[Listen to an audio version of this sermon here]
For some reason, the death of my Grandmother, Dorothy Basham, in November of 2022, has been particularly sobering for me. I have one Grandparent left, my Grandfather David Keith. Once he is gone, that entire generation of grandparents will be gone. For some reason, my Grandmother’s death made me think on this more deeply. Perhaps it’s because I have often thought of saying something or mentioning something to her or asking her something, and then I remember that she’s gone. All this reminds me of the fact that I am headed to the grave, and one day I will join them.
Death is not the way it is supposed to be. God did not create humans to experience death but to live in joy forever. Nowhere is this more poignant than the death of a child. We always expect that our children will outlive us. I was with a woman recently who experienced a joyful occasion where everyone was happy and rejoicing. But . . . it reminded her of the death of her son. She was weeping uncontrollably and had to leave. My heart went out to her both because I saw that everyone was happy and yet I realized that this reminded her of that which hurt her more than anything else in the world could.
We need to think about this. It is part of life, and it has extreme significance. Here, in this passage we encounter a death. It is the death of Jesus, the Son of God. What does this event tell us about death? Does it help us in any way as we process our own death and the death of those we love? That’s what we want to consider here. There are two aspects to this story that will be our two points, the death of Jesus and the burial of Jesus. Then, I will conclude by making some points about the suffering of Christ in general.
The Death of Jesus
There are two things that happen in our text which indicate opposite things, the darkness and the rending of the temple veil. Let me explain.
First, consider the darkness. Think about what it must have been like to see the crucifixion. Jesus had already been crucified, and then thick darkness comes over the land. The sun stopped shining. Here is a scene where Jesus was crucified and the movements of the weather cause it to be black and dark. The weather, which is under the control of God, demonstrated the blackness of the whole event, the reign of darkness, as Jesus said.
However, there is something more. In the Bible, the darkness and clouds represent the judgment of God. Joel, for example, describes the day of judgment as a “day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness” (Joel 2:2). However, this day of darkness and gloom was always coming upon people because of their sin. As Zephaniah the prophet said when he was speaking of another such day, it was “because they have sinned against the Lord” (Zeph. 1:16).
The question here is, why would the judgment of God come against Jesus? He was the beloved Son in whom the Father, just a short time ago had said, “He was well pleased.” Jesus had not done any wrong. He was so sure of this that He said that none of them could show where He had sinned. This may seem prideful, but it is not. Humility is an accurate estimation of what we are and that is almost all there is to it.
So, again, why would the black clouds of judgment come against Him? Because He was there as the representative of sinful humanity. He was there as their substitute. He died because “they have sinned against the Lord,” and He was experiencing judgment on their behalf so that they would not have to. His death in place of ours.
That leads us to the second image here. The veil of the temple was torn in two. It was a thick heavy curtain, and, miraculously, it was ripped in two from top to bottom. Now the veil guarded the way to the holiest place in the temple. Only the high priest could enter there where the ark of the covenant was, and that only once a year! It was a symbol of God’s grace and the sacrifice of atonement that Jesus would make, but it was also a reminder that the way had not yet been opened. They were still shut out from the presence of God unless the true sacrifice took place.
And that was occurring right before their eyes. Jesus was the new high priest offering Himself as the sacrifice for sins so that the way to God could be open forever. He experiences the judgment of God so that we get access to the presence of God! I recommend to you the book of Hebrews to understand the significance of this, but let me just quote to you one short passage:
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water (Heb. 10:19–22).
The way to the holiest place was wide open, and thus it is, through the death of Jesus, the infinitely perfect and great high priest. The tearing of the veil demonstrated this powerfully!
After these things, Jesus shouted out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). I have seen people dying, and often they say less and less. This is strikingly different. Jesus garnered His strength and shouts out in a loud voice! This is the one who goes to death as a conqueror, to defeat death. Into your hands, He said, I commit my spirit. The body will die, but his soul or spirit, the immaterial part of the human being will go on. His spirit will be with His Father in heaven. This day, it will be in paradise. The sacrifice is complete and death is defeated. The death owed was the wages of sin will have been paid. This is the cry of the Son of God.
