on the resurrection. And so we are nearing the end of our marathon journey through the life of Christ, talking tonight about his burial. All four gospels again cover the burial but as we have seen with all of these events in our Lord's life from different perspectives with different details added in different gospels, we are going to begin tonight in John chapter 19. There are five events that take place around the burial of Christ from the moment he died until the time he was buried. That is within a space of three hours from the time he died at three o'clock in the afternoon on Friday afternoon until the Passover would begin at six o'clock in the evening. Those three hours are filled with the five events that we are going to see in the gospels this evening. The first thing that happens, John 19 verses 31 through 37 is that the soldiers make certain he is dead. That is the first thing that happens after Jesus dies, the soldiers make certain he is dead. In John 19, look at verse 31, now it was the day of preparation. What day was that? Do you remember? I heard something. The day before Sabbath, it was the day of the preparation for the Sabbath, preparation being made for the Sabbath and that would be Friday. Again, that is the reason we know that Jesus was crucified on Friday, even though that is debated by some day of preparation. The next day was to be a special Sabbath, not just any Sabbath, an ordinary Sabbath, special Sabbath because this is the feast of unleavened bread that follows Passover. This whole week of events is really the Passover week. There is a lot of special stuff going on that commemorates the signal event in Israel's history of the deliverance from Egypt. Obviously, that is where the nation, in a sense, began, although it traces its ancestry back to Abraham, of course. But the nation is really made God's people when he takes them out of Egypt and makes a covenant with them at Mount Sinai and they become his covenant people. So this is the week that celebrates that. So the next day is going to be a special Sabbath. Keep that in mind because that is why the next event is going to happen. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. Now, let's stop here and think this through. Make sure we understand what is happening. Why did the Jews not want bodies left on the cross for the Sabbath? Was it an insult? Certainly, it would be for Jewish people to be left on a cross. Actually, the book of Deuteronomy, the Mosaic Law says, no one should be left on a cross or on a tree if they were hung on a tree overnight. And so that is part of what is happening here. In the Jewish mindset, we don't want to violate Mosaic Law. But with it being Sabbath and the Passover, that adds more urgency. They don't want anything to desecrate that special time in their religious calendar. So they don't want the bodies left on the cross. Now the Romans, that would not bother them a bit. They often left bodies on the cross until the birds picked them clean. They would just leave them either to rot or let the birds. And again, that was just more of the gruesome warning to everybody else that you tow the line with Rome. You do not violate Roman law or this could happen to you. So that was very typical. But Jews obviously did not want that to happen. So they have to appeal to Pilate. This is not going to naturally happen. The Romans don't care about taking someone down from the cross. They leave them up there for days. But the Jews have to appeal to Pilate for this to be done. Now notice how they appeal to him at the end of the verse. They asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. Do you remember why that is? Die from... Okay. Right. Remember the part of the physical activity on a crucifixion, what would happen would be that the person who is crucified in this position with the hands up and outstretched. The pectorals would paralyze and not allow them to exhale. And so they could breathe in but they could not exhale. And literally what happened typically is... And that's the reason why the spike was driven in where it was. The people on the cross would push up on that spike with incredible pain to bring their shoulders to the level of their hands so that they could exhale. And they would breathe a few quick breaths and then because it was so agonizingly painful on their feet, they would begin to sag again. And then they would have trouble breathing. And there was this constant up and down motion on the cross. When you've never seen anything like it in any movie you've ever seen or any depiction, I've never seen anything like it. Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion Came The Closes, but even that didn't really grasp what all happens on the cross. So obviously if their legs were broken they could no longer push themselves up. So and this is just another part of the horrible torture of the cross. Roman soldiers when they were asked to do this would actually take an iron mallet and just crush the legs of the people on the cross. And obviously they would not be able to put any weight or pressure on their legs and would suffocate in a very short period of time. So that's what they're doing. That's what's happening. Verse 32. