Introductory remarks:
As I noted in the last chapter, the Sanhedrim couldn't put Christ to death for His claims, so they now bring Him before the Roman courts to trump up new charges. This chapter may be outlined as follows: Jesus brought before Pilate vv. 1-5; Jesus before Herod vv. 6-12; Jesus sentenced to die vv. 13-25; the crucifixion of Jesus vv. 26-43; the death of Jesus vv. 44-49; the burial of Jesus vv. 50-56.
Jesus Brought before Pilate
(Matt. 27:1-2, 11-14; Mark 15:1-5; John 18:28-38)
Verse 1, "And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate."
LGT "And having risen up, all the multitude of them led Him unto Pilate."
Pilate was the Roman governor of Palestine, and he would come to Jerusalem to control the crowds that came for the Passover Feast.
Verse 2, "And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King."
LGT "And they began to accuse Him saying, This [Man] we found perverting our nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, and saying Christ Himself is a King."
They began to accuse Christ of being rebellious and stirring the nation up against Caesar. Every one of their charges was false, but they could not use their religious claims against Him, because they would hold no weight with Pilate. They accuse Christ of forbidding to pay tribute to Caesar, which was a lie, for He said Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that Are God's. They made the last claim saying that He called himself a King, which was true, but not in the same way as they distorted the meaning, for He was not challenging Caesar, but was teaching a future Kingdom. "The Jews could not execute one legally, for Rome retained that authority. In order to carry out the sentence, the Sanhedrin had to obtain the approval of the Roman authorities. To get the permission, the Jews 'led Jesus from Caiphas to the palace of the Roman governor'" (Pentecost).
Verse 3, "And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest it."
LGT "And Pilate questioned Him saying, Are You the King of the Jews? And He answering him said, It is as you say."
"Imagine this scene: Here is a carpenter in peasant garment standing before Pilate. The Jewish religious leaders have arrested Him. Pilate asks Him a question that I'm sure seemed preposterous, 'Art thou the King of the Jews?' Jesus answered, 'Thou sayest it.' Or. 'It is as you say.' It was a clear statement of fact. And Pilate wanted to let Him go" (McGee).
Verse 4, "Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man."
LGT "And Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, I find nothing blamable in this Man."
After Pilate had a careful examination of Jesus, much of which is recorded in John chapter 18:33-38, he went out and declared that he had found no fault to convict Jesus.
Verse 5, "And they were more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place."
LGT "But they kept insisting in their anger saying, He stirs up the people, teaching throughout the whole of Judea, even from Galilee to this place."
The Jewish leaders are now accusing Jesus of leading a revolution, rebelling against the local authority. "He did stir up the people, but it was not to any thing factious or seditious, but to every thing that was virtuous and praiseworthy. He did teach, but they could not charge Him with teaching any doctrine that tended to disturb the public peace, or make the government uneasy or jealous" (Matthew Henry).
Jesus before Herod
Verse 6, "When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilean."
LGT "But Pilate having heard, asked if the man were Galilean."
Pilate asked this question because it was a way out for him, because Herod had jurisdiction over Galilee.
Verse 7, "And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time."
LGT "And having known that He was from the jurisdiction of Herod, he sent Him up to Herod, he being also in Jerusalem in those days."
Herod was jealous of any encroachment by Pilate upon his authority, so this was a good opportunity for Pilate to show Herod respect, and get himself off the hook. "Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great. This was the same Herod that put John the Baptist to death. Jesus had passed the most of His life in the part of the country where he ruled, and it was therefore considered that he belonged to his jurisdiction - that is, that it belonged to Herod, not to Pilate, to try this case" (Barnes).
Edersheim describes this situation:
"The opportunity now offered was welcome to Herod. It was a mark of reconciliation (or might be viewed as such) between himself and the Roman, and in a manner flattering to himself, since the first step had been taken by the governor (Pilate), and that, by an almost ostentatious acknowledgement of the rights of the Tetrarch (Herod), on which possibly their former feud may have turned."
Verse 8, "And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him."
LGT "And Herod seeing Jesus rejoiced greatly, for he was wishing for a long [time] to see Him, because of hearing [many things] concerning Him, and he was hoping to see some signs done by Him."
