Introduction: It is fairly easy to construct an hour by hour account of the death and burial of Jesus on the Friday before Passover Sabbath.
All Scripture is given to us for our learning and Christian growth. What should we learn from this passage? At least three truths:
I. We are reminded again that GOD IS LOVE.
A. John 3:16 and I John 3:16 both tell us of God's love in Christ.
B. It was our sins that put Jesus on the cross. It was His love that He allowed the crucifixion and went through with it.
II. One thing leads to another. Because God is love, and we are in God, we must love one another (I John 4:7-12). We must love those we are not inclined to love naturally: people of other races, languages and cultures. People who don't love us. People from other religions and denominations. People who disagree with us about all kinds of things. We must practice the love of God in our thoughts, words and actions.
III. We are given two human examples of how to serve Jesus: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.
A. Who was Joseph? Note these scripture verses: Matthew 27:57-60; Mark 15:42-46; Luke 23:50-54. He was a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin. He had some political influence, and was allowed in to see Pilate. He was a good and upright man who was opposed to the Sanhedrin's condemnation of Jesus.
B. Who was Nicodemus? According to John 3:1 he was a Pharisee, and a member of the Sanhedrin. He became a secret disciple of Jesus.
C. Joseph and Nicodemus brought 100 Roman pounds (75 American pounds) of a mixture of myrhh (fragrant gummy resin) and aloes (sandalwood powder) and linen strips of cloth to "embalm" the body of Jesus. They provided a dignified burial for Jesus, because they loved Him.
D. Note: they had listened to Jesus preach for about 2 and 1/2 years. They believed in Him, and were His disciples. They loved Him. But they didn't believe in His resurrection. (None of the disciples believed in Jesus' resurrection until it was forced on them by the risen Christ). Point: They were true disciples of Christ in spite of doctrinal deficiencies. Point: We need to realize that it is not up to us to winnow and sift through all who claim to be Christians and decide who really are or are not. People may be very deficient in doctrine, and yet be true disciples of Christ. We need to love each other and serve Christ together as best we can.
E. Note: The "Shroud of Turin" is NOT the burial wrapping of Jesus. The SOT is one large piece of cloth, covering the entire body including the head. The burial cloths of Jesus were long strips of linen, filled with spices, and a separate piece of cloth for His head (see John 20:3-7). Go to this website for a scientific description of the Shroud of Turin: http://www.mcri.org/Shroud.html.
F. Main Point: We must imitate Joseph and Nicodemus, and use WHAT WE HAVE to serve Christ. They used their political influence and wealth to give Jesus a proper burial. We may not have political influence, and we may not be rich, but we have what we have, and we should put what we have in Jesus' service. We cannot serve Jesus directly, as they could, but we can still serve Him by serving the poor, the hungry and the oppressed (Matthew 25:31-40).
Conclusion: We have just come through the Christmas season. We have all received and given gift after gift after gift. We are full of material and spiritual blessings. Now let's put our hearts and minds to work. How can we be like Joseph and Nicodemus? How can we use what we have to reach out to our neighbors, and around the world, and minister to the hungry, the thirsty, the poor and the oppressed? That's what Jesus calls us to do. Amen.