Jesus, the Lamb of God (John 19b)*

John 19:16-42

Key Verse - “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:30).

Introduction: Jesus was sentenced to be crucified, according to the high priests’ desires and the Roman procurator, Pilate’s, approval. From this point on, the soldiers took charge of him and crucified him on the cross. John saw something particular about the whole process of Jesus’ crucifixion, death, and burial. The book of John is called the Book of Signs and the Book of Passion. C.H. Dodd called the Passion of Christ the supreme sign. A sign signifies or conveys a specific meaning(s) or a message(s), which are not apparent in what is visible. On each scene, John noted that each of these events was a sign that conveyed what Jesus meant by his life-giving sacrifice, and what we are to do as we follow him as our Lord, making the ultimate truth, that Jesus is the Lamb of God, known.

A.      Though Jesus was the king of the Jews, he carried the cross with a willing heart. In this willingness, he sustained his life until all the Scriptures were fulfilled, and then he willingly gave up his spirit (16-17).  

B.      Jesus was impaled to the cross. From the time when he was handed over to the soldiers, he was nothing but a body, condemned to death. He let this happen. The one who was impaled to the cross was none other than the King of the Jews (18-22).

C.      Jesus was stripped of his garments and crucified as a man of flesh (23-24). God willed this to happen in order to impart His holiness to sinners, including the Roman soldier.

D.      through his life-giving death, Jesus bore a true son, John, and provided for his widowed and helpless mother (25-27).

E.       Jesus suffered and died as the Lamb of God (28-42)

A.      The King of Jews, Jesus, carried his cross (16-18)

Execution by crucifixion was well known to the Jews and Romans of that time, because the Roman Empire executed hundreds or even thousands, by this method. Carrying the crossbar would heighten one’s mind to the vivid suffering awaiting them on the cross and may stir up an intense aura of fear and anxiety. However, John said, ‘carrying his own cross’ (NASB - ‘bearing his own cross’). This is somewhat odd, considering that Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry Jesus’ cross for him.

On that early morning, from his will to give his life, he moved forward and revealed who he was, just as the dispatchers from the high priest were searching for him. This will to give his life, even through such suffering as a crucifixion, was clearly demonstrated throughout the period of time between his arrest and crucifixion. John, knowing that Simon of Cyrene was forced by the soldiers to carry the cross (Mark 15:21), stated that Jesus carried his own cross, implying that Jesus took the cross upon himself with a willing heart. With such a clear willingness to carry his cross, Jesus walked toward Golgotha with the crossbar on his shoulders. It is estimated that the crossbar was about 1000 feet (330 yards) long. However, along the way, it became obvious to the soldiers that he could not carry it all the way to the place of crucifixion. So, they forced a man named Simon from Cyrene to carry Jesus’ cross. Even with such a clear will to carry the cross, Jesus was weak in his body, having the same kind of body that we have. About carrying the cross, Jesus taught this to his followers:

“Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me…Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Matthew 10:38; 16:24).

If anyone wants to be Jesus’ disciples, then taking up their cross and following him is a must. However, being shadowed by the message that we are only saved by God’s grace in Christ, carrying our cross is seldom considered or taught; this message is grossly overlooked.

Salvation by grace is good and true. We all want to experience that grace and enjoy it, but under it, many neglect Jesus’ command to follow him in his suffering. This requires an unseen effort to overcome the human tendency to escape any pain in life. However, Jesus took his cross with a willing heart, for this was the way to life and to give eternal life for many. When we have that same willingness, suffering and pain are much easier to bear and overcome. Now, the motto for these generations is to take it easy, enjoy life, and avoid all pain if possible, for ‘we deserve’ and have a right to do so. The thing is that, the more we try to escape pain and suffering, the more we will suffer. The truth of life, in addition to its value and power, is found in suffering and pain. What is the nature or source of pain? God told Adam and Eve:

“To Adam, he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life… By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." (Gen 3:17, 19 NIV).