All Herod had desired was to see a conjurer do some exciting tricks; what this fox wanted was a chance to see some carnival act, or sleight of hand act. Herod was very glad to see Jesus, especially now that He was in bonds. "Prior to this time Jesus had told the Pharisees to deliver a message to Herod which was, 'Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils [demons], and I do cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected' (Luke 13:32). Herod's curiosity was excited about Jesus and he wished to see Him" (McGee).
Verse 9, "Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing."
LGT "And he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing."
The Lord would not answer this notorious fox that was from that horrible Herodian Dynasty, who had murdered babies and killed John the Baptist.
Verse 10, "And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him."
LGT "And the chief priests and the scribes had stood violently accusing Him."
They stood by while Herod quizzed Jesus, ready to strike, like the snakes they were. They were afraid if they left the trial would take an unfavorable turn. "They violently or unjustly accused Him, endeavoring to make it appear that He had been guilty of sedition in Herod's province" (Barnes).
Verse 11, "And Herod with his men of war set him at naught, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate."
LGT "And Herod having set Him at naught, [also] with his troops, and having mocked [Him], having put around [Him] a splendid apparel, he sent Him back to Pilate."
The phrase having set Him at naught means that Herod regarded Jesus as nothing, zero; he had utter contempt for Christ. Mocking Christ with this superficial robe was part of Christ's humiliation.
Barnes notes:
"The Jewish kings wore a white robe, which was often rendered very shining or gorgeous by much tinsel or silver interwoven. Josephus says that the robe which Agrippa wore was so bright with silver that when the sun shone on it, it so dazzled the eyes that it was difficult to look on it. The Jews and Romans therefore decked Him in the manner appropriate to their own country, for purposes of mockery. All this was unlawful and malicious, as there was not the least evidence of His guilt."
Verse 12, "And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves."
LGT "And both Pilate and Herod became friends on that day with one another: for before there was enmity between them."
"The two magnates compliment each other, and shirk unpleasant work by sending Jesus hither and thither from tribunal to tribunal, the plaything and sport of unprincipled men: that the one positive result of the transaction - two rulers, previously on bad terms, reconciled, at least for the time. Sending Jesus to Herod was a politic act on Pilate's part. It might have ended the case so far as he was concerned; it pleased a jealous prince, and it gave him a free hand in dealing with the matter: nothing to fear in that quarter" (TEGT).
Jesus Sentenced to Die
(Matt. 27:15-26; Mark 15:6-15; John 18:39-19:6)
Verses 13, 14, "And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers, and the people, Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I have examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him:"
LGT "And Pilate, having called together the chief priests, and the rulers and the people, said to them, Ye brought me this Man, as turning away the people, and behold I having examined [Him] before you, found nothing in this Man blamable, of which ye bring accusation against Him."
Pilate brings together the religious leaders who made the accusations, and he included the people, hoping to find some of His allies that might defend Him. Pilate says I have examined Him right before your eyes and find no fault in this Man. They had accused Jesus of turning the people against Caesar, making Him a rival of Caesar.
Verse 15, "No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him."
LGT "But not even Herod, for I sent you up to him, and lo, nothing worthy of death is done by Him."
"The charges are not proved against Him. They had had every opportunity of proving them, first before Pilate and then before Herod, unjustly subjecting Him to trial before two men in succession, and thus giving them a double opportunity of condemning Him, and yet, after all, He was declared by both to be innocent. There could be no better evidence than that He was innocent" (Barnes).
Verse 16, "I will therefore chastise him, and release him."
LGT "Therefore, having chastised Him, I will release Him."
Pilate agreed within himself to chastise Jesus so as to satisfy the crowd. The word "chastise" has the connotation of correction, so Pilate is saying in effect I will deliver Him amended. Pilate was more concerned with public favor than justice.
Verse 17, ("For of necessity he must release one unto them.")
LGT (This verse is not in the original; it was added by the translators)
Verse 18, "And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas."
LGT "But they cried out all together, saying, Away with this [Man], and release to us Barabbas:"
The crowd becomes a mob at this point. John chapter eighteen gives us the account of Pilate giving them the choice of his releasing Barabbas or Jesus; and of course as this verse tells us they choose Barabbas.
