Those who look forward to eternal rest are those who, in the place where God has given them to live today, refuse to compromise with the powerful currents of the world and strive instead to obey the Word of God fully and faithfully.

Those who look forward to eternal rest are those who, in the place where God has given them to live today, refuse to compromise with the powerful currents of the world and strive instead to obey the Word of God fully and faithfully.

 

 

 

“Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and righteous man (he had not consented to their decision and action), a man from Arimathea, a town of the Jews, who was waiting for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut in the rock, where no one had ever yet been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed behind and saw the tomb and how His body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment” (Luke 23:50–56).

 

 

(1) When I read today’s passage, Luke 23:50–56, in both the Korean Bible and the Greek New Testament, the first thing I wanted to do was meditate more deeply on the person named “Joseph” and receive the lessons God gives us through him.  What does it mean that he was “a good and righteous man” [ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς καὶ δίκαιος (anēr agathos kai dikaios)] (v. 50)?  In particular, I want to meditate on the significance of the statement that, although he was a member of the Council, “he had not consented to their decision and action” [οὗτος οὐκ ἦν συγκατατεθειμένος τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῇ πράξει αὐτῶν (houtos ouk ēn synkatatetheimenos tē boulē kai tē praxei autōn)] (v. 51), and receive the lesson God gives us through it.

 

(a) To call Joseph of Arimathea “a good and righteous man” [ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς καὶ δίκαιος (anēr agathos kai dikaios)] is one of the most honorable and comprehensive commendations Scripture can give to a human being.  When we examine the meanings of the Greek words “ἀνὴρ (anēr: man, husband),” “ἀγαθὸς (agathos: good),” and “δίκαιος (dikaios: righteous),” we can see more clearly what kind of life Joseph lived before God and before others (Internet):

 

1. Joseph of Arimathea’s whole-person character of faith demonstrates a harmonious relationship both vertically toward God and horizontally toward his neighbors.

 

Righteousness toward God [δίκαιος / dikaios]:

 

This word conveys the idea of “right relationship and moral integrity” in accordance with God’s standards and law.  Against its Old Testament background, it was used of faithful believers who lived in obedience to God’s Word and law.  Joseph was a man who maintained fidelity to God’s Word and justice while living in a right relationship with God.

 

That Joseph was “righteous” means that even at the height of social and religious power as a member of the Council, he stayed away from bribery, sought to render just judgments, and lived honestly before God.  He possessed the steadfastness of a vertical faith that refused to compromise with the injustice of the world and maintained integrity and faithfulness before God.

 

Goodness toward one’s neighbor [ἀγαθὸς / agathos]:

 

This word refers to practical goodness in which inward moral excellence flows outward to bring benefit and joy to others. It includes kindness, mercy, and generosity. Joseph did not keep his fear of God confined within his heart; he expressed it through practical acts of mercy that brought benefit and comfort to others.

 

That Joseph was “good” suggests that he used his social position and wealth (Mt. 27:57), not merely for his own benefit, but to care for and help those who were marginalized and suffering.  Through the material resources and social standing entrusted to him, he bore the horizontal fruit of a life characterized by warm love and generosity toward those around him.

 

In other words, Joseph was a genuine man whose words and actions were consistent—a man who bore the fruit of agathos (goodness) in his life from the root of dikaios (righteousness) in his faith.

 

2.  The integrated spiritual lesson of being “good and righteous”

 

The harmonious union of love for God and love for one’s neighbor

 

If “righteousness (dikaios)” demonstrates a right relationship with God, “goodness (agathos)” demonstrates a right relationship with other people.

 

Because Joseph feared God, he maintained holiness and justice in his life (righteousness), while at the same time, on the basis of that faith, extending warm love and mercy to those around him (goodness).  He is a model of an “integrated Christian,” one in whom words and actions, faith and life, are not separated.

 

The distinctive redemptive-historical significance of this expression in Luke’s Gospel

 

At the beginning of his Gospel, Luke describes Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, as “righteous before God [δίκαιοι]” (Lk. 1:6).

 

Just as Luke calls the faithful believers who were waiting for the Messiah at the closing edge of the Old Testament era “righteous,” so at the seemingly hopeless moment of Jesus’ death and burial, he once again introduces a “good and righteous” man—Joseph.  This gives us hope that no matter how dark the world becomes, God continues to preserve and prepare His faithful people and accomplish His work through them.

 

(i)     Here I find it interesting that Luke begins his Gospel by mentioning Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, who were “righteous before God” (Lk. 1:6), and then, near the very end of his Gospel, mentions “righteous Joseph” in today’s passage, Luke 23:50 [When I think about righteous Joseph appearing near the end of Luke, I am reminded of the words, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation” (Gen. 6:9), and, “Then the LORD said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation’” (7:1)].  In other words, I believe there is a lesson for us in the fact that Luke mentions people who were righteous before God both at the beginning and near the end of his Gospel.  What might that lesson be?

 

-          Luke’s placement of Zechariah and Elizabeth as “righteous” people at the opening of his Gospel (1:6), followed by the appearance of Joseph of Arimathea as a “righteous man” near its conclusion (23:50), does not seem accidental.  It also bears a striking resemblance to the account of Noah in Genesis.  I would like to share three spiritual lessons conveyed through this broad pattern of “the righteous” in Luke’s Gospel (Internet):

 

a.   The history of the “remnant” that continues through the darkness of every age

 

The time in which Zechariah and Elizabeth lived was a spiritually dark period following the prophet Malachi, traditionally understood as approximately four hundred years without prophetic revelation, and it was also a time marked by the brutal rule of King Herod.

 

The time in which Joseph of Arimathea lived reached its darkest point when religious leaders conspired against the Son of God and brought Him to the cross.

