SERMON: “The Burial of Jesus” (John 19:31–42)
“The Burial
of Jesus” (John 19:31–42)
Series: “John: Life in Christ’s Name” #103 Text: John 19:31–42
By: Shaun Marksbury Date: May
11, 2025
Venue: Living Water Baptist Church Occasion: AM Service
I.
Introduction
The world may think of the cross as a defeat. Some imagine standing there with the lifeless
body of Jesus hanging in silence. They
don’t think about the signs, such as the sky darkening, the earth trembling,
and even some of the dead coming out of their graves as a precursor of what is
to come. No, they reject all that and
just think of the crowds dispersing just as Jesus’s disciples did, leaving only
the grim task of burial.
Of course, for those with eyes to see, this is not a moment
of defeat. Instead, God is signaling
something greater to come on that Good Friday.
The sight of Jesus triggered something in the centurion to declare that
Jesus must have been the Son of God. In
this time of apparent loss, two men also step forward from among the Jewish
leadership to openly associate with Jesus.
Such reactions should give any skeptic pause and to see something far
greater than the execution and burial of a condemned man.
Perhaps you are a believer, already accepting the importance
of the crucifixion. Yet, moving from
that, do you think of the burial of Jesus as merely footnote in the Gospel
record? This is a vital chapter in the
drama of redemption that God crafted for us. When Paul declares the good news of Jesus in 1
Corinthians 15:4, he includes the fact that Jesus “was buried,” and both the
Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed include the truth that Jesus was
buried. This confirms that He had a real
death which fulfilled biblical prophecies, setting the stage for His glorious
resurrection and eventual return and reign.
The irony of this account is that Jesus’s burial confirms
who He is. We’ll note three aspects of
Christ’s death this morning. We’ll note
that this is Jesus’s true death (vv. 31–35), His prophesied death (vv. 36–37),
and His royal death (vv. 38–42). Let’s
begin with the first of those:
II.
First, Jesus’s True Death (vv. 31–35)
Then the Jews,
because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on
the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that
their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 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. And he who has seen has testified, and his
testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also
may believe.
Last time, as we surveyed the cross, we noted the importance
of the death of Christ. We said He died
a sacrificial death, died as the king, died bearing shame, died showing
compassion, and died fulfilling Scripture.
Some of our outline is similar to that today, but we must not skip over
the importance that this Gospel account places on the true or real death of
Jesus.
Why is the reality of Jesus’s death so important to the
Apostle John? The apologetic battles of
the end of the first century, when John writes this Gospel, were growing. There was a group that would become known as
the Gnostics, those who claimed to have a hidden “knowledge” about the truth of
the Gospels, and a particular branch of them called the Docetists, who claimed
Jesus only appeared to have a body and die. That seems strange to our ears, as our
battles are more with those who believe that Jesus was a regular human, if He
existed at all; John is countering those who elevated Jesus’s deity to such a
point that they thought Jesus was more of an apparition. So, John provides eyewitness evidence that
Jesus was truly human and truly dead.
So, in v. 31, John shifts our focus to the treacherous Jewish
leadership. It was their day of
preparation, the day before the Sabbath, which began shortly at sundown. This preparation day was significant (a
“great one,” cf. Exod. 12:16),
for the Sabbath on this year started the Passover festival, marking the first
day of Unleavened Bread and the sheaf offering (cf. Lev. 23:11). They are excited about the particular day and
rituals associated with it, but they fail to see that God chose this time for His
Lamb to be offered as the final sacrifice for both Jewish and Gentile
believers. Unbeknownst to them, this was
a great Friday for salvation!
Instead, these leaders, ignoring the leaven or impurity of
their murderous act at the start of this Unleavened holiday, focused on the ceremonial
purity of the land. They know that the
Roman practice was to leave bodies rotting on crosses for the birds to consume.[1] Thinking of Deuteronomy 21:22–23, which
forbids leaving a body hanging overnight, these men want the sight of their
deed removed from view. They were
focused more on the leaven in the land than the leaven in their hearts! So, they leave the cross where they have been
mocking Jesus and return to Pilate.