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Now why was Jesus already dead? Give up his spirit. Okay. Okay. Old Testament prophesies that and we'll see that in just a moment that those two things really are the reasons Jesus had voluntarily given his life. We saw that all the gospels, all four of the gospels do not say he died. He gave up the spirit. He breathed his last. He gave over his spirit to the way he voluntarily gave up his life. And so it was not going to be taken from him. That's part of it. And another part of it is what Kathy said that none of his bones would be broken. So they come and they see that he's already dead. But what they do next is to make sure. Okay. The Roman soldiers must make sure the person is dead before he's taken off the cross. The whole purpose of the cross is execution. They are not going to take someone down or allowed someone to be taken down unless they are certifiably dead. Which gives the lie, doesn't it, to all the liberal arguments that Jesus kind of went into a swoon and passed out. And that's how he came back to life. No. The Romans would never allow that. They would never allow that. They made sure that people were dead before they took them off the cross. The centurion and his execution or party would be held liable if they messed up an execution. And this is an execution. And so they're not going to let anybody survive the cross. And so it looks like he's dead. He's not breathing. But they're going to make sure. And so notice what they do next. Verse 34, instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. Now, what are they doing there? Are they just being mean, wanting to torture him? What are they doing? Making sure. Okay. Pierces heart. Okay, Jean, you're right. One of the things that happens at death, and those of you in the medical community could help me out here a little bit. But from what I read, one of the things that happens at death after death is that the dark red core puzzles begin to separate from the white serum of the blood. And those two begin to separate. The Roman soldiers knew the way to check to make sure if he was dead. They would pierce the sack, the pericardium, realm heart. And that would prove to them whether or not he was dead. And when it came out as the scriptures describe blood and water, that is the separate elements that would indicate that he was indeed dead. That the blood was already breaking down. And so this is not just another attempt to be torturous. This really is an attempt to make sure that he is dead. And notice the confirmation of this verse 35, the man who saw it has given testimony and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth and he testifies so that you also may believe. Okay, that's John who's writing this gospel. I was there. I saw it. We know that he's the only disciple who is at the scene of the crucifixion. And so he's the one that reports this eyewitness account. And here are the verses that Kathy was referring to earlier. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled. Not one of his bones will be broken. And as another scripture says, they will look on the one they have pierced. Now there are at least three scriptures that make reference in the Old Testament to the bones not being broken. And interestingly enough, the first two have to do with the Passover lamb. Look at them in Exodus. In the instructions that Moses gave the children of Israel about preparing the Passover lamb in Exodus 12, the night they did it the first time, he says, it must be eaten inside the house. Take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones. Now that's the Passover lamb. That's not referring to Jesus at all. But Jesus will be the fulfillment of the Passover lamb, right? And so the Holy Spirit, God through Moses is making sure that the people understand that the symbolism here must be kept accurate. The same thing is repeated to the new generation in the wilderness in Numbers chapter 9. They must not leave any of it till morning or break any of its bones when they celebrate the Passover. They must follow all the regulations. But there was a third passage and this is a messianic Psalm, a Psalm that is a prophecy of the Messiah in Psalm 34. He protects all his bones. Not one of them will be broken. And that is the specific scripture that is quoted here. But there are three references in the Old Testament to his bones not being broken. Two of them in the type of the Passover lamb and one in the actual messianic prophecy. The other prophecy which is referred to here, they will look on the one they have pierced is in Zachariah 12 and verse 10. And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me the one they have pierced and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child and grieve bitterly for him as one greased for a first born son. When will that take place? Mary, when Christ comes back, yes, you know your prophetic books well. That's a prophecy in Zachariah of the second coming of Christ. And the very next verse, which is chapter 13 verse 1 in Zachariah, says, and a fountain shall be opened up for cleansing for Israel. And in that day Israel will be cleansed. If you go back and read the whole section of the prophecy, it's talking about the second coming of Christ when he comes, Israel will see him the one they pierced, the one they pierced, the one they put on the cross and the cross is spoken of as piercing, which is what we see fulfilled here. And when they see him coming, they will turn to him. That spirit of supplication is the Holy Spirit causing them to come under conviction and realize their need that he is indeed their Messiah. They will turn and pray to him and a fountain of cleansing will be open to cleanse him from their sins as Jesus comes back at the second coming. And that's when Paul says Romans 11 25, all Israel shall be saved. All the remaining Israelites have not been killed in the battle of Armageddon, the attack of the Antichrist, the siege of the city of Jerusalem. Okay, so that is foretold in Zachariah's prophecy. Okay, so the soldiers have done their job. They have made sure that he is dead. They have applied the test they've been instructed to do when they are not sure. If they had not been sure, they would have broken his legs, but they were sure. They knew for sure that he was dead. John. The other two appears as well. Probably not. Unless, of course, we don't know, it would have been much more obvious because they would watch them die of supplication once their legs were