Verse 19, "(Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison)"
LGT "Who was on account of a certain insurrection made in the city, and for murder, cast into prison."
Here we have a description of the man this rabble wanted; they desired the release of a known murderer and insurrectionist for Christ, their own loving Messiah. This man Barabbas was convicted of sedition, while Jesus was falsely accused of the same crime. But they could never accuse Jesus of murder, for they witnessed Him raising men from the grave not putting them there.
Verse 20, "Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them."
LGT "And again Pilate called to them, wishing to release Jesus."
Pilate again shows his unwillingness to have Jesus put to death.
Verse 21, "But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him."
LGT "But they kept crying out saying, Crucify, crucify Him."
The crowd kept yelling out, Crucify, crucify Him; kill Him and be done with Him. They screamed out with a passion, only with His murder in mind.
Verse 22, "And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go."
LGT "And he a third [time] said to them, For what evil did this [man] commit? I found in Him no cause of death: therefore, having chastised Him, I will release [Him]."
In his final attempt Pilate shows his earnestness in his appealing to them of His innocence. He hopes that if he has Him scourged the people would be satisfied and let Him live, for he did not want an innocent man's blood on his hands; however, Pilate did have the authority to release Christ, but public sentiment won the day, thank God!
Verse 23, "And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and the chief priests prevailed."
LGT "But they were urgent with loud voices, asking Him to be crucified, and the voices of them prevailed."
Robertson remarks, "Poor Pilate he is overwhelmed by this public tornado." The peoples asking of Pilate now becomes their requiring him to crucify the Lord; they cry out with great urgency of now or never.
Verse 24, "And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required."
LGT "And Pilate gave sentence their request to be done."
Pilate pronounces the final sentence, that is, he gave in to their demands under pressure.
Verse 25, "And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will."
LGT "And he released the one, who on account of insurrection and murder, had been cast into prison, whom they asked for, but delivered up Jesus to their will."
Luke repeats the fact that Barabbas had been convicted and jailed for insurrection and murder, showing the bloodthirstiness of this mob. "This is mob law by the judge who surrenders his own power and justice to the clamor of the crowd" (Robertson). Here we have a description of a "weak man and wicked people" (TEGT). "While Pilate could not be absolved from responsibility for this miscarriage of justice, the nation did accept responsibility for Christ's death when they cried Let His blood be on us and our children (Matt. 27:25)" (Pentecost).
The Crucifixion of Jesus
(Matt. 27:32-44; Mark 15:21-32; John 19:17-27)
Verse 26, "And as they led him away, they laid hold upon Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus."
LGT "And as they led Him away, having laid hold of Simon, a certain Cyrenian, coming from a field, they put upon him the cross to bear [it] behind Jesus."
After all the scourging that He had endured, Jesus was left very weak; the soldiers had no pangs of conscience about grabbing anyone they chose to do their bidding; they chose one Simon, the Cyrene, coming from laboring in the field, to carry His cross. The last phrase of the verse does not mean that Simon carried the back of the cross as Jesus bore the front. Carrying ones own cross was all part of the crucifixion.
William Barclay notes:
"He began by carrying His own cross; but under its weight His strength gave out and He could carry it no further. Palestine was an occupied country and any citizen could be immediately pressed into the service of the Roman government. The sign of this was a tap on the shoulder with the flat of the blade of a Roman spear. When Jesus sank beneath the weight of His cross, the Roman centurion in charge looked around for someone to carry it. Out of the country into the city came Simon from far-off Cyrene, which is modern Tripoli. The flat of the Roman spear touched him on the shoulder and he found himself, suddenly without warning, carrying a criminal's cross."
Verse 27, "And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him."
LGT "And a great multitude of the people and of women were following Him, who also were bewailing and lamenting Him."
There were women who were lamenting and beating themselves on their breast over the treatment of Christ.
Verse 28, "But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children."
LGT "And turning to them Jesus said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me: but weep for yourselves and your little children."
Here Christ once again makes reference, as He did on the Mount of Olives, to the tragedies that lay ahead for the women in Jerusalem; there was also a reference back then to the last days at the end of the Tribulation Period. Although His disciples had fled, there were still a large number of people following, including these women who bewailed Him.