The text of Luke records some of the reactions to what had occurred. First, there is the Roman solider, who recognized that this was a righteous move. Even the hardened Roman soldiers who were executioners were moved at this death. Many of the people there, maybe even those who mocked Him, began to weep and went away. The women who had been such a support for Jesus during His life did not abandon Him at death. They stood at a distance, seeing if there was some last way they might serve Jesus. From the standpoint of the people there, all of this pointed to a sad conclusion. Here was the righteous man who has died. The Roman soldiers were moved. The people wept. The women watched.
But the sadness was not complete. There was one more step. Jesus had to go to the grave. That is our next point.
The Burial of Jesus
As we consider these events, it may have seemed like everyone was against Jesus. We have already seen a turn in one of the soldiers and perhaps the crowd. However, even in the council of the elders, there was a good man. It’s just hard to hold back the tide of a frenzied crowd. His name was Joseph. He was a good and upright man.
Pilate, I am sure, was still contemplating these events. Then, he got a strange request. Joseph of Arimathea wanted the body of Jesus. Pilate granted it.
Now Joseph was also wealthy. He was wealthy enough to have had his own grave cut in the rock. He covered Jesus in a linen cloth and placed him in the tomb. It was a hasty burial. The reason for this is that the Sabbath had nearly arrived, and they wanted to observe the rest. This was a powerful fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 700 years before Jesus came as a human being. “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth” (Is. 53:9).
Luke mentions the women again. The women who loved Jesus so much were watching. They were preparing a better burial for Him with spices and perfumes, but they rested on the Sabbath. A couple of interesting points about this. The Sabbath was an entire day that Jesus was dead and in the tomb. Second, the women did not expect Jesus to rise. They had in their mind that Jesus was going to stay in the grave. They did not get the fact of the resurrection, as we shall see next week.
Now, since Jesus had raised the shout of triumph in His death, what was the purpose of His burial? There are at least two reasons.
First, this demonstrated that He was really dead. If He had gotten right back up after dying, then people would have said that He did not really die, and then they would have said that He did not really rise! That is crucial. He really died. He really suffered death due to us, and He really was going to rise from the dead.
Second, as we contemplate the grave, we recognize that Jesus has already been there. He has sanctified the grave. His presence turns the grave from a place of horror to a place of transition to paradise. I remember last year burying our dear brother Steve Bain. I had the privilege of doing the graveside service. After the service, we all took the shovel and put dirt on the casket. It was a way of saying good-bye. Where was Jesus in all this? Right there. He is with us as we experience the grave, and he had already taken Steve into paradise. We said good-bye, but the good-bye is not forever. We will see him again in paradise. One day, his body will rise like Jesus’, and we who are in Christ will enjoy God to all eternity in our own bodies. That is the powerful message of Jesus’ burial.
Conclusion
Let me make a few comments about all this in conclusion. All that Jesus did, all that we have considered, was done for us. He experienced agony for us. He was betrayed for us. He was arrested for us. He was put on trial for us. He was tortured for us. He was crucified for us. He died for us. He experienced the wrath of God for us. He was buried for us. All of this was for us, so that we could be freed from the wrath and curse of God.
In light of this, you need to make sure you are part of the “us.” Christ is only standing in the place of those who want Him to. You have to say “yes” to Jesus as your representative. He won’t represent those who say “no” to Him. So, it’s of the utmost importance that you have Jesus as your representative. Otherwise, you have to face all that Jesus faced on your own!
But if you have said “yes,” to Jesus, then you have an amazing consolation in all of these things. It should humble us, but it should also give us joy and peace. Christ has taken the curse of the law for us. He has died for us. He has experienced the wrath of God for us. There is no more curse left. Death has lost its sting. The wrath of God against our sin is exhausted.
We should think about our death. We should not go to death as those who have no hope. Death has lost its sting. Jesus has already gone into the jaws of death and defanged it. It need have no more terror for us. When we go, Jesus will be there to meet us. He will send us help. We can go in confidence knowing that that very day we will be with Him in paradise.
As long as we live, we need not fear that the sufferings and trials of this life will overcome us or keep us from the blessing God wants to give us. He who suffered all this will only lead us through them for the best of reasons. He will lead us through them and out of them. He will lead us into death, be with us through it, and usher us into paradise. Jesus who gave us His very self on the cross will not fail to give us all things. This will be a blessing exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or imagine. Amen.
Benediction: There is nothing more important than for us to remember the cross. We face a world with potential threats and none is greater than the wrath of God itself. But for you are who turn from your sin and trust in Jesus, you can expect only the blessing of God. Even in your darkest trial, you can have faith that God is working all things together for your good!
So, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.