broken. It would probably be more obvious what they would be looking for that to happen quickly. Were the other two Jewish where they choose in all likelihood they were? Yes, probably a part of Barabbas' band is what we supposed when we were talking about the trials. That Barabbas probably the leader of this rebel band of thieves, much more than common petty thieves, they are rebels against the Roman Empire, pillaging stealing, doing whatever they can. And that probably Barabbas was intended to be the third one on the cross. And that's why Pilate offered him feeling like the crowd would certainly not choose him. So they're probably, probably were Jews. Barabbas was. Okay. Anything else before we move on? Okay. What happens next is also very intriguing and spiritually challenging and instructive. And that is that Joseph and Nicodemus claim his body will continue on with John because John gives us most information here. Verse 38. Later, and it's not a lot later, it's just when it is certain that Jesus is dead and Pilate has given the word, later Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders with Pilate's permission he came and took the body away. Now let's think about this a little bit. This is a very interesting scenario. Joseph has not mentioned anywhere else in the scriptures except the gospels that deal with this event. It's the only time he's mentioned. We know nothing else about him except what the four gospels present about him in relationship to this one task. He doesn't appear any other time. But we are given a little bit of information about him at least enough to put together a very interesting picture of this man. He is described here as a secret disciple. In other words, he was a disciple of Jesus. He was a follower at least in his heart but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. When you take the other gospels, Mark and Luke into account particularly, Mark and Luke probably explain why they say that he was a member of the Sanhedrin, the council of 70 that put Jesus to death. But they also say that he did not consent to their vote. Now we've got all kinds of questions coming up about this man. He's a secret follower of Jesus. He is a member of the very ruling body that voted to put Jesus to death but he didn't vote for it. So that raises questions. Was he even there? Remember that was hurriedly called at nighttime illegally, the trial that included the Sanhedrin? Maybe his sympathies were known to some and maybe he wasn't even there. If he was there, he did not consent. He did not vote for Jesus to be crucified. Very, very interesting. But evidently, the death of Christ affects him very deeply and maybe he is ashamed, at least it appears that he is ashamed that he has not been more bold. And so Mark's gospel actually uses the word boldly when it says he went to pilot. He went to pilot boldly to ask for the body of Jesus. He is not going to hide anymore. He's done with being a secret disciple. Now who is going to claim Jesus body? The women can't take him down from the cross? There's only one disciple there. The other disciples have fled. Where are all those followers of Jesus that welcomed him into Jerusalem? They're no longer around. So Joseph senses that God has evidently put him in that position at that time because he has both the power to address pilot as a member of the Sanhedrin. He has some clout but he also recognizes now since the death of Christ that he's going to make it known that he's a follower of Jesus. He will identify with Jesus now. Whereas he was afraid to do so before. He boldly asks pilot. What an amazing transformation in this man. Well the other gospels tell us. Mark tells us that pilot was shocked that Jesus would be dead already. Remember typically took a day or two for someone to die on the cross. It's only been six hours. And he's surprised that Jesus is already dead. So he asks the Centurion to confirm that Jesus is actually dead. The Centurion does confirm it and pilot gives Joseph the permission to take the body. Very interesting. Turn of events in this man's life. Yes. Can it be a part of your life? It's difficult for any of us to judge. I would tend to say yes. If the motivation for secrecy is to be a more effective worker for Christ and witness for Christ, if the motivation for secrecy continues long term to be ashamed of Jesus, then I would say, I don't know about that. But if the motivation is to be more effective in an oppressive environment like you're mentioning, I think that can happen. What do you think? Comments? Questions about that? Yes, Kishti? Okay, in a case like that, would other believers know? Again, I think it would depend on whether or not those other believers could be trusted to keep it a secret. But yeah, I would think somebody would know that this person is a believer. Again, we're in a whole gray area of conjecture here. And only God knows the heart of someone. He turns the gospel from a few years, probably for ten years, to going up to the ground. And I know he turns the gospel in. So I was praying, when he was praying, thinking, can we say, and the coming of people out there, they said, they can be beautiful. You were knowing that you can be more like the people that are coming up, like that. In the community, and you can be a lot of people, you can be a lot of people, you can be a lot of people. And so I would think you might be better than someone. Yeah, I can see a situation in which that's possible. But I think, again, I would, the line I would draw would be on the motivation. Yeah, if the motivation is literally a fear, or being ashamed of Jesus, then I would say that it's probably not a believer. Jesus had something to say about that in Matthew 10. If anyone's ashamed of me, I'll be ashamed of him when it comes to judgment. So I think that's pretty clear. But I think in a rare instance, like what you're bringing up sharing, that's possible. But I also would tend to agree with Kishti that somewhere along the line, somebody, another believer, would know that that person's a believer. That he or she would find someone they could trust that can confide in and find fellowship. But what we're talking about here is a guy that was fearful. He was fearful of unbelievers. He was fearful of the other religious leaders. And that does not appear to be a good thing. And finally, it is watching Jesus die that makes him realize, I cannot do that. I cannot be a secret believer anymore. I've got to come out and make known where my allegiance is. And so he boldly goes to pilot. I think there's a real transformation in his life. But somebody else goes with him. Look at verse 39. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of Mer and Allos about 75 pounds. Interesting, isn't it? Nicodemus goes with him. Nicodemus is also a member of the ruling party. Nicodemus is also when he first came to Jesus, came secretly in John chapter 3. And I fully understand the debate about, did he come secretly because of fear or because it was the only time he could catch Jesus alone. He wanted to talk with him alone. I'm fully aware of all those debates. I'm not going to settle that tonight. But at any rate, he starts secretly. But now he too is coming out publicly. I mean, whoever claims the body of Jesus is going to be well known. This is not going to be able to be hidden. Not when you're asking pilot. They are indeed, I believe, putting their lives on the line with the other members of the Sanhedrin. So this is very interesting that these two men, and here's the fascinating thing to me. The crucifixion drives the open disciples underground, and it drives the secret disciples public. Isn't that amazing? Quite contrast, isn't it? Some are fearful and some are more bold because of what they've witnessed. And I think we can understand both sides of that. But I think it challenges each of us to look at what we're going to do when we're faced with crises of identifying with Jesus. Which direction will we go? Will we flee? Will we run? Will we be weak? As Jesus warned the disciples, the Spirit's willing, flesh is weak. Pray so that you won't fall into temptation. Are we going to be ready when those times come? Or will those very times of challenge cause us to be emboldened in our spirit and take a stronger stand for Jesus? I think that's a question we would all do well to ask ourselves. So Nicodemus comes also. Notice what he brings. He brings a mixture of mer and allos about 75 pounds. These are the spices that are going to be used as we'll see in a moment to embalm, not embalm, to put around the body of Jesus with the strips of cloth. This was typical Jewish burial custom. But the amount is exorbitant. The amount is way more than normal. The amount is what would be done for a royal burial, burial of a king, which tells you something about Nicodemus, doesn't it? What did Jesus talk with him about in John 3? Except you'll be born again. You will not enter the kingdom of heaven. In the early days, when Nicodemus appeared to him, not like the Bible series on TV just had him appearing in the last week, there were a lot of inaccuracies in that. I understand they were compressing things. But Nicodemus appeared or came to Jesus early in his ministry on Jesus, one of his first trips to Jerusalem. But anyway, that little irritation aside. Where was I going with that? Kingdom. Yeah, he was asking about the kingdom. Yeah. So the whole issue, this was this is early in Jesus ministry. And what's the matter? If I was going, the message early in Jesus ministry was what? Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. So the whole message was about the kingdom being offered to Israel. Remember about halfway through his ministry, that changes. Remember that way back about a year, a year and a half ago. Remember Matthew 12 where Jesus decided to change the message because he had been officially rejected by the Jewish leaders. And he no longer offered the kingdom and miracles to show that he was the king. But early, early the message was all about the kingdom. It's here except the king. And this shows that Nicodemus had come to terms with that message. I believe he is the king. He is worthy of a royal burial. And so I will bring the amount of spices that would be typical for a king. I have accepted what he told me that night back in John 3. I think that's the very fact what he brought is an indication of his heart and where his heart is. So you have two men who had been kind of secret disciples or followers to this point and they are driven out into the public by Jesus death. Verse 40, taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it with the spices and strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. Jews did not embomb like the Egyptians did. They would take spices. In this case, the two spices, Murr which is a gummy resin type of spice and it was pounded into a powder by the Jews. And then it would be mixed with alos which was from the sandalwood tree, very aromatic, very pungent spice. And those two would bond together because of the gummy, rosin and the feel of the Murr and the powdery substance of the alos. They would bond together and they would also cause the strips of cloth to adhere to the body. And so that's how they would bury someone. They would take strips of cloth and wind them around the body with the spices along the cloth and that would cause everything to adhere. And everything would stay in place. Verse 41, 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. There is haste involved here. So they choose a tomb that is close to the place of crucifixion because they don't have much time left before the Sabbath starts. In fact, Luke 23 verse 54 says that the Sabbath was about to start and so they