Verse 29, "For behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck."
LGT "For lo, days are coming in which they will say, Blessed [are] the barren, and wombs which did not bear, and breasts which gave not suck."
The women who had lamented not having children, will in the days ahead, at the fall of Jerusalem A.D. 70 count themselves blessed.
Verse 30, "Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us."
LGT "Then they shall begin to say to the mountains, Fall upon us; and to the hills, Cover us:"
"This is an image of great calamities and judgments. So great will be the calamities that they will seek for shelter from the storm, and will call on the hills to protect them. The same figure is used respecting the wicked in the Day of Judgment in Rev. 6:16,17. Compare also Isaiah 2:21" (Barnes).
Verse 31, "For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?"
LGT "For if they do these things in the green tree, in the dry what may take place?"
"Green wood is hard to burn and so is used for the innocent. Dry wood kindles easy and is a symbol for the guilty. This common proverb has various applications. Here the point is that if they can put Jesus to death, being who He is, what will happen to Jerusalem when its Day of Judgment comes?
Verse 32, "And there were also two others, malefactors, led with him to be put to death."
LGT "And were led also two others, evil doers, with Him to be put to death."
Jesus was led away with two evil men to be crucified between them.
Verse 33, "And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left."
LGT "And when they came to the place called a Skull, there they crucified Him and the evil doers, the one on [the] right, and one on [the] left."
There on Golgotha He was crucified between two thieves; His cross had been reserved for that murdering robber Barabbas, the leader of the band of robbers.
Verse 34, "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots."
LGT "(And Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do). And dividing His garments they cast a lot."
The first phrase of this verse is not in the oldest manuscripts. It is certain though, that Jesus did speak these words, for it is just like His character; it is just a matter of not being recorded by Luke; there are many details that Luke did not record, and must be filled in by the synoptists, Matthew and Mark. Jesus was praying for forgiveness for the Roman soldiers who were casting a lot for His seamless robe, because they were following orders of their commander; the Jews however, knew exactly what they were doing.
Verse 35, "And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God."
LGT "And the people stood beholding. And the rulers were also together with them deriding saying, He saved others, let Him save Himself, if He is the Christ the elect One of God."
As I mentioned in my exposition on the other Gospels, if He had saved Himself from his death on the cross, He could never have saved me nor anyone else; so I praise God He did not save Himself. It is because He is the elect One of God that He did not save Himself. It was this cross that He was elected to, and this sacrificial death on our behalf, so He could not save Himself.
Verses 36, 37, "And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, and saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself."
LGT "And the soldiers also mocked Him, coming near and offering Him vinegar, and saying, If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."
The soldiers picked up on the jeers of the religious rulers and repeat their offense, saying the same thing, not realizing that if He saved Himself, others He could not save. They continue their childish prank by offering Him vinegar to drink, in reaction to His cry I thirst.
Verse 38, "And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS."
LGT "And there was and inscription over Him, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS."
Luke did not include the phrase written over Him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew. "But they all refer to the charge written at the top on the cross giving, as was the custom, the accusation on which the criminal was condemned, with his name and residence. Put all the reports together and we have: This is Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews. This full title appeared in Latin for law, in Aramaic for the Jews, in Greek for everybody (John 19:20)."
Verse 39, "And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us."
LGT "And one of the evil doers who had been hanged, railed at Him, saying, Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us."
The one malefactor was caught up in the taunts of the soldiers and the rulers of the people and he began railing on Christ, saying, If you are truly the Messiah, saves Yourself, and while your at it, save us also from this hideous death. Notice he did not asked to be saved from his sins.
Barnes notes:
"This man did not seek for salvation truly; he asked not to be delivered from sins; if he had, Jesus would also have heard him. Men often, in sickness and affliction, call upon God. They are earnest in prayer. They ask of God to save them, but it is only to save them from temporal death. It is not to be saved from their sins, and the consequences is, that when God does raise them up, they forget their promises, and live as they did before, as this robber would have done if Jesus had heard his prayer and delivered him from the cross."
Verse 40, "But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?"
LGT "But answering the other rebuked him, saying, Do you not even fear God, that [you] are under the same judgment?"