It is the sins men have committed against God that bring suffering and pain. In other words, the whole human race is under this predicament, whereby pain and suffering are a part of life. This drives all mankind to try to escape pain and suffering. The obvious and most prominent result of such efforts is enslaving others for one’s own benefit. This can be demonstrated between a king and his people, the strong and the weak, the smart and the naïve, the rich and the poor, and lastly between men and women. Being willing to suffer for others and to give one’s life for theirs is the antithesis to this human desire. No one even considers such a life as a truthful living, but, here, Jesus showed the true way of life; he took up his with a willing heart. In his will to save mankind, he walked to Golgotha, where he was crucified.

What is the will that governs our heart and mind? If any of our decisions or efforts are geared towards unburdening our pain at others’ expense, then surely, we know that we are not walking with Jesus! Such a walk is the same as those in the world, who will surely perish under God’s judgment.

However, the Gospel of Mark noted something about Jesus’ journey before he reached Golgotha.

“A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.” (Mark 15:21 NIV).

Most likely, by this time, Jesus had been beaten so much that he was too weak to carry the cross. In other words, his body was too weak to carry the cross, and it had to be carried by someone else. Here, the chosen person was Simon of Cyrene.

The burden of sin is death. During his trial, Jesus was already beaten so much. The burden of sin was very heavy upon him; practically speaking, it was so heavy that he could not carry the cross to Golgotha, which was about one thousand feet away from the governor’s mansion. Jesus expressed it this way, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:38 NIV). No one of the flesh who is living in sin could bear this burden, for the full burden of sin is death. However, it is possible to overcome, as it was with Jesus. Paul spoke of sharing the burden of sin:

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” (Romans 8:17 NIV).

“I want to know Christ--yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10-11).

Jesus pointed to the necessity for his followers to share this suffering when he commanded them to love each other as he was washing his disciples’ feet (John 15:12). As he washed their dirty feet, they must also do the same for each other, meaning they were to bear the burdens created by the outcome of fellow believers’ sins, including those of each other. No flesh can bear the burden of sin all by himself or herself.

As we can see from Romans 8:17, sharing in Christ’s suffering is not a part of or a process of being his children, but is essential for his children to experience the kind of life the Father had promised them through faith. When pain and suffering come to you, don’t try to escape it or be afraid; instead, take it up and carry it. Your loved ones will share the burden and help you move along. Jesus had a clear will to go to Golgotha; we must learn from him.  

B.      Jesus, the king of the Jews. was nailed to the cross (19-22)

At Golgotha, the Romans crucified three men, Jesus in the middle and one criminal on either side of him. Here, we are to consider three things: 1) what was crucifixion?, 2) Jesus was one of the three criminals, and 3) Jesus was the king of the Jews.

The Romans used crucifixion as a mean to execute many rebellious people from among her colonies. It was to display the Roman Empire’s power and authority, and to subdue the spirit of all those who acted against their might. When we look at a crucifixion, the most striking feature is the impalement of one’s body. Roman crucifixion did not involve the impalement of one’s heart, but rather of the four extremities, both hands, and both feet. When one is impaled through one’s body or heart, they will die immediately; however, when one’s extremities are impaled, they can survive for many hours, or even days. Therefore, for those many hours, they are free to think and say anything (i.e. shout, cry, curse, or anything else he wanted to say while experiencing such immense pain. No matter how much they struggled, they could not move their body even an inch. In this way, their will and spirit must eventually succumb to the limitations of the body. The spirit of one’s mind and heart are totally curtailed, controlled, and subdued into accepting the fact that the body has been impaled. However, crucifixion could not effect one’s mind and spirit. The victim must go through intense pain and anguish as their body was nailed to the cross. By impaling one’s body, the Romans also wanted to control their mind and spirit as well.

