Learning Jesus | Week 44
Final Humiliation|First Exaltation
Lesson 44 >> Key Word – buried >> Central Passages – Days 1-2
Best engagement = complete all five days at home. Next best = Read Days 1-2 & complete Day 5 to prep for group.
Day 1 – The unbroken lamb, the unleavened bread, hung as our Substitute.
Background Information – The Day of Preparation started at sundown on Thursday and concluded at sundown on Friday. The Jews were cooking and cleaning to prepare for the celebration of the Sabbath as well as doing whatever work would normally be done on Saturday. They also engaged in spiritual purification. John called that Sabbth a “high day” because on that same day the Jews were also celebrating the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread; both the first and seventh day of this feast are holy days. This feast commemorated the haste, the urgency with which the Israelites fled Egypt. The need to flee was so great that the people could not wait for their bread to rise, so yeast was not added to their bread mixture. From this point on in Israel’s history, yeast was symbolic for sin; the absence of yeast represented spiritual purity.
In accordance with Deuteronomy, a criminal who hung on a tree would not be exposed all night because he was cursed by God and to leave him exposed would defile the land God gave Israel (21:22-23). If at all possible, therefore, the Jews would not leave a dead body exposed on the Sabbath, let alone a high day.
Of course, Rome would not allow the Jews to remove the body of someone who was still alive, so to hasten the death of criminals on the Day of Preparation, soldiers broke their legs. Since they could no longer push against the footrest to draw breath, they died quickly of suffocation.
Read John 19:31-37.
1. Jesus has died and Sabbath is about to begin, not just any Sabbath but the first day of the Feast of Unleavened bread, a “high” day.
Why is it so fitting that Jesus will be buried as the Day of Preparation is ending and the Feast of Unleavened bread is beginning? Consider how Jesus is like unleavened bread.
2. Before a criminal hung on a tree, he was executed. Then his body was hung so that his shame would be visible to all and so that all who saw him would refrain from sinning themselves.
Read Galatians 3:10-14 to see how Paul developed a Christological argument from the Deuteronomy teaching “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.”
o What is Paul saying about Jesus and about us?
o In keeping with the law, Jesus was removed from the tree before sundown. What significance do you see in that as it applies to our Savior, the one who hung on the tree as our Substitute?
Background Information – Medically, the blood with water suggests that Jesus’ heart penetrated by the spear resulted in collected fluids between the muscle and the pericardium to pour out. This confirmed to the soldiers that He was indeed dead and could be removed from the cross.
Spiritually, we have other details to consider: The lamb that was sacrificed at Passover could not have any broken bones (Exodus 12:46). Once again we see that Jesus fulfilled God’s demands for a perfect Lamb to be laid upon the altar (Psalm 34:20). Sometimes the epistles (letters) help us to understand the significance of a biblical story. John, an eye witness to Jesus’ crucifixion, wrote three epistles. Of the blood and water which flowed from Jesus’ side, John says these in conjunction with the Holy Spirit testify that Jesus died and that His death purchased eternal life for us (1 John 5:6-12).
Read 1 John 5:6-12.
3. Remember of all the gospel writers, John most emphasized that Jesus controlled the timing of His death. He put His head down and then He surrendered His spirit. Review all of today’s texts and background information.
How do we see again in John’s gospel and in his epistle that Jesus holds life and death in His hands?
Day 2 – Final Humiliation|First Exaltation
Background Information – As we have engaged in Learning Jesus, you may have wondered if any of the Pharisees or Sanhedrin Council were Learning Jesus was the promised Messiah. Today’s texts compiled from three different gospels feature two: Joseph of Arimathea and our old friend Nicodemus. Nic was the one Jesus chastised for not understanding what it meant to be born again even though he was a teacher of teachers (John 3:1-15). Joseph is fleshed out with greater details in today’s texts since he requested the body of Christ.
To review what we learned about Nicodemus go to Lesson 3 Day 4 of Learning Jesus -- http://gracelaredo.org/learningjesus
Luke 23:50-51
And a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council, a good and righteous man 51 (he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for the kingdom of God.
Mark 15:42-46
4When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. 45 And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.
1. Underline in the texts above what Scripture directly tells us about Joseph.
In literature, authors reveal their character’s hearts with their Saying, Thinking, Effect on others, Actions, and Looks. S.T.E.A.L. is a helpful acronym for determining if a character is a good guy or a bad guy. Does he steal your heart or not? Scripture rarely describes a person’s looks, but we can infer that Joseph dressed in attire befitting a rich man. So imagine him standing before Pilate. We don’t know his exact words, but he was a member of the Sanhedrin, so likely well-spoken. We can infer from the text what he was thinking to some degree and imagine his effect on Pilate.
