Mark 15:46 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.

NASB: Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb which had been cut out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.

CSB: After he bought some linen cloth, Joseph took him down and wrapped him in the linen. Then he laid him in a tomb cut out of the rock and rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb.

NLT: Joseph bought a long sheet of linen cloth. Then he took Jesus’ body down from the cross, wrapped it in the cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone in front of the entrance.

KJV: And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulcher which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulcher.

NKJV: Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.

The cave where Joseph places Jesus is Joseph's own (Matthew 27:60). Burial practices in the area require the body to lay in a tomb for a year until the flesh is gone from the bones. The bones are then placed in a permanent grave, often in a stone box or ossuary. Joseph carved the tomb out of the stone—more likely had workers do so—and it has never been used (John 19:41).

Mark mentions Joseph and the linen shroud. John adds that Nicodemus brings "a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight" (John 19:39). John also says they bury Jesus in the "burial custom of the Jews" (John 19:40). This would include washing Jesus' body before wrapping it in linen. There is a foolish conspiracy theory that states Mary Magdalene must be Jesus' wife because she would not have otherwise gone to the tomb to properly prepare His body for burial. That is, she wouldn't have washed it if this was not her husband. John, however, suggests that the men wash Jesus' body before wrapping it. The women merely come to honor Jesus with more burial spices than those Nicodemus can quickly arrange.

For this night, the stone over the entry suffices to seal the tomb. The next morning, the chief priests and Pharisees will approach Pilate and ask for one more favor (Matthew 27:62–66). They remember that Jesus promised He would rise from the dead (John 2:19). Although they don't believe it, they fear His disciples will steal His body and claim the empty tomb proves His resurrection. So the Jewish leaders ask Pilate to seal the stone and set guards over the tomb. The process of sealing would have involved wrapping a cord where the stone meets the rock face and covering the crack with wax. It would be impossible to get into the tomb without breaking the wax seal.

Of course, the disciples don't open the tomb, but three days later, the stone is rolled away and Jesus is gone (Mark 16:1–4). The guards have failed (Matthew 28:1–15). The women who have come to complete the burial procedure are met with an earthquake and an angel which frighten the guards into blacking out. When the guards finally regain their wits, they report what they have seen to the chief priests. The chief priests confer with the elders and decide to bribe the soldiers into claiming they fell asleep and the disciples took Jesus' body. Why Pilate apparently didn't execute the soldiers for dereliction of duty is uncertain. Possibly, it's because their lie also covered Pilate's inability to keep a dead man buried.

Mark 15:42–47 occurs after Jesus has died, after six hours on the cross. His death is confirmed by a soldier who pierces His side with a spear, allowing blood and water to drain out onto the ground (John 19:33–34). Roman tradition would be to leave His body on the cross to be food for the birds, especially since He was technically crucified for treason. But Jewish law states leaving a hanged man overnight is a curse on the land (Deuteronomy 21:22–23), and a secret disciple has an unused tomb nearby. Jesus' burial is also recorded in Matthew 27:57–61, Luke 23:50–56, and John 19:38–42.

After sham trials, Jesus is taken to the local Roman governor, Pilate. This is the only person in Jerusalem with the legal authority to have Jesus executed. Pilate is not fooled, and he attempts to arrange for Jesus' release. But the ruler's ploys fail, in part because Jesus will not defend Himself, and partly because the mob is intent on His death. Pilate offers a prisoner exchange in Barabbas, and even has Jesus brutally beaten in order to pacify the crowd. Eventually, he caves in and Jesus is crucified. Thanks to His prior abuse, Jesus survives only a few hours on the cross before dying. Jesus is then buried in a tomb belonging to a secret follower among the Jerusalem council.

After being unfairly judged, Jesus will now be unfairly sentenced and cruelly murdered. It's reasonable to say this chapter provides context for everything else contained in the Bible. From Adam and Eve until the last baby born in the millennial kingdom, every person other than Christ is stained with sin. Conscience, law, Jesus' direct leadership, even the indwelling of the Holy Spirit cannot keep us from sinning. Sinless Jesus had to die on the cross, sacrificing Himself in our place, so our sins could be forgiven and we could be reconciled to God. Beneath the violence, darkness, dishonor, and death is the love of God for all mankind (John 3:16). Jesus' crucifixion is also found in Matthew 27, Luke 23, and John 19. The next chapter describes the miracle of His resurrection.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.