are hurrying to get this done. So they choose a tomb that is nearby. Interestingly, it says it's a garden. There's a garden close to the place of crucifixion, a new tomb which no one had ever been laid. And that's unusual because tombs were reused. Obviously people not being in bombed. Eventually the bones would be gathered and put into an osuery or a bone jar kind of thing. You've heard about some of those in archaeological finds, no doubt in the news. So the bones would be eventually gathered and the tombs would be reused. The burying place would be reused over and over again. But the Bible makes it clear that this tomb had never been used and I think it's Matthew's gospel that makes it clear that this was Joseph's own tomb. It belonged to him. And so it's never been used before. And again, the indication is we're not going to bury him in just any common place. There was a place close but it was a tomb, a new tomb that had never been used and it belonged to Joseph himself. And that's where they take him. Have a few pictures. Let's look at those quickly. This is just some artist representations of Jesus being taken down from the cross. That would be quite an arduous task as you can imagine. And that's why I said that the women probably would not do this. They would begin to rat the body at the scene of crucifixion enough to where they could at least get it then to the burial site. The next picture is an artist representation of carrying the body to the tomb around this way to the tomb in the rock there. This is the garden tomb in outside of Jerusalem. Remember we talked about this earlier. One of the sites that is proposed, probably not the right site, not the historical site. But the reason why this is so photographed is because it still looks authentic, at least as far as a garden tomb would. The one where Jesus was literally buried is covered with a church. Remember the church of the Holy Sepulchre? We showed you pictures of that. It's very ornate and lots of candles and stuff. You can barely see through the plexiglass where the heel of Gagatha was. But it has the most historical credence to it. But this still looks authentic. That's the reason why the garden tomb is where most people go when they go to Jerusalem to see where Jesus was buried. A little closer up view of it. And then this is what typically the inside of a tomb like this would look like. The next picture will show us this is a gate that keeps people from going back into that. And this one shows the actual slabs. Sometimes several in a tomb where someone would be laid. I think we have another picture to Rolling Stone. This is the idea of the Rolling Stone. A couple of pictures of that. This is an artist representation of what it would look like. It shows better the trench. That would be in front where the stone would roll down into. And then right here in front of the door there would be a depression cut out. That stone would roll and then don't write down in that. And that's what would lodge it. Right there so it could not be easily moved. So that's that's kind of situation that we're looking at here quickly. Let's let's note the other things at Luke 23. Luke 23 here. The women note the tomb and begin preparing spices. Luke 23 verse 54. It was preparation day and the Sabbath was about to begin. So again that sense of urgency to get the burial taken care of. Verse 55, Luke 23. The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Why do you think they did that? Why did they follow Joseph to find out? They want to come back so they want to know exactly where he's going to be laid. Obviously that's the most important thing. But notice what they do next. Verse 56, they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. Why would they do that? Because they saw that Nicodemus already had 75 pounds worth. Enough for a king. Why would they do more? Okay, don't ever have enough for a decaying body. They want to honor him. Maybe they want to add their own honor to what's being done by Joseph. Come on, let's face it. They don't know these men. They don't know Joseph and Nicodemus. They don't trust them. They have not been a part of the disciples. Who knows what they're going to do with the body? I'm guessing a little bit here, but I think if we were in their place we would be a little suspicious of these two men that suddenly show an interest where they hadn't before. And their members of the Sanhedrin. That would raise a lot of questions. So I think these women are not sure that the burial will be followed through on. Maybe they think these guys are just getting rid of Jesus to get him out of the way. So they're going to make sure that it's going to be done regardless of what these men do. And then verse 56 says, but they rested on the Sabbath and obedience to the commandment. In other words, they're trying to get their spices and perfumes together, but all of a sudden six o'clock comes Friday evening. They run out of time. They are not able to get things together in time to go back to the tomb and put the spices on the body. And so they have to wait. They'll have to wait at least 24 hours to do anything else. And so that brings me to number four. The disciples observe the Sabbath. Actually, the women here who are observing the Sabbath. What are the disciples doing? Still hiding in all likelihood. Can you imagine just just try to imagine what's happening with those men in these next 24 hours. They can't travel and they can't do any work. They really are forbidden to do anything much on the Sabbath. And so what an agonizing, confusing day that must have been. And so many questions arise. Are they still scattered? Have they gotten back together like they would be on Sunday morning in the upper room? Have some of them started to trickle back to that place already on Friday night or Saturday? What would they talk about? Can you imagine? No