The Burial of Jesus

The earthquake which followed the death of Jesus was a manifestation of God’s power, but the hearts of the ungodly Jewish leadership were harder than rock and they steadfastly refused to repent. The shaking was so violent that graves were opened and three days later some of these men and women would walk into Jerusalem testifying to the power of the Messiah!

Even a heathen Roman centurion was awed by the display of power and the way that Jesus died. A soldier stabbed a spear into Jesus’ rib cage to make sure He was dead and John witnessed blood and water spill out.

Joseph of Arimathaea was given permission to bury Jesus. Together with Nicodemus, they quickly got the body ready and put it into a new tomb because the next day was going to be the high Sabbath. The Jewish leadership requested a Roman guard be assigned to the tomb to ensure that the followers of Jesus did not steal the body and falsely claim that the God-man was resurrected. The effort would prove to be in vain.