The one thief rebukes the other for his careless words, and for not fearing the final judgment, railing as you are, and you are dying in the same manner as He.
Verse 41, "And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss."
LGT "And we indeed justly, for a due recompense of what we did we receive: but this [Man] did nothing wrong."
This thief is believing the claims of Christ; he has accepted the inscription on the Cross. He realizes the claims of the Messiah to be true.
Verse 42, "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom."
LGT "And he said, Jesus, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom."
It is not clear whether this thief is referring to the Millennial Kingdom, or for an immediate blessing. The point is that he has made his confession to the right person; at this very moment this thief is born again "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes on Him, will never perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
Verse 43, "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise."
LGT "And He said to him, Verily I say to you, To-day you shall be with Me in Paradise."
What a beautiful picture of a man simply believing in the Lord Jesus Christ with no strings attached, and being saved immediately; he did not have time to be baptized or any other works man has laden free grace salvation with; he simply put his trust in Christ and he was instantly saved for eternity; Christ did not require him to do anything.
The Death of Jesus
(Matt. 27:45-56; Mark 15:33-41; John 19:28-30)
Verses 44, 45, "And it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour, and the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst."
LGT "And it was about [the] sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land, until [the] ninth hour, the suns light failing, and the veil of the temple was rent in [the] midst."
There are two most important doctrines concerning the spiritual death of our Lord Jesus Christ in these two verses; 1) the sun was darkened over the whole land during the three hours that all the sins of the whole world were imputed on Him; God turned away from His only begotten Son as He bore your sins and mine. And He was shut out from the view of any onlookers who might view him as He suffered; when Christ suffered for our sins, He suffered alone, he had no help from man or God; he did not even receive pity from man until after His work was finished. And 2) the veil of the temple was rent from top to bottom, opening up access to the most Holy abode of God to all who will believe. The significance is that we no longer have a need to go to a priest to confess our sins; we have free access to God to boldly come to Him at any time, not just once a year.
Of course these are only outlines of these two wonderful doctrines, which will take us an eternity not only to learn about, but also to appreciate. We are only beginning to understand what it cost the Lord God to offer His only Son on that Tree for the sins of the whole world (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2). (I go into a little more detail about these two doctrines in my other expositions on the other Gospel accounts)
Verse 46, "And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost."
LGT "And having cried with a loud voice Jesus said, Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit. And having said these things, He expired."
Jesus cried out with a victorious shout; He gave His life a ransom for all; they did not kill our Lord, He gave His life freely for all. John adds the final words that Luke leaves out telestai it is finished! The sins of the whole world, past, present, and future are now paid for; there is only one thing standing between God's presence and an eternal fire in hell, and that is unbelief. No one goes to hell on account of their sins, they go to hell because they refuse to put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and He is the propitiation [satisfaction to God] for our sins, and not ours only, but for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). All the sins ever committed from Adam until the last member of the human race has been poured out on Christ as He gave His life a ransom for all.
There is one more fascinating point I must add here; At the beginning of the three hours of darkness when Christ was separated from His Father, His humanity cried out My God, My God, why has thou forsaken Me! And then after the three hours of having the sins poured out on Him, and His being separated from His Father, He cried out with a loud triumphant voice, It is Finished; Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit. Before He became sin for us He cried My God, My God and after He paid the supreme price He cried Father! This is one of the beautiful doctrines of His death that will take me an eternity to learn.
Verse 47, "Now the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man."
LGT "And the centurion having seen what took place kept on glorifying God, saying, Indeed this Man was just."
This confession, adding to it what the other Gospels contain, I believe this man was saved. He confessed that this was the Son of God, and He glorified God on this account, and believing is all it takes to be saved, faith alone in Christ alone.
Verse 48, "And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned."
LGT "And all the crowds who came together to this sight, seeing the things which took place, beating the breasts, returned."
The woman were beating their breast before Christ died as He was hanging on the cross, and now the whole crowd are beating their breasts, lamenting their cruel actions; not repenting, but only lamenting, that is, sadness over their actions.