Jesus had already made the decision to give his body as the payment for the sins of men, in accordance with God his Father’s will. Therefore, no matter what these officials did to him, his spirit and mind remained undeterred, even under such intense pain and anguish, for his spirit was with the Lord. The world makes continual all-out efforts to control our mind and spirit by impaling our bodies with their nails. We must not follow our fleshly needs. Instead, we must give up our needs in order to follow God’s Spirit, just as Jesus demonstrated on the cross. Paul also taught this idea in the following passages:

“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6 NIV).

“All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.” (Ephesians 2:3 NIV).

“I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.” (1 Corinthians 15:50 NIV).

While we were under the power of sin, our spirit and mind are controlled by our flesh’s needs and desires. The mind and spirit which are controlled by the flesh must give up the flesh and all its prevailing demands for life, because these will surely lead to death. Therefore, the mind and spirit must choose a new source of life, God. Crucifixion forced one to seek God and His spirit as that new source of life. In this regard, it is very fitting that, when Jesus died, he gave up the spirit and entrusted his life to God’s hands. Partaking in the truth of Jesus is to learn how he gave up his body and its demands and gave up his own spirit into God’s hands, as the source of real life.

Second, Jesus was crucified along with two criminals. One of them said this:

“But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." (Luke 23:40-41 NIV).

It appeared that Jesus was one of the criminals  since he was hung along with the other two. These two men deserved such punishment, but Jesus had not done anything wrong and yet he was included as one of them, suffering the same sentence. This was the Jewish high priests’ ploy to falsify the fact that Jesus was the Son of God, the King of the Jews. Yet, this ploy focused on only part of the truth - that Jesus, although he was the king, took upon himself the false charges, by being willing to even be counted as one of those who had committed a crime worthy of the death penalty. Walking with Christ is to dare to be counted as wrong by many, even though we may be innocent in God’s eyes. Actually, we are absolutely right and just in our preaching of the cross of Jesus; however, the world will do all it can to bring charges against us, viewing us as those who are worthy of death. Having the willingness or the daring spirit to stand along with the criminals is of the Spirit of Christ, and we are to dare to follow that spirit as we walk along with him.

Third, Pilate prepared and fastened a notice onto Jesus’ cross. In the passage, this sentence strongly suggests that Pilate wrote this personally and made sure that it was posted on the cross. For Pilate, it was so important to let the people of the world know that the King of the Jews was being crucified because of his treason against Rome. However, the chief priests protested this act, saying that he only claimed to be the King of the Jews. Men’s minds run after their own thinking to protect their own righteousness and wellbeing. The high priests ran with these efforts out of their flawed way of thinking. Pilate also acted under his own thinking.

Between these two conflicts, the truth survived; history speaks the truth and it is of God. The world came to know that “Jesus is the king of the Jews”. This notice was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek. It was a loud public announcement; Jesus, the crucified, is the King of the Jews. Even now, many people of the world ponder this notice and question themselves: if Jesus was the king of the Jews, then how could they kill their own king? How did God’s chief priests let this happen to His chosen king? Furthermore, how did the King of so much power let this happen to himself?

C.      Jesus’ garments were removed and he was crucified as a man of flesh (23-24).

John elaborately wrote about the details of what the soldiers did with Jesus’ clothes more than any of the other synoptic Gospels. They took off his outer garment, which was one seamless piece of material. The soldiers took this off him, leaving him bare. When we go to a swimming pool, we only wear our swimming trunks. It’s hard to know what kind of person each of those is whom we see in swimming trunks. We only see and know each person’s physique - fat, thin, massive, well-built, thin, or cachectic; we only see their fleshly body. When Jesus wore his outer garment, it was a symbol of his purity and sinlessness as the Son of God. When this was taken off him, he was just a man of flesh, as any of us are.

Once before, Jesus had taken off his outer garment, just before he washed his disciples’ feet. Even though he was their teacher, master, and Lord, he took off that authority, just as he took off his mantle, and, as a fellow man of flesh, he washed their feet.