They have a gruesome request: to break the legs of the
crucified men.[2] This was a practical act that was not common
to crucifixion, but also not an unknown act.[3] Because crucifixion was a torturous death
that could last for days, the Romans would sometimes break the legs of the
condemned to speed up their deaths, an act known as crurifragium. This prevented victims from pushing up with
their legs to catch their breath on the cross, leading to asphyxiation.[4] The Jewish leaders request crurifragium
to kill Jesus and the others quickly and have their bodies removed before
sunset.
Pilate grants this request, sending word to his soldiers in
v. 32 — probably the same ones that crucified Jesus.[5] They start with the criminals on either side
of Jesus (we’re not reminded in this Gospel, but one of these men died a
believer). They were still alive, but
Jesus promised the repentant man that he would be with Jesus in paradise
“today” (Luke 23:43); Jesus knew that these men would not linger for days on
the cross. The soldiers found out that
these men were going to die that day, but Jesus already knew it!
Of course, the soldiers were surprised to see that Jesus was
already dead, so they didn’t break His legs.
Some take this to mean that Jesus was frail, a sensitive soul who taught
peace and love and could not hold out long against the cruelty of the
Romans. However, as we saw in the
language of v. 30, Jesus willingly gave up His spirit. Just as Jesus knew when others were going to
die, He knew when He had finished everything He set out to accomplish and
willingly laid down His life (cf. John 10:18).
It is interesting that, in this moment, there is another
fulfillment of Scripture. By not
breaking His legs, the soldiers unwittingly fulfill Scripture. This connects Jesus to the Passover lamb (Exod.
12:46), as we’ll see in v. 36.
One of the soldiers, however, believed that something should
be done to verify Jesus’s death. So, v.
34 records that he thrust a spear into Jesus’s side, likely piercing His heart
or chest cavity. The immediate flow of
blood and water indicates Jesus was truly dead, as living bodies do not produce
such a flow.
We might ask John, when we see him in heaven, why he chose
to include this detail. There are many
theories. The simplest theory here is
that John wants us to see that Jesus’s body is truly dead.[6] Perhaps John here counters early heresies
like Docetism, which denied Jesus’s humanity.
While there are certain physiological realities that could cause this in
a person who experiences this kind of trauma, this also speaks spiritually of
the salvation that Christ provides, as He typifies the lamb that was pierced
and slain.
Of course, that may indicate that there is more theological
weight to these. Jesus’s blood is an
obvious symbol of the lamb’s blood, where the priest pierced the heart of the
animal, and the water might signify the Holy Spirit into Whom we are to be
washed and baptized.[7] So, “life and cleansing power come from the
blood of Jesus,”[8] and
the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper are testimonies of this fact.[9] Whatever the case, John might have this
moment in mind when he penned 1 John 5:6–8 — “This is the One who came by water
and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with
the blood. It is the Spirit who
testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.
For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the
blood; and the three are in agreement.”
John was an eyewitness, as he says in v. 35. Again, he expects the reader to know that he
references himself in the third person; he is the one who has seen and who has
testified. The perfect tense of “has
testified” underscores the enduring reliability of his account.[10] His testimony is true all these years later
not only because he relied on memory, but also because the Holy Spirit inspired
him and bought all things back to his mind (as Jesus promised in John 14:26).
John says he wants his readers “to believe.” Jesus’s death was no myth or allegory; it’s
historical fact that provides the grounds for our hope in His resurrection. It also assures us that our sins were fully
paid for on the cross. As Owen argues,
Christ’s death was a “perfect and complete satisfaction” for sin, leaving no
debt unpaid (Book I, Chapter 3). Let
this truth silence your doubts and draw you to trust in the One who died for
you.
Consider how God worked all this out to fulfill His Word, as
we turn to the next verses:
III.
Second, Jesus’s Prophesied Death (vv. 36–37)
For these things
came to pass to fulfill the Scripture, “Not a bone of Him shall be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They shall
look on Him whom they pierced.”
