Paid In Full: An In-depth Look at the Defining Moments of Christ's Passion (28 page)

The word “body” is the Greek word
ptoma,
which always referred to
a dead body
and is often translated as the word “corpse.” The Roman custom was to leave the body hanging on the cross until it rotted or until the vultures had picked away at it. Afterward, they discarded of the corpse in the wilderness, where it was eaten by wild dogs. The Jews, however, held the human body in great honor because it was made in the image of God. Even those who were executed by the Jews were respected in the way they were handled after death. Thus, it was not permitted for a Jew’s body to hang on a cross after sunset or to be left to rot or for the birds to devour.

Mark 15:44,45 says, “And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.”

At this point,
Nicodemus
enters the picture. The third chapter of John gives the greatest insight into Nicodemus. It says, “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him” (John 3:1,2).

John 3:1 tells us that Nicodemus was a “Pharisee.” The word “Pharisee” means
the separated ones
. This means they viewed themselves separated by God for His purposes. Thus, they were extremely committed and even fanatical in their service to God.

During the time Jesus lived, the Pharisees were the most respected and esteemed religious leaders in Israel. The Pharisees believed in the supernatural and earnestly waited for the arrival of the Messiah, contrary to the Sadducees who did not believe in the supernatural and did
not
wait for the Messiah’s coming. The Pharisees held strictly to the Law, whereas the Sadducees took a more liberal approach to the Law that the Pharisees found unacceptable. Flavius Josephus, the famous Jewish historian, was a Pharisee, as was Gamaliel (
see
Acts 5:34) and the apostle Paul before he was converted to Christ on the road to Damascus (
see
Philippians 3:5).

Verse 1 goes on to tell us that Nicodemus was “a ruler of the Jews.” The word “ruler” is the Greek word
archon,
which means
the chief one, ruler,
or
prince
. This word was used to denote
the rulers of local synagogues and members of the Sanhedrin
who were the
highest authorities
in the land. Due to this high-ranking position, Nicodemus, like Joseph of Arimathea, was
prominent, influential
, and
wealthy.

Nicodemus’ notoriety among the Jews in Jerusalem was the reason he visited Jesus by night. His fame most likely created a stir every time he passed through the city. Therefore, Nicodemus wanted to avoid visiting Jesus by day, as it would draw attention to the fact that he was spending time with a teacher the Sanhedrin viewed to be a maverick and out of their control. Consequently, he came to Jesus by night when his visit would not be observable.

What he told Jesus during this visit reveals much about the spiritual hunger that Nicodemus possessed. First, he called Jesus “Rabbi.” The word itself means
great,
but it was used as a title of respect only in reference to the great teachers of the Law. The Pharisees loved to be called “Rabbi,” for they viewed themselves as the chief keepers of the Law.

For Nicodemus to call Jesus “Rabbi” was remarkable indeed. The Jewish leader would never have used that title unless he had already heard Jesus interpret the Law and thereby judged His ability to do so. The fact that Nicodemus called Jesus by this privileged title, given only to those who were viewed as the greatest theologians in Israel, tells us that he was very impressed with Jesus’ knowledge of the Scriptures.

This means that Nicodemus, like Joseph of Arimathea, was open-minded enough to receive from people who were “outside the circle” of what most religious people viewed as acceptable. In fact, Nicodemus was so hungry to find a touch of God that it appears he himself visited Jesus’ meetings that had just been conducted in the city of Jerusalem.

John 2:23 says, “Now when he [Jesus] was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.” When Nicodemus visited with Jesus, he referred to these miracles, saying in John 3:2, “…Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.”

It seems that Nicodemus had come close enough to these miracle meetings to personally view the miracles. This must have been the occasion when he heard Jesus teach and deemed Him worthy of the title “Rabbi.” As a Pharisee, Nicodemus believed in the supernatural. He was so moved by the miracles and so convinced of their legitimacy that he wanted to personally meet Jesus and ask Him questions. In the conversation that followed, Jesus told Nicodemus, “…Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). The famous conversation that followed has been read, quoted, and preached all over the world for 2,000 years.