History also gives us another similar event. Jacob made an ornamental garment for his son, Joseph, because he saw in him what was right and godly. His brothers became jealous of Joseph’s honored status in the eyes of their father, Jacob. Out of this jealousy, they took off his garment and put him in a dry cistern, barely clothed with an undergarment. They stained this garment with animal blood and showed it to their father, who thought that Joseph was dead. However, God had raised him to be the Prime Minister of Egypt. When his brothers met Joseph again in Egypt, they were shocked to see that he was wearing a garment of power and glory. Joseph was the shadow of Christ. In this shadow, what happened to the garment gives us a clear insight on what Christ’s life would later reveal.

Likewise, when the soldiers took off his garment, Jesus became just like a man of flesh. He gave his life on the cross for us all. He was the Son of God and had power and authority to rule as the King; however, for our sake, he let the sinners to remove his authority and power in order to assume the form of a sinful man and let the soldiers crucify him. However, God restored him to the power and glory that he had before, as was the case with Joseph.

Many of us have various achievements: some as renowned scientists, politicians, successful businessmen, journalists, doctors, professors, and so on. We all walk around with an invisible, yet prideful, a garment of our own making, but underneath these garments, we are flesh and shall perish in time. These garments are a great hindrance to our ability to kill the flesh. As we walk along with Christ, we must remember him, hung on the cross without the seamless garment.

Jesus’ body was given as the sacrifice for men’s sins. He was like the lamb offered at Passover. He was like the burnt offering that God demanded of His people, Israel, as the condition for their ability to approach and honor Him (Exodus 20:24). The Apostle Paul noted this very clearly:

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1-3).

Though he was the Son of God, he died, just like a man of sinful flesh, so as to impart his grace to all sinners and to reveal the way of life. Up until now, we have lived according to the needs of our bodies; those needs are utterly of the earth. However, by subjecting our body to the Father’s will, we follow Jesus and are imparted with the power of love, which Jesus demonstrated through his crucifixion.

When the soldiers took off his garments, they did not want to tear them, but rather distribute them equally among themselves. Instead, they cast lots to find out who would receive that garment. The lot fell on one of the four soldiers, who probably took it home and wore it. It is easily imaginable that he was very happy and proud of that garment, for it had been worn by the king of the Jews. Remember, ‘seamless’ here symbolized Jesus’ sinless and purity as the Son of God. The soldier, obviously a Roman, whom God chose, then received this garment and wore it for his own pride and happiness. This is also an ample allusion to the fact that, by his death, Jesus imparted his ‘righteousness’ even to a sinner, a Roman soldier, who was likely totally ignorant of God and His grace.  

D.      By his life-giving death, Jesus provided a true son, John, as a new redeemer for Mary(25-27)

“Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, "Woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.” (John 19:25-27).

Four women stood beside the cross. None of the Gospels describe the disciples’ whereabouts during this time, except for John in this book. Here, John’s presence is unique, and his heart was fully in accordance with Jesus’ present suffering; he stood near the cross with love and compassion.

These women were more gripped with sorrow, rather than fear. In other words, unlike the runaway disciples, empathy or compassion in love and truth overwhelmed their hearts and minds; there was no room for the fear of death. Their minds and hearts all died along with Christ, as he was being nailed and shedding his blood (Romans 6:6). Among the disciples, only John’s presence is recorded in all four gospels. There is a hint that John might be the only one who sensed Jesus’ pending resurrection (20:8)

For Mary, Jesus’ mother, his death bore an enormous effect; he was everything to her, worth more than all the rest of her children  since she knew who he was and had seen so many miraculous works. Since none of her other children had accepted or accompanied Jesus, and her husband had died earlier, she would be like a widowed woman, having no husband and no children, as Jesus was dying on the cross. At the foot of the cross, she was all alone. She looked like Naomi, who had confessed,

"Don't call me Naomi, " she told them. "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me." (Ruth 1:20-21 NIV).