It’s here where we see John connecting Jesus’s death to more
Old Testament prophecies, just as he’ done throughout this chapter (e.g., vv.
24, 28). In doing so, John is proving both
that Jesus is the Messiah and that God’s plan unfolded with precision. These verses highlight two specific fulfilled
Scriptures, in case we missed them earlier.
First, in v. 36, John references biblical teaching that we
can find in a number of places. He
points us back to the fact that the soldiers failed to break Jesus’s legs, and
he mentions something that fulfills the Passover typology. In both Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12,[11] God
commands that no bone of the Passover lamb be broken. Jesus, as Paul affirms in 1 Corinthians 5:7,
is “our Passover” who was sacrificed for us. Thus, Jesus’s unbroken bones signify His
perfection as the spotless Lamb who takes away the sin of the world (John
1:29). There’s more we could say on
this,[12] but
Jesus fulfills the Passover in every way typologically. The soldiers, unaware of Scripture, acted
under God’s sovereign hand to fulfill His Word.
We see this again in v. 37.
John here cites Zechariah 12:10, which says in full, “I will pour out on
the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and
of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they
will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly
over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.” The switch in pronouns is fascinating in this
verse; Yahweh Himself is being pierced, a stunning pointer to the deity of
Christ, but the people will “mourn for Him” (showing a distinction between
Father and Son). The piercing of Jesus’s
side (v. 34) only fulfills part of this prophecy. John predicts in Revelation 1:7 that “all the
tribes of the earth” will see Him and mourn when Jesus returns.
Such fulfilled prophecies in Jesus’s death build our
confidence in Scripture and God’s sovereignty, knowing that it all will be
fulfilled. Every detail of the cross was
foreordained, proving Jesus is the promised Savior. Let this truth anchor your
faith: God’s Word is trustworthy, and His plan for your salvation is sure.
Some living at that time understood there was eternal
significance in the moment of Jesus’s death, even if they didn’t know
everything that was to come to pass. For
instance, I mentioned the centurion in the opening who said, “Truly this was
the Son of God!” (Matt. 27:54). There
are also two other men who pick this time to step forward, against all human
reason. Let’s consider them next:
IV.
Third, Jesus’s Royal Death (vv. 38–42)
After these things
Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of
the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate
granted permission. So he came and took away His body. 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. Therefore because of the
Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
We read here of two unlikely figures — Joseph of Arimathea
and Nicodemus. One would think that
secret disciples of Jesus would see this as a time of defeat, but they step
forward to give Jesus a burial fit for a king.
They demonstrate that the burial of Jesus is far from a mere formality —
it is a royal act of honor that anticipates His resurrection.
Who are these men? Verse
38 introduces us to Joseph of Arimathea (about 20 miles northwest of Jerusalem).[13] MacArthur notes here,
This man appears in all 4 gospels,
only in connection with Jesus’ burial.
The synoptics relate that he was a member of the Sanhedrin (Matt.
27:57), he was rich (Matt. 27:57), and he was looking for the kingdom of God
(Luke 23:51). John treated the idea of
secret disciples negatively (see 12:42, 43) but since Joseph publicly risked
his reputation and even his life in asking for the body of Jesus, John pictured
him in a more positive light.[14]
Joseph, who must have been emboldened by the grace of God,
does risk his reputation and life to honor Jesus. He makes his bold request to Pilate, who grants
permission. So, Joseph takes Jesus’s
body.
