What really happened to the body of Jesus? The
answer to this question is of vital importance.
It was the day of preparation, the day before the feast of the Passover when Jesus died. According to the Hebrew law, no executions were to take place on holy days. So the religious leaders came and asked the governor to break the legs of those who were crucified to ensure a quicker death.
Now it should be noted that it was difficult to breathe while hanging on a cross. They had to push up with their feet to keep the air flowing, so when a prisoner's legs were broken, the man could no longer push up and that would usually cause the victim to die from suffocation.
Pilate ordered the centurion to do as the Jewish leaders had requested.
So the soldiers broke the legs of the two thieves, but when they came to Jesus, he had already expired. So to make absolutely certain that he was dead, they thrust a lance into his side. We are told both blood and water came from that spear wound. (Mark 15:42; John 19:31-37). So Jesus was dead.
Then Joseph of Arimathea (who was a religious leader who secretly followed Jesus out of fear of the priests), went to the Roman governor and boldly asked for permission to take the body and prepare it for burial.
"Is he dead already?" asked Pilate. When Joseph confirmed it, Pilate called the centurion. "Has Jesus been dead for some time?"
"Yes, your excellency. He died several hours ago."
"You may take the body then," Pilate told Joseph.
It was getting late in the afternoon when both Joseph and Nicodemus (another Jewish leader who followed Jesus) took the body from the cross. They laid him in a tomb which Joseph owned. It was a new tomb, hewn out of solid rock, located near the scene of the crucifixion.
Working quickly to finish before the sun went down and the festival began, they wrapped Jesus' body in several clean linen cloths. As is the burial custom of the Jews of that day, they anointed the body with a mixture of myrrh and aloes probably weighing about 75 pounds. Then they rolled a large stone over the entrance to the tomb. Several women who had been at the crucifixion watched to see where they put the body. (Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:43-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42).
The next day was Friday, the Passover Sabbath. In A.D. 30, the Passover fell on Friday. As Saturday is the normal Sabbath, there were two "Sabbaths" in a row that weekend. (Roger Rusk, "The Day He Died," Christianity Today, March 29, 1974, pp. 4-6. See Day He Died).
The chief priests visited the governor after the prophet's death.
"We remember that impostor claimed while he was alive, 'After three days I will arise.' Therefore, command that the grave be made secure until the third day after the crucifixion to keep his disciples from coming in the night to steal the body and declaring, 'He has risen from the dead.'"
"You have your guard," replied the governor. "Make it as secure as you can."
So the priests went to the tomb, placed a seal on the stone in front of the sepulchre to prevent anyone from tampering with the grave, and left a guard of Roman soldiers at the site. (Matthew 27:62-66).
But on Sunday morning, three days after the execution, the tomb was empty. The stone had been moved, and the body was gone. The grave clothes were still in the tomb, flattened as if the body had evaporated. The handkerchief which had covered the face was lying to one side.
This article is part of the complete book, Jesus from Nazareth: The Liberator. Check out the whole book. Also take a look at other Seeker Articles at Fresh Light Source.
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