Just as Naomi’s life reflected Israel’s condition of total spiritual bankruptcy under the law, so also Mary who had put all of her hope in her son, Jesus. In other words, Mary faced the bankruptcy of her life, as well as her faith. Who could fill Jesus’ place in her life? At this time of the utter distress, Jesus gave her a son, in his place. He told her, “Woman, here is your son”. In those days, a son was a mother’s security for life, and was her eternal inheritance, like a redeemer, as seen with Ruth’s son, Obed, who filled this role for Naomi. John would be her real son and would care for her for the rest of her life. Here, we see Jesus’ care for his people, both for his disciples as well as for families. Jesus gave himself as the redeeming sacrifice so that John could live and so that he might be Mary’s caretaker. John was to obey Jesus’ command, to “love each other”, especially during life’s darkest hours.

This was the hour when death’s power ruled. However, in such time as this, the ones who see the light of life, in the power of Christ’s resurrection, shine. Only in the Gospel of John, is there a positive hint that some disciples believed in Jesus’ resurrection (16:31b; possibly Mark 10:35-41). Here, there is a strong indication that John, himself, was one who believed. In this regard, he is Mary’s genuine son. If these four women’s predicament reflected Israel’s condition as a nation without hope, and Mary, Jesus’ mother, was the head of that group, then what Jesus did for Mary would bear an enormous significance for all of them. To Mary, Jesus said this and did not leave her unredeemed. By his death, John, a true son, born of God, was there with her, to care for her during her life’s journey.

These four women and John stood by Jesus as he hung on the cross; they saw his hands and legs nailed to the cross. They saw the blood trickling down from the sites where the nails pierced his flesh. They noticed the pain and agony visible in his face and body. They saw his breath was getting shallow; they saw the gush of water and blood as a soldier pierced his side with a spear. Being faced with these vivid pictures of Jesus’ suffering, they were forced to reexamine their thoughts, beliefs, and understandings of that time, so as to accommodate a place for these newly seen pictures of Jesus’ suffering. In Jesus’ body was an obvious and flagrant display of the religious leaders’ and Israelite people’s sins. How could they understand and reason in a coherent manner, particularly regarding Jesus’ power, truth, and his Father, God’s will and purpose? Was this God’s justice? Or His love? Neither of these two could quite explain what Jesus was going through!

E.       Jesus suffered and died as the Lamb of God (28-42)

I am thirsty (28-29)

While he was hung on the cross, Jesus’ physical strength quickly dissipated within minutes; he endured everything by the strength of his spirit. Knowing that all things were fulfilled, he said “I am thirty”. This statement is somewhat enigmatic; why did Jesus say this when he became cognizant of all the work that God required of him having been fulfilled? His pain, agony, and sorrow were not expressed here; they were held within himself. His words, “I am thirty,” were an emblematic statement of all that suffering, while simultaneously serving as a referent to the prophetic passages that spoke of the Messiah’s suffering. Though there are quite a number of Old Testament passages that speak of the Messiah’s sufferings, we will look at two of these: Psalms 22 and 69.

“My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.” (Psalm 22:15).

This is a Psalm of King David. The first part (22:1-10) describes that David felt that he was forsaken by God and cried out for His mercy, even while he was being scorned by people and mocked for his faith. In the second part of this passage (22:11-18), David lamented that his enemies were cruel like beasts. As a result, his strength was gone, his mouth was dry, his flesh was torn as his hands and feet were pierced, and he was approaching the brink of death. King David, the possessor of the Messianic promise, went through all of these trials in his life.

“Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none. They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.” (Psalm 69:20-21).

This too is a Psalm of David. As with Psalm 22, even though he was innocent, David was being attacked by enemies and had gotten into deep trouble in his life. They hated him for no reason; he was suffering because of his zeal for the Lord. Their insults were directed toward him; however, he was willing to accept this suffering for the Lord’s sake. God knew of their reproach and mistreatment of him, as people continued to give him gall, a bitter and poisonous food.

While suffering on the cross, Jesus, revealed the nature, cause, and extent of his suffering by uttering these words from prophecy. In these words, he indicted those who crucified him and called for God’s intervention on his behalf, expressing his confidence that God the Father was keenly aware of all these things. Simply, these two psalms speak of what went on in Jesus’ heart during his prayer toward God his father – the indictment of men’s sins and the call for redemption!