doubt lots of questions. What happened? Some of them don't know what happened to Jesus. They weren't at the trial. Maybe they don't even realize he's been crucified. They've hidden. And now they're getting information from John and other. It just had to be a horrible 24 hours for those 11 men. Is Peter even with them? Or is he still outweeping and sorrowing over his denial? Is Thomas gone? We know he wasn't with them on Sunday. Where are these guys? And I, you know, just amazing to think I try to put myself in their shoes. What would it have been like to be in their shoes in those agonizing hours between. The betrayal and the arrest in the garden. And the resurrection. It must have been an agonizing couple of days. Well, one final thing. The religious leaders appeal for a guard for the tomb in Matthew's gospel. Matthew is the only gospel that tells us about this at you 27 verse 62. Let's take a look at it quickly. The next day, the one after preparation day. Okay. What day are we on now? No, not yet. It's after preparation day. Preparation day is Friday. So it's Saturday, right? What is Saturday? It's the Sabbath, right? Okay. So this is Sabbath. And notice the only thing the priests and the Sanhedrin are concerned. The Pharisees are concerned about is making sure the tomb is secure. So verse 63. Well, they went, they went to pilot verse 62 verse 63. They said, we remember that while he was still alive, that deceiver said after three days, I will rise again. Interesting that the disciples didn't remember that. But the Pharisees did. Isn't that amazing? So, verse 64, give the order. They tell the people to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first. The first deception in their mind was that he claimed to be the Messiah. He was trying to deceive people into thinking he was Messiah. The second deception would even be worse because that would prove to people if the disciples can pass off the fact that he's been resurrected. That would prove in their minds that he was the Messiah. So that would make it even harder to deny the first deception. And so they're concerned about deception. I wish I could have seen pilots expression when he responds. I can just imagine that he is fed up with these Jewish leaders. Remember, he didn't want to execute Jesus. Remember six times. He tried to end the trial. And he didn't want to do it. Didn't want to go through with it. So he still cannot get rid of this. So he says, take a guard. Go make the tomb as secure as you know how. Get out of here. Basically what he's saying. Whatever you need, do it. Just get out of here. Leave me alone. I can just imagine he was not very happy. So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard, a guard of four Roman soldiers and a seal on the stone. Take a look at what that might have looked like. Not sure different ways of describing this because the Romans did it different ways. But some kind of clay seal that would adhere to both the stone and the rock face of the tomb. Some some believe there was just one piece of clay and a rope between them. But the point basically is if the stone is moved, the seal is broken. It's obvious that someone is tampered with the gravesite. And so that is basically it's not to hold the stone in place. The stone does not need to be held in place. It's not sealed. You know, like it's sealed all the way around so it will stay there. No, that's not the point. The point is a very simple seal just to show whether or not the stone's been tampered with. And so that's probably what happened. And the Pharisees and the priests go home smuggling that Saturday thinking we finally got rid of him and we have made sure that nothing else will happen. And the disciples are in fear and hiding and all that's going to change in just a few hours. It's all going to change. Bob. Probably not. Probably not. They were breaking the Sabbath. I imagine it's hard to know how far they traveled and all the Romans did the work. But still it's obvious they are not concerned about keeping the Sabbath which is to be a day of rest. All they're concerned about is making sure this job gets done. And so but you know they've already demonstrated a disregard for the law in the way they handled the trial. So not really too surprised here. What kind of code that means something different than a thing. Yeah. I don't think so. I think a catacom was typically. Yeah. Typically. At least the ones I'm familiar with from what I've read about were in Rome under the city of Rome and they were used as burial places there. I don't know if the Romans would have called you know most the burial sites in Israel were prepared by Jews. I don't think they would have been called catacombs but same idea. Same idea. And interestingly enough the early church met in Rome in those catacombs didn't they? Good place to hide. All right. Any other question? Okay. Just just hang on to that thought that think think about where things are now. It's Saturday. And the Pharisees are very smug and happy about what's happened. And the disciples are in utter fear and terror. Maybe still in disarray. And in 24 hours that's all going to turn around. It's amazing amazing weekend. Let's pray. Father, we we ask that you would help us to be clear. Whose side were on? Lord with Paul may we say that we do not want to glory save anything but cross. We don't want to boast anything except the cross. There is nothing we have in ourselves to be proud about. It is the cross that has done everything for our salvation and thus everything for our lives. And we pray father that we will boast and glory only in Jesus Christ and him crucified. We pray father that the very crucifixion that we're studying will embolden us to stand for him that we will not be secret disciples that we will be bold in identifying with Jesus. It's not to be ashamed. It's in his name we pray. Amen.