Put together what you read in Scripture; make some solid inferences and consider – How does Joseph steal your heart as a fellow disciple? How would he captivate Jesus’ heart?
Background Information – That Pilate was willing to release Jesus’ body to be given the dignity of a tomb indicates that he did not consider Jesus guilty of the treason charge. On the subject of tombs, D.A. Carson says in his commentary on Matthew: "Tombs were of various kinds. Many were sealed with some sort of boulder wedged into place to discourage wild animals and grave robbers. But an expensive tomb consisted of an antechamber hewn out of the rock face, with a low passage (cf. 'bent over,' John 20:5, 11) leading into the burial chamber that was sealed with a cut, disk-shaped stone that rolled in a slot cut into the rock. The slot was on an incline, making the grave easy to seal but difficult to open: several men might be needed to roll the stone back up the incline."
Read John 19:38-42.
Background Information – Read Isaiah 53:9, a Messianic prophecy about Jesus’ death and burial: “His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth.” This was fulfilled when Jesus was hung between two criminals and buried in Joseph’s tomb.
2. More characterization
o In Isaiah 53:9, how is each man, and especially the Messiah, characterized?
o How is the “other” criminal who hung on the cross with Jesus characterized in Luke 23?
But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
o How are Joseph and Nicodemus characterized in John 19:38-42?
Background Information – Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum sees the burial of the Messiah in a rich man’s tomb in which no man had ever lain as the beginning of His exaltation.
3. Reflect on what you learned about the men listed in Q2 who encountered the Son of God. What is it about Christ that disarms & transforms a rebel, a rich man, and a righteous teacher? aka - how does Jesus S.T.E.A.L. hearts?Consider when Joseph and Nicodemus committed to bury Christ, what of their “old self” did they bury with Him?
Days 3 and 4 – Jesus’ tomb is noted and guarded.
Background Information – Because Jesus was laid out so quickly on the Day of Preparation, the women noted where His body was laid so that they could return to do the anointing of the body after the Sabbath.
Read Matthew 27:61; Luke 23:55-56.
Write down any support you see in those texts that would help you answer this question so far –
How would you respond if someone claimed that Jesus did not rise from the dead because what happened is ... the women who went to embalm Jesus went to the wrong tomb?
Read Matthew 27:62-66.
Background Information – Jesus is referred to as “that deceiver” instead of His name. Avoiding an enemy’s name in order to convey contempt is a typical Jewish practice. To this day, Jesus is still called Yeshu by Jews who reject Him as the Messiah. In the Hebrew, this name is a three-letter acronym meaning “May his name and memory be blotted out.” He is also called “the hanged man” to convey that He is accursed.
Some commentators state that Pilate did provide Roman soldiers to guard the tomb. If this were the case, these soldiers would be sure to remain awake because the penalty for falling asleep was death. The penalty for breaking a Roman seal placed on a tomb was also death. Other commentators interpret Pilate’s “You have a guard” as being said sarcastically. The Jews did have their own police and guards, so with this interpretation, the Jews obtained permission to seal the tomb and to provide guards. Remember the chief priests were Sadducees and this group did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, but the Pharisees did. When Jesus does rise from the dead, their response will reveal them.
2. What ironies (unexpected words or events) do you see in Matthew 27:62-66?
3. So far, how would you respond if someone claimed that Jesus did not rise from the dead because what happened is ... the disciples conspired and then stole Jesus’ body from the tomb?
Background Information – Have you ever wondered why Genesis 1 uses the phrasing “And there was evening and there was morning, one day” to conclude God’s “creation of the day” for each of the six days? We think of a day beginning when the sun rises, but the Jews considered dawn to be after sunset. So Sabbath officially began on Friday after three stars appeared in the sky and ended on Saturday after sunset when three stars were visible in the sky. This time is their “dawning of a new day.” After sunset on Saturday, then, the Jews could rise and work and shop.
Read Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1.
4. What further evidence do you have for this question –
How would you respond if someone claimed that Jesus did not rise from the dead because what happened is ... the women who went to embalm Jesus went to the wrong tomb?
Day 5 – What are the implications of Jesus’ burial in the believer’s life?
Pastor Chad, a former lead pastor at Grace, said in a sermon: “Sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” I never forgot the idea of this quote, but I did forget the specific wording. So I recently asked him for that and if the quote was an original. He said that he heard it in seminary but that it “probably goes all the way back to Adam.”
Sin not only takes you further, keeps you longer, and costs you more, it takes US. “...sin came into the world through one man [Adam] and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). Sin in the garden of Eden led to death for all. After Adam sinned, all created from dust returned to dust because death requires the finality of burial.
1. The burial of the Messiah is essential to the gospel: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Why does Paul include the burial of the Messiah with Jesus’ death and resurrection as being of first importance? In other words, why is it part of what we believe when we trust the good news of the gospel?