It is finished (30)

Jesus ended his life with the words, “It is finished”. He came into this world with a clear goal - to reveal the way to eternal life and to accomplish the promise of God’s salvation. For mankind’s salvation, two things must happen, the first and foremost of which is to appease God’s wrath upon man’s sin, so that man may not perish. This means to uphold God’s holiness and righteousness above all else.

“Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.” (Hebrews 7:27).

To appease God or to uphold His righteousness and holiness, we sinners must be sacrificed. God made this clear when He told Israel that anyone who comes to him must offer burnt offerings (Exodus 20:24). Jesus offered himself as that sacrifice to uphold God’s holy and righteous judgment. The next thing was for him to impart the credit which he had earned by his own offering to us sinners.

“And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10).

So, Jesus finished the suffering that God demanded as payment for men’s sins. The impartation of His grace to sinners is also well reflected in Jesus’ words, “I am thirsty”; the troubles that David, the bearer of this eternal promise and yet a sinner as we are, went through were like Jesus’. Jesus went through all those sufferings for our sake, and completed all the prophetic promises, according to the Scriptures, as noted in Psalm 22:15 and 69:20.

This is the completion of God’s revelation and His work to save the people of the world. No further work was yet to come, except for Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.

F.       Jesus shed his blood and died as King (31-42)

According to Mark, Jesus died at the ninth hour (3 pm). As the day was ending, the Jews wanted to bring down the bodies, for the next day was a holy day; they did not want the bodies to remain on the crosses. Thus, the Jewish leaders asked to have the victims’ legs broken to hasten their deaths. However, when the soldiers came to Jesus, he had already died; they confirmed this by piercing his side with a spear, producing a sudden gush of water and blood.

It seems that this all followed a natural course of events, but these two events spoke of his death being like that of a lamb sacrificed at Passover. God told Israel not to tear the lamb to fit the number of people in a family, but rather to gather the number of people together to fit the size of the lamb (Exodus 12:46). Also, they were to shed the lamb’s blood, and must apply it to their door frames, so that the angel of death might pass over their houses. At the beginning of the book of John, John the Baptist said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29b). He saw this truth and was certain that Jesus was the real sacrificial lamb that would take away men’s sins, once and for all.

As Jesus died, two men came out of darkness into the light. Joseph of Arimathea was one of Jesus’ disciples. He had remained in secret, but, as he saw Jesus’ death on the cross, he came out into the light and boldly asked for his body. As was the case with the four women who stood at the foot of the cross, he saw everything; Jesus was righteous, the Son of God, and yet he gave his life, shed all his blood, and gave up his spirit. The power of death in Jesus gave Joseph courage. The same was true for Nicodemus, who had visited Jesus at night. After witnessing Jesus’ death, he became bold as well. The death of the righteous gave him the courage to overcome death’s power. Much more so the death of the Son of God! Jesus’ death imparted a new light and strength for them to come out, unafraid for their own careers, honor, and even their life. They came together to embalm Jesus’ body with seventy pounds of a myrrh and aloe mixture and buried him in a new tomb. Seventy pounds of myrrh and aloe was an enormous amount, more than any ordinary family would or could afford to do so; only kings would be embalmed with such a large amount of expensive spices.

This means that these two, Joseph and Nicodemus, honored Jesus as the genuine king of the Jews. This was an unspoken act of allegiance to their king, Jesus, as the Lord, while defying the sentence passed by the Jewish leaders and their peers in the Sanhedrin. Jesus was hung as the King of the Jews and buried as the King of the Jews. The true king of the Jews gave his life for sinners, so he may save all. God accepted Jesus of Nazareth’s life-giving sacrifice as the lamb for sinners and upheld him as the king of the world. The death that has mastery over the sinfulness of our body has been done away with by Jesus’ death. In him, we have overcome death’s power. Amen!