McGee notes:
"There was an ominous [gloomy] and fearful sort of atmosphere about the death of Christ. No gospel writer describes the death of Christ in detail. It is as if the Spirit of God pulled down the veil because the Crucifixion was too horrible to gaze upon. There is nothing here to satisfy your curiosity. Mankind was shut out from what happened on the cross. Just as we had to stand on the fringe at the Garden of Gethsemane, certainly we have to stand on the fringe of what happened at the cross. We can only look up and trust the One who is dying there for us."
Verse 49, "And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things."
LGT "And all those who knew him, stood afar off, also women, the ones who followed Him from Galilee, beholding these things."
They all stood afar off beholding with blinded eyes.
The Burial of Jesus
(Matt. 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; John 19:38-42)
Verse 50, "And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counselor; and he was a good man, and a just."
LGT "And behold, a man named Joseph, being a counselor, [and] a man good and just."
Joseph of Arimethea was an upright Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrim counsel. Matthew and Mark give much more details about Joseph.
Verse 51, "(The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them:) he was of Arimathea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God."
LGT "(He had not assented to the counsel, and the deed of them), he was from Arimathea a city of the Jews, and who was waiting himself for the Kingdom of God."
Joseph and Nicodemus were suspected of being partial to the Jews so they were not invited to sit in the mock trials of Jesus.
McGee notes:
"Although Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrim, he did not agree with the action they took, which tells us that the Sanhedrim did not act unanimously when they put down the edict to have the Lord Jesus Christ crucified. He was what could be called a pious, religious man; then having come face-to-face with Christ, he had taken a stand for Him. Apparently there were many believers in the Lord who were not open about it like the disciples were. However at the time of the Crucifixion the disciples went underground, and those that had been underground came out in the open. Joseph and Nicodemus were two prominent men who finally openly declared their trust in the Savior. John's gospel tells us that Nicodemus joined with Joseph in burying the Lord Jesus. They were the undertakers who had charge of His burial."
Verse 52, "This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus."
LGT "He having gone to Pilate, begged the body of Jesus."
Joseph, being a rich and influential man, came out of the closet and made a stand for the Lord before Pilate and the people. Joseph asked Pilate for the body as a personal favor.
Verse 53, "And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulcher that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid."
LGT "And having taken [It] down, he wrapped it in a line cloth, and placed it in a tomb hewn in a rock, in which no one was ever yet laid."
Joseph took the body of Jesus down from the cross and laid it in the tomb he had prepared for himself. "The question arises, 'Where was the tomb in which Jesus was laid?' There are two places today that are said to be that tomb. One place has a Roman Catholic Church built over it, and the other one is outside the city wall. I, personally, do not believe that either place is where Jesus was buried. There were several groups that so hated Christ and Christianity that they would have removed every vestige and reminder of Him. The forces of Rome under Titus, in A.D. 70, destroyed and actually plowed the city of Jerusalem. The tomb known as the Garden Tomb, which is shown to tourists, somehow escaped destruction. I am sure it is not the tomb in which the body of Jesus was placed, although His tomb was undoubtedly somewhere in that area. God would not leave anything like the tomb intact, because certain people would make it a fetish [obsession] rather than making the Lord Jesus the object of worship. When I was in Jerusalem at the Garden Tomb, one lady in our tour got down on her hands and knees and began to kiss the floor of the tomb; then she began to weep and howl! There is no value in that! Even if it were the tomb in which He was buried, the value is not in the tomb but in the One who is at God's right hand today, the living Savior. Let us turn our attention to Him" (McGee).
Verse 54, "And that was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on."
LGT "And it was the day of preparation, and Sabbath was coming on."
The day of preparation was the day before the Sabbath.
Verse 55, "And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulcher, and how his body was laid."
LGT "And women also having followed, who were come with Him out of Galilee, saw the tomb, and how His body was laid."
These are the women who ministered to Jesus during his ministry in Galilee; these women were faithful to Him to the very end of His days on earth. Two of the women that followed were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses (Mark 15:47).
Verse 56, "And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment."
LGT "And having returned, they prepared the aromatics and ointments."
They prepared the ointments and aromatics to anoint the body of Jesus before the Sabbath began. Mary in Bethany had already anointed him much earlier. There seems to be a lull here just before Christ rises from the dead.
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