Sermon Tone Analysis

Open your Bibles to Mark 15:42-47.

•We are continuing our study of the Gospel of Mark.

•This morning we come to Mark’s account of the burial of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I don’t know if you realize this or not, but all four Gospels rarely record the same event.

•As you get more familiar with the Gospels, you will find that some events in the life of Jesus are recorded only by one or two Gospels.

•Sometimes the Synoptics Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) will all record the same event, but John won’t.

•Likewise, there are things that John records that the other three are silent about.

•But there are a handful of events that are recorded by every single Gospel record:

•The baptism of Jesus.

The Feeding of the Five Thousand.

The arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus.

•But did you know that they all also record the BURIAL of Jesus?

I highlight that to you this morning because, apparently, under the inspiration of God, our meditation upon the burial of Christ is IMPORTANT.

•Again, it is recorded in all four Gospels.

And God doesn’t waste ink.

He wants us to read about it often.

Just as often as we read of the crucifixion and resurrection.

Now, most of the time, I would bet that we read about the burial of Christ and just kind of pass it by.

•We treat it like it’s just a stepping stone to the account of His Resurrection.

•Or we read it like a newspaper article and say, “Yep.

They buried Jesus.”

And we only register the bare facts with no further thought or meditation.

•I know I’ve done this in the past.

•But that’s a mistake.

•Since His burial is recorded in all four Gospels, it MUST be significant to the message of the Gospel as well as beneficial to the life of the Christian.

More than that, we see that when the Gospel is summarized, the burial of Christ is always mentioned.

•Consider 1 Corinthians 15:3-4: For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scripture, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…

•Paul says that this is of FIRST IMPORTANCE.

And then he mentions the burial of Christ as part of that truth.

•Likewise, the earliest creeds of the Church all mention that Jesus was buried.

•The Apostles Creed: “…crucified, died, and was buried.”

•The Nicene Creed: “He suffered death and was buried.”

So then, in light of these things, we ought not to move too quickly over the burial of our Lord.

•There are things for us to see in this text:

•Things that will be help us to be faithful disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

•Things that will highlight the fullness and finality of His work of redemption.

•Things that will cause us to rejoice in Him and worship Him for the great God and Savior that He is.

So then, as I’ve done in the past, I simply want to walk through this text and then point out various things that will encourage you in Christ.

•We will go through the text fairly quickly and then come to the lessons we learn from it.

•May God bless us today as we sit under the ministry of His Word.

Now, if you would, and are able, please stand with me for the reading of the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God.

Mark 15:42-47

[42] And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 

[43] Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

[44] Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died.

And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead.

[45] And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph.

[46] And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock.

And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.

[47] Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

(PRAY)

Our Heavenly Father, 

We thank you for your Word.

It is a sure and steady guide for your People.

You have breathed it out of your holy mouth.

And it is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.

It is able to, by your grace, make us wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

And so we ask this morning that you would, by your Holy Spirit, make your Word effectual to the salvation and sanctification of your People.

Open our minds, hearts, eyes, and ears to receive the pure Word of God today.

We humble ourselves before your holy Word knowing that you will give grace to the humble.

So, Lord, instruct us and sanctify us today.

Glorify yourself in us.

We ask these things in Jesus’ Name and for His sake.

Amen.

1.)

As we come to the end of chapter 15, we remember that Mark has already recorded the death of our Lord Jesus Christ on a Cross.

•Atonement has been made for God’s People.

•The Son of God was hanged upon a Tree, bearing the curse of God in place of sinners.

•Darkness, the very wrath of God, descended upon Calvary.

And Christ satisfied the wrath of God on behalf of all who ever did or ever would believe on Him. 

•Divine justice has been satisfied in the suffering and death of Jesus.

•The Good Shepherd has willingly laid down His life in order to save His Sheep whom the Father had given to Him.

And that brings us to our text this morning:

•Evening had come.

•Our Lord died around 3PM on the Friday of Passover.

So it is now evening.

•And it is “the day of Preparation.”

That is, the day before the Sabbath.

(Again, it is Friday.)

•The sun will go down around 6PM.

And once that happens, the Sabbath will begin for the Jews.

•So they must do something with the body of the Lord Jesus.

•According to OT Law, a dead body must be buried the day of death.

(Deuteronomy 21:23) 

•So they must work quickly.

Then in v43 a new person is introduced in Mark’s Gospel: Joseph of Arimathea.

•We don’t know anything about him from Scripture aside from the Gospel records of what he does here.

•Matthew 27:57 tells us that Joseph was rich.

He was very well off.

•And that fits with what Mark tells us about him being “a respected member of the council.”

•The council Mark refers to is the Sanhedrin.

Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin.

The same religious ruling body that succeeding in having Jesus killed.

•But Luke 23:50-51 tells us that Joseph was “a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action…” 

•Joseph, along with Nicodemus, were the only two members of the Sanhedrin (that we know of) who objected to the condemnation of Jesus.

•And that makes sense because John 19:39 and Matthew 27:57 both tell us that Joseph was a disciple of Jesus.

•He was a secret disciple because he feared the Jews.

But he was a disciple.

He believed that Jesus is the Messiah.

•Joseph was a believer.

No doubt he didn’t understand that Jesus would rise from the dead (none of them did).