We do not want to go, to stay, or to pay, but Jesus was willing to be humiliated as our representative and substitute. Jesus’ humiliation began with His incarnation, the taking on of sinful flesh, and ended with His death on a cross and burial in the earth. His exaltation begins with being buried in a new tomb, one in which no man had ever laid, a rich man’s tomb. Read Romans 6:4 below and think about the implications of Jesus burial in your life.
Memory Verse – Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life — Romans 6:4
2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Spend time mourning sin’s effects.
o Reflect broadly on what Adam’s sin wrought in the world you live in, with the people you love, and in your own life.
o If you have trusted in Christ for your salvation, then you are in union with Him. You died to sin. Sin has no relationship hold on you; you do not HAVE to sin because you were baptized by Christ into the Holy Spirit. But sin is still present because you will battle your sin nature until you physically die. Reflect narrowly on what sin is taking you farther than you want to go, keeping you longer than you want to stay, and costing you more than you want to pay. Consider in your answer your sin’s effect on your relationship with God and on others.
o Imagine the humiliation of being buried, never to rise again. You will never experience that humiliation if you are in Christ. You will rise one day, and by readily confessing sin every day until that day, you put on the new self of Christ (Eph 4:24) and live in victory. This battle is won through confession. Enjoy a time of confessing your sins before the Lord. He is faithful to forgive all who are His (1 John 1:9).
3. Two ways we proclaim the burial of Christ and the finality of sin’s reign over US.
Jesus is our only comfort in life and in death: “For as through the one man’s [Adam’s] disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). Two proper responses to our union in Christ Jesus, our Representative Substitute, is to identify with Him in baptism and to remember Him through the Lord’s Supper.And not coincidentally, Jesus commanded we practice these ordinances. Reading the Deep Think below may help you with these questions:
How did making the gospel visible by being baptized comfort you?* How did your baptism comfort your church family?
How does taking the bread and cup in communion comfort you? How does celebrating community together as a church family comfort us?
*At Grace, as we baptize/immerse a believer in water, we will say something like, “Buried with Him in His death...” and then as we raise the baptized from the water, we will say “...and raised to walk in new life” (Romans 6:4). If you are a believer and desire to be baptized at Grace Bible Church, contact Brenda Robles brobles@gracelaredo.org.
Deep Think (Optional)
Through His incarnation and as our Messianic King and High Priest, Jesus is our representation in righteousness because only He obeyed the Law perfectly (Heb 4:15; Rom 5:18-19). When Jesus was on the cross, God placed the wrath due us according to His law upon His sinless Son as our Substitute; He died for us, and God’s justice was satisfied (Heb 2:16-17). Only our Representative Substitute could cause this effect in God, an effect God initiated with no obligation to do so; for nothing is impossible with God (Rom 5:8-11; Matt 19:25-26).
To affirm and nourish each member of His Church, Jesus commanded believers to be baptized and to celebrate the Lord’s Supper (Matt 28:19; Luke 22:19). When a sinner becomes a saint through the regenerating invisible touch of the Spirit, she makes visible Jesus’ ministry of reconciliation when she obeys His command to be baptized (Acts 10:44-48; 2 Cor 5:18-19). In Christ she dies and is buried, immersed in water, and in Christ she is risen, rising from water to new life (Rom 6:3-4; Gal 3:27). At His last Passover, Jesus, the perfect Lamb, pictured eternal life through His death, burial, and resurrection by commanding His believing eleven to eat the unleavened bread and drink from the cup of redemption (John 1:29; 6:53; Luke 22:19-20). Local churches of believers remember Jesus’ blood purchased us (Acts 20:28) and that His redeeming work makes us one (1 Cor 10:17).
REFLECTION Questions for Group
1. Share anything that impacted you in your Day 5 Reflection.
2. Jesus’ burial showed that He really died. How do we show through “burial” that we have really died to self and live for Christ? Here’s a hint: Jesus was buried in a garden and gardens bear __________.
We’ve been focusing on one row of our Journey of a Disciple chart per week these past lessons. Review the chart row 4 below and discuss with your group the fruit that we yield as we are in process of becoming more and more like Christ. Consider how the criminal who asked Jesus to remember him, how Joseph of Arimathea, and how Nicodemus – all disciples of Christ – might fit on this chart. Remember “Come See” is for seekers or new believers.
3. Sing God’s praises together by sharing stories of victory, of sin dead and buried, of fruit that you are yielding through dependence on Christ. Consider this to be your “closing in prayer.”
COMMUNITY GROUP TIME
• Discuss the Central Passage questions. (This week that is Days 1-2.)
• Is anyone able to recite Romans 6:4?
• Discuss Reflection Questions.
• Close in prayer.
God’s joy and strength to you,
kpaulson@gracelaredo.org