Bible Study 10: His Death and Burial

10.1 Key themes⤒🔗

Jesus had to die, because God is faithful to his word.
- From the beginning God had said that the punishment for sin is death.
We can be sure that Jesus really died. The Bible gives proofs of his death:
- The soldiers clearly saw that he died.
- Blood and water came out when they pushed a spear into his side.
- His body was carried away and buried.
From the Friday until the Sunday morning…
- Jesus’ soul was safe with his Father.
- Jesus’ body was in the grave, where God was keeping it for the day of his resurrection.

10.2 Psalm 16:8-11 (NIV)←⤒🔗

^8. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

^9. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,

^10.because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.

^11. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

10.3 John 19:33-35, 38-42←⤒🔗

^33. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.

^34. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out immediately.

^35. And the person who saw it has testified (and his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth), so that you also may believe.

…

^38. After this, Joseph of Arimathea, a discipleof Jesus (but secretly, because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he went and took the body away.

^39. Nicodemus, the man who had previously come to Jesus at night, accompanied Joseph, carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about seventy-five pounds.

^40. Then they took Jesus’ body and wrapped it, with the aromatic spices, in strips of linen cloth according to Jewish burial customs.

^41. Now at the place where Jesus was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden was a new tomb where no one had yet been buried.

^42. And so, because it was the Jewish day of preparation and the tomb was nearby, they placed Jesus’ body there.

10.4 He had to die←⤒🔗

After three hours of darkness, Jesus cried out, “It is completed” (John 19:30). His deepest suffering was over. God had accepted his sacrifice. Then Jesus knew that it was time to die. He called out, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” With these words he died (Luke 23:46).

Why did Jesus have to die? Why could he not go straight to heaven, after his worst suffering was over? The prophet Elijah was taken to heaven in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11). Why did God not do the same for Jesus?

Jesus had to die, because God is faithful to his word. God had said to Adam, “you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17). From the beginning God had said that the punishment for sin is death.

Jesus went all the way when he carried our punishment for us. He died, so that we would not have to die. The book of Hebrews says that Jesus became a man, so that he could “taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9, NIV).

But wait! If Jesus died in our place, then why do we still die? That is a good question. We will come back to it in Lesson 3. For now, let us only say this: A believer does not need to fear death. Jesus has given us victory over death. Death will never separate us from God and his love.

10.5 We can be sure of his death←⤒🔗

If we were not sure that Jesus died, then we would not be sure of our salvation. God had said that sinners must die. So if Jesus did not die for us, then we would still have to die for our sins!

That is why the Bible helps us to be sure that Jesus really died. It tells us of the soldiers who came to look at Jesus. The soldiers clearly saw that Jesus was dead. That is why they did not break his bones (John 19:33). But they pushed a spear into his side. His disciple John was there. John saw how blood and water came out of Jesus’ side (John 19:34-35).

Today we can understand why blood and water came out of Jesus’ side. When a person loses a lot of blood, his body goes into shock. The heart beats so quickly that a pool of blood and water can form around the heart.

Remember that Jesus was beaten before he was crucified (John 19:1). He lost so much blood that he was too weak to carry his cross (Luke 23:26). On the cross he lost even more blood. Just before he died, a pool of blood and water would have formed around his heart. This is what came out when the soldiers pushed a spear into his side. It was a clear sign that he was already dead.

The Bible gives us even more proof that Jesus was dead. It tells us that Jesus was buried. Two believers, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, carried his body away. They wrapped it and buried it in a cave. (That is how the Jews normally buried their dead.)

From his birth to his death, Jesus humbled himself. His burial was also part of his humiliation. The Son of God became lifeless and powerless! His body had to be carried by others. He was buried, just like any sinner. It was as Isaiah had prophesied: “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death” (Isaiah 53:9, NIV).

10.6 Where was he?←⤒🔗

Jesus was dead from the Friday afternoon until the Sunday morning of his resurrection. Where was he in those three days?

In those three days, Jesus’ soul was safe with his Father. Remember his last words on the cross: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).

Those last words come from Psalm 31. Psalm 31 is about a believer’s trust in God. Jesus spoke these words, because he knew that he was going to his Father again. He was safe again, after his time of fear and suffering.

The Bible also gives us another proof that Jesus’ soul went to heaven after he died. Next to Jesus there was a criminal who was also dying on a cross. The criminal said to him, “Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom.” Then Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:42-43).

These words show us that Jesus would be in heaven, right after his death. On that very day, he would welcome the criminal’s soul into heaven. Imagine how the criminal felt, when he heard this promise!

While Jesus’ soul was in heaven, his body was lying in the grave. God was watching over his body, keeping it safe for the day of the resurrection. This is what David had prophesied long ago, when he said, “my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay” (Psalm 16:9-10, NIV).