After Joseph of Arimathea received permission to remove Jesus’ body from the Cross, he took the body to begin preparations for burial. John 19:39 tells us what happened next: “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.”

This verse tells us Nicodemus “…brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight….” “Myrrh” was an expensive yellowish-brown, sweet-smelling gum resin that was obtained from a tree and had a bitter taste. It was chiefly used as a chemical for embalming the dead. “Aloes” was a sweet-smelling fragrance derived from the juice pressed from the leaves of a tree found in the Middle East. It was used to ceremonially cleanse, to purify, and to counteract the terrible smell of the corpse as it decomposed. Like myrrh, this substance was also very expensive and rare — yet the Bible tells us that Nicodemus “brought a mixture” of both substances — about a hundred pounds’ worth!

Nicodemus’ cost for this offering of love must have been out of sight! Only a rich man could have purchased such a massive combination of these costly, uncommon substances. Nicodemus obviously intended to fully cover the body of Jesus, so he spared no cost in preparing the body for burial, demonstrating his love for Jesus right up to the very end.

John goes on to tell us, “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” (v. 40). The word for “linen” is the Greek word
othonion
, which describes
a cloth made of very fine and extremely
expensive materials
that was fabricated primarily in Egypt. Nobles in that day were known to pay very high prices to have robes made for their wives from this material.

When Lazarus came forth from the tomb after being resurrected by Jesus, he was “…bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin…” (John 11:44). This shows that Lazarus was bound with bandages made of strips of material. However, the word
othonion
tends to suggest that Jesus was carefully laid in a large linen sheet of fine weave. Specially prepared spices were then mingled between the folds of this high-priced garment in which Jesus’ dead body was wrapped.

This is an amazing story of two men who dearly loved Jesus. Although Joseph and Nicodemus lived in circumstances that made it difficult for them to publicly follow Jesus, they chose to follow Him to their fullest capability. When Jesus died, they continued to demonstrate their deep love for Him, treating His dead body with tender care and using their personal wealth to bury Him with honor. As far as they understood at the time, this was their last opportunity to show Jesus how much they loved Him, and they were going to take full advantage of it!

Jesus taught, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). When these two men used their wealth to bury Jesus, they illustrated that their hearts were with Jesus. He was their highest priority, so they invested their assets in showing their love for Him. They literally sowed their money into the ground when they bathed Jesus in 100 pounds of those rare substances, wrapped Him in an expensive cloth, and then buried Him in a rich man’s tomb.

When these two men used their wealth to bury Jesus, they illustrated that their hearts were with Jesus. He was their highest priority, so they invested their assets in showing their love for Him.

If people were to look at the way you spend your finances, would they be able to see that Jesus is the highest priority in your life? Do you treat Him with honor and respect in the way you serve Him, or is He the last priority on your list? According to the words of Jesus, what you do with your finances really does tell the truth about what you love the most. So what would He say about your financial choices? What does the way you spend money reveal about how much you love Jesus?

As Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus honored Jesus in death, we are called to honor Jesus with everything we possess as we serve Him every day of our lives. We are privileged to serve Jesus, so let’s make the choice to upgrade our giving and our living in every realm so that all glory goes to Him!

Joseph of Arimathea displayed great love for Jesus as he boldly and insistently requested that Pilate hand over to him the body of Jesus. Joseph risked his reputation and acceptance among the Jews when he identified himself as a follower of Jesus. Nicodemus also invested great wealth into Jesus’ burial with 100 pounds of burial spices, an expensive, imported burial shroud, and Joseph’s own exquisitely carved tomb.

Has your identification with Jesus ever cost you anything of value? What would observers come to understand about your commitment to Him by the way you choose to spend or invest your finances?

What conscious daily choices do you make to serve and honor God with your life?