Verse 39 reintroduces us to Nicodemus, “who had first come
to Him by night” (cf. John 3:1). He had
a positive but secret interaction with Jesus, though he didn’t seem to respond
at that time. Now, instead of showing
caution, he joins Joseph to publicly align with Christ. As one commentary suggests, “Perhaps Nicodemus
now understood the teaching of Jesus that He would be lifted up and that a man
could look in faith to Him and live (cf. 3:14).”[15]
He brings a hundred pounds or litra (about 75 modern
pounds)[16] of
myrrh and aloes. This is in alignment
with the Jewish burial practices, they wrap Jesus’s body in linen strips,[17]
packing the spices to mask the smell of decay.[18] This mirrors Lazarus’s burial (John 11:44)
but contrasts with the Shroud of Turin, which is a single cloth. The amount of spices he brings is lavish and extravagant,
suitable for a king’s burial.[19]
The urgency of the approaching Sabbath forces a quick
burial. So, we read that they place
Jesus in a nearby, new tomb. It was hewn
from rock of the hillside (Matt. 27:60), and its location in a garden near
Golgotha fulfills Isaiah 53:9, which says the Servant would be with the rich in
His death. Moreover, that there was no
other body in there meant that, when Jesus rises from the grave, there will be
no confusion as to whether another body would belong to Him. Joseph’s costly tomb honors Jesus as the true
King![20]
They didn’t burn the body or leave it out to decay. The royal burial of Jesus calls us to bold
faith and signifies a future hope. Joseph
and Nicodemus, once secret disciples, publicly honor Christ at great cost, and
their example challenges us to live openly for Jesus, trusting that our labor
is not in vain (1 Cor. 15:58). It also
points to the His resurrection hope, which we will discuss next time, Lord
willing.
V.
Conclusion
The burial of Jesus is no mere interlude; it is confirmation
of the cross. It demonstrates His true
death and confirms the reality of His sacrifice. His prophesied death also fulfills Scripture,
proving He is the Messiah and God’s plan is sure. His royal burial honors Him as King and also anticipates
a coming empty tomb, giving us hope.
Let the burial of Jesus stir your heart. Your sins were also buried there — laid to
rest, never to rise again! If you’ve
never trusted Christ, see His real, prophesied, and victorious death as the
payment for your sins, believing in Him today. If you’re a believer, let Joseph and Nicodemus
inspire you to bold and even costly devotion. And let the empty tomb fill you with hope — Jesus
is risen, and because He lives, we too shall live!
[1] John MacArthur Jr., Ed., The MacArthur Study Bible, electronic ed., (Nashville, TN: Word
Pub., 1997), 1625.
[2] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald Barclay Allen, and H. Wayne
House, The Nelson Study Bible: New King
James Version, (Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1997), Jn 19:31.
[3] “In the only known archeological find of a
crucifixion, which came to light in 1968, the skeletal remains revealed that
the lower legs had been shattered by a single blow.” Edwin A. Blum, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures,
1985, 2, 340.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ronald L. Trail, An
Exegetical Summary of John 10–21, Exegetical Summaries, (Dallas, TX: SIL
International, 2018), 424.
[6] MacArthur, 1625.
[7] Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible,
(Biblical Studies Press, 2005).
[8] John D. Barry, Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael
S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R.
Grigoni, and David Bomar, Faithlife Study
Bible, (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Jn 19:34.
[9] John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on the Gospel according to John, (Bellingham, WA: Logos
Bible Software, 2010), 2:240–241.
[10] Trail, 426.
[11] Also, Exodus 12:10 in the Septuagint, translated over
200 years before Christ, which reads, “οὐκ ἀπολείψετε
ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ ἕως πρωὶ καὶ ὀστοῦν
οὐ συντρίψετε ἀπʼ
αὐτοῦ, τὰ δὲ
καταλειπόμενα ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ ἕως πρωὶ ἐν πυρὶ κατακαύσετε” (“And you shall not
leave any of it over until morning, and a bone of it you shall not break,
but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall burn with fire.”).
[12] For instance, some scholars, like F.F. Bruce, also see
a connection to Psalm 34:20, which promises that God protects the righteous
man’s bones. Ibid., 428.
[13] Blum, 341.
[14] MacArthur, 1625.
[15] Blum, 341.
[16] New American
Standard Bible: 1995 Update, (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995).
[17] MacArthur, 1625.
[18] Barry, et. al., Jn 19:40.
[19] Ted Cabal, Chad Owen Brand, E. Ray Clendenen, Paul
Copan, J. P. Moreland, and Doug Powell, The
Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger Faith,
(Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007), 1613.
[20] A. T. Robertson, Word
Pictures in the New Testament, (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), Jn
19:41.