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    John 19:38-20:10
    ​ Lesson 213

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

    In this lesson:
     
    "He saw, and believed." ​
    Mary Magdalene finds the empty tomb.
    Who were -
         
    Joseph of Arimathaea - 
    A wealthy (Matthew 27:57) member of the influential Jewish high council, the Sanhedrin (Mark 15:43; Luke 23:50-51), and a secret follower of Jesus (John 19:38).  Joseph kept his faith secret out of fear of the Pharisees' (John 12:42) and was absent the night the Sanhedrin convicted the Messiah of blasphemy (Luke 23:50-51).  Joseph "begged" Pilate for Jesus' crucified body, took Him down from the cross (Mark 15:43-46), prepared the Messiah for burial, and supplied the tomb for Jesus to be buried in (Matthew 27:57-60).  Joseph appears in all four Gospels.  Do you know a Joseph, someone who keeps their faith secret? 
     
    Nicodemus -
    Nicodemus was a Pharisee and member of the Jewish high council (the Sanhedrin).  Unlike most Pharisees, Nicodemus believed that God sent Jesus (John 3:1-2), secretly visited Him in the dead of night, and defended Jesus (7:50-51).  When Nicodemus was absent, the Sanhedrin convicted Jesus of blasphemy.  We see in this passage, when even Jesus' disciples had gone into hiding, Nicodemus risked his high position to help bury our Lord (John 19:39-40).  Many Bible scholars believe that Nicodemus was one of the three wealthiest men in Jerusalem but lost everything to the persecution he suffered for following Jesus.
    Study Tip: 
     
    When you come to an important verse, write it down, memorize it, and ponder its meaning. 

    The Gospel According to St. John

    The King James Bible    ​

    John 19:38-20:10
    The burial

    38 And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.
     
    39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.
     
    40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. 
     
    41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.
     
    42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.
     

    John 20:1-10
    The resurrection
     
    1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
     
    2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the LORD out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
     
    3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.
     
     4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.
     
    5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
     
    6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
     
    7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
     
    8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
     
    9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
     
    10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.
    ​Margin notes: 
     
    "Pilate gave him leave." (19:38) - Means, "Pilate gave him permission."
     
    "Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices." (19:40) - By now, it's dusk on Friday.  The Sabbath is approaching. 
     
    "In the place where he was crucified there was a garden." (19:41) - Jesus wasn't crucified in a garden, but near one.
     
    "A new sepulchre." (19:41) - "A new tomb."  Although this one was new, tombs were used more than once.  A year after a person died, tombs were opened, and the bones boxed up.  The tomb was then reused.
     
    "The first day of the week." (20:1) - It is now early Sunday morning.
     
    "The stone taken away." (20:1) - Not so Jesus could escape the tomb, but so witnesses could get in and see it was empty.
     
    "The other disciple." (20:2) - Refers to John, the author of this Gospel.
     
    "They have taken away the LORD out of the sepulchre." (20:2) - Mary Magdalene thought someone had stolen Jesus' body.  She didn't know Christ had resurrected.
     
    "Saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in." (20:5) - Grave robbers would not have unwrapped Jesus' corpse before stealing it.  That takes time, and the thieves would have wanted to make a fast escape.  Plus, it would have exposed them to the decaying body.
     
    "The napkin that was about his head." (20:7) -  As part of the burial process, the face and head of the deceased were wrapped with a small burial cloth (John 11:44).
     
    "For as yet they knew not the scripture." (20:9) - Up until this moment, the disciples didn't know that Christ would rise from the dead.  But after seeing the empty tomb, they began to understand and believe the Old Testament prophesies (Psalm 16:10) that the crucified Christ would be resurrected (John 2:22).
     
    "Then the disciples went away." (20:10) - "Then Peter and John left."  But Mary Magdalene, who followed them back to the tomb, stayed.​
    You can learn more about Christ's empty tomb by reading Matthew 28:1-8 (lesson 62),  Mark 16:1-8 (lesson 99), and Luke 24:1-10 (lesson 161).


                                                  New Living Translation 
     

    John 19:38-20:10
    The Burial of Jesus
     
    38 Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus' body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away.

    39 With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes.

    40 Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus' body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth.

    41 The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before.

    42 And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

     
    John 20:1-10
    The Resurrection
     
    1 Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.

    2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, "They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!" 
     
    3 Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb.

    4 They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.

    5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn't go in.

    6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there,

    7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings.

    8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed-

    9 for until then they still hadn't understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead.

    ​10 Then they went home.
    ​This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
    Today's question:
     
    1. Why is the resurrection so important?



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    Answer: (Do you agree?)
     
    1.     The resurrection of our Lord and Savior is the essential ingredient to the Christian faith.  Without it, Jesus is just another man with a nice message.  A false Messiah could not be brought back to life.  But with the resurrection comes a promise,  believers will be resurrected into a life eternal.  Death is not the end, an eternity of bliss with God awaits.



    Application thought for the day:

    Before meeting Christ, the crucified thief lived a life of crime. 
    Jesus had an immediate effect on him and changed his future forever. 
    Before the crucifixion, Joseph and Nicodemus lived lives of privilege while secretly following Christ. 
    The Messiah's death also changed their lives.  No longer afraid, they stepped out of the shadows to serve Jesus. 
    If you let it, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross can change your life too.  
    In His way and at a time of His choosing, God will give you an opportunity to serve Him.  
    Step out of the shadows, and God will change your life.  
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    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible."  All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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