How did Joseph of Arimathea, the prominent Jewish senator, know so quickly, that Jesus died? Maybe one of the women who attended the crucifixion ran to him and told him.
But why did she run to a member of the Council, and not to Peter and John? Because this prominent Joseph was a secret disciple of Jesus, who had retained his secret belief, in the hope that Jesus would be proclaimed and treated as the Messiah. Therefore, the women trusted him, and dared to seek his assistance (John 19:38).
How could Joseph honor Jesus, though he had joined in the voting of the council against Jesus? Maybe he was not present when the council convened. Maybe he was present, and he registered a dissenting vote. It is also probable that the old Jewish judgments that a deceiver was not considered as absolutely abandoned from the grace of God were also applicable to Jesus, and therefore the ruling of the seventy was not considered lawful unless two of them had voted for releasing him who was condemned. Maybe Joseph and Nicodemus voted for Jesus’ innocence giving their required votes so that the execution of the judgment might be lawful (John 19:39).
Joseph was a person of character and distinction to both Jews and Romans that he went boldly into the tower of Antonia to meet Pilate, the Roman governor, though he knew how much it would affront the chief priests. He neither feared the other members of the council, nor cared about the ritual observance of the Passover, for he who touched a dead body was considered unclean for one week.
Pilate wondered that Jesus was so soon dead. It was not common for persons crucified to expire under 24, or 48 hours, sometimes until the third day. However, Jesus was gentle, sensitive, and high in love and in dignity. His body was torn, his loving soul was tired of the world’s salvation, hell had attacked him, and the wrath of God had torn him.
Ponder over the description of Jesus’ death in (Isaiah 53:5) and you will learn much: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”
“Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days… He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.”
Pilate was not willing to lengthen the proceedings of this case. He agreed that he should soon get rid of this matter, which convicted his conscience, having killed someone unlawfully because of the pressure of the people. He was pleased to receive a distinguished senator of the council of the Jews, which delivered Jesus to him in the morning and obliged him to crucify him. Pilate delivered the body of Jesus to the hands of those who had complained against him. He sought to ascertain lawfully whether Jesus was yet dead or no, fearing lest he should be imposed upon, and the body should be taken down alive, and recovered.
He therefore called the centurion, who assured him officially of his death. Not only the women, but also the centurion testified the historical death of Jesus on the cross.
Here, we see the providence of God, in that Joseph of Arimathea had bought for himself a tomb that was hewn out of a rock close to Jerusalem, though he lived elsewhere. In his love to Jesus, he became united with him that he placed him in his own tomb as an indication of his high respect and gratitude to him.
Thus, the body of Jesus was not thrown away to the dust, or to the dogs in the wilderness, as the other bodies of crucified people were treated, but was laid in an excellent, readymade tomb, which indicates that by his atoning death, and his bearing the wrath of God, he had given to us the ministry of reconciliation which God accepted honoring his slain Son highly. In fact, Joseph was not alone in bringing the body of Jesus down from the cross. Nicodemus, the Jewish expert in the Law and other pious people hurried and helped him. The women were deprived of the last service of love. The formalities of burial were completed quickly, for the following day was to be the Sabbath, which began after twelve o’clock, that is six o’clock in the evening. On this occasion, none was allowed to work or move, under penalty of death.
That same Saturday coincided with the Day of the Passover, as a symbol of the passing of the wrath of God over those who ate the slain lamb. Yet, the true Lamb of God was buried quickly and silently, and he rested peacefully in his tomb on Saturday. They sealed the stone of his tomb with the governor’s seals that none of his followers might be able to steal his body, and all the sorrowful people went back to their houses and wept bitterly on that great day.