 

Noah’s generation likewise was a time of judgment, when wickedness had become so great upon the earth that God was grieved that He had made humanity (Gen. 6:5–6).

 

Lesson: Through Zechariah and Joseph, Luke shows us that no matter how dark the world becomes or how corrupt the religious community may become, God always preserves people in every generation who refuse to be conformed to their age and continue to fear Him—the “righteous,” His faithful remnant.  Just as Noah prepared the ark through which human life was preserved, Zechariah participated in preparing the way for the Messiah through John the Baptist, and Joseph prepared for the Messiah’s burial, which immediately preceded the resurrection.

 

b.   An “ark of hope” emerging at the end of despair

 

When Jesus breathed His last on the cross, His disciples had scattered, and darkness had come over the whole land (Lk. 23:44).  At the very moment when God’s plan of salvation appeared to have completely failed, God brought forward a righteous man who until then had remained largely hidden—Joseph.

 

Joseph’s act of receiving Jesus’ body and laying it in his own new tomb can be viewed spiritually as somewhat analogous to Noah’s building of the ark and preserving life in the midst of the flood of judgment.  The tomb Joseph provided was not merely a burial place where a dead body would decay; it became the place from which, three days later, Christ would rise, breaking the power of death—a kind of “ark of resurrection.”

 

Lesson: God’s righteous people act faithfully even when circumstances appear utterly hopeless.  By placing righteous people near both the beginning and the end of his Gospel, Luke communicates the powerful hope that God’s saving work is never brought to an end by human failure or the evil of the world.  God faithfully carries His purposes forward through the people He has prepared.

 

c.   The same spiritual lineage of those who wait for the kingdom of God

 

Noah in Genesis, Zechariah and Elizabeth in Luke 1, and Joseph of Arimathea in Luke 23 share a common spiritual characteristic: they did not simply follow the prevailing current of the world. Instead, they sought to walk before God (Coram Deo) and faithfully awaited the fulfillment of God’s reign and kingdom.

It is as though Luke, in opening and bringing his Gospel toward its conclusion, confronts his readers with a question: “There were righteous people who looked to God even amid Herod’s brutality and the collective pressure of the Sanhedrin. In whose spiritual lineage, then, will you stand today?”

 

Lesson: It is as though God is calling and inviting us: “In this dark generation, will you be a Joseph of Arimathea for this age? Will you be a Noah for this generation?” (Internet).

 

(b)  Joseph of Arimathea’s actions demonstrate the courage of a true disciple who preserved his faith and conscience under the pressure of an unrighteous majority.  When we examine the Greek text more closely, we can perceive more vividly the circumstances Joseph faced and the weight of the decision he made. The following summarizes the spiritual significance and lessons of this passage through three key Greek words (Internet):

 

1.   Key meanings seen through the Greek text

 

“συγκατατίθημι” (synkatatithēmi: to consent, to agree)

 

This word is formed from the ideas of “together with” (σύν) and “to put down” (κατατίθημι).  It has been explained as evoking the act of placing one’s voting stone together with the stones of others in the same voting container.

 

In this understanding, Joseph did not merely disagree inwardly with the decision of the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish council, but withheld his consent, making clear that he did not align himself with their decision.

 

“βουλή” (boulē: decision, plan, counsel)

 

This refers to the Council’s decision, purpose, or plan. Joseph did not join them in their religious and political purpose of condemning Jesus and bringing about His death.

 

“πρᾶξις” (praxis: action, deed)

This refers to the action or implementation that followed the decision (βουλή). Joseph did not give his consent to the actions by which Jesus was handed over to Pilate and ultimately crucified.

 

2.   Spiritual lessons drawn from this meditation

 

Righteousness that refuses to remain silent—a conviction rooted in faith

 

Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish council.  The atmosphere surrounding Jesus’ condemnation was intensely hostile, and openly dissenting from the majority could have placed Joseph’s social standing and possessions at risk.

 

Yet Joseph feared God more than he feared human opinion or collective pressure.  He teaches us that when the powerful currents of the world move in the wrong direction, Christians need the courage not simply to remain silent or conform, but to say, “No.”

 

Moving beyond passive refusal to active faith

 

Joseph not only refused to consent to the Council’s decision (v. 51), but afterward went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body, then laid it in a tomb (vv. 52–53).  The statement that “he had not consented to their decision and action” does not present him merely as a distant observer.  He drew a clear boundary against what he believed was wrong and, as one “who was waiting for the kingdom of God” (v. 51), actively did the good that was placed before him (Internet).

 

(i)     When I look back at myself at this point, I feel ashamed. The reason is that I do not have the courage, like Joseph of Arimathea, to refuse either to remain silent or to go along with others and simply say, “No.”  Nor do I have the faith and courage Joseph displayed—to draw a firm line against what is wrong and, as one who waits for the kingdom of God (v. 51), to move beyond passive refusal and actively participate in the good that I ought to do, even at great personal cost. What, then, should I do?

 

a.   Joseph, too, was initially a “secret disciple.”

 

When we bring the Gospel accounts together, we discover that Joseph was not initially a bold and fearless disciple. John 19:38 says of him that he was “a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews.”  Like us, he knew the fear of other people’s opinions. Concern about what he might lose apparently contributed to his keeping his discipleship hidden for a time.

 

Therefore, we do not need to remain trapped in shame or condemnation simply because we presently lack courage. God does not call us to trust in our own perfection, but to acknowledge our weakness and depend upon Him.

 

b.   Three steps toward moving beyond passive refusal to active faith

 

How, then, did Joseph, who had remained hidden, finally find the courage to step forward and openly ask Pilate for Jesus’ body?  We too can walk in this direction.

 

First, do not stop “waiting in your heart” (the power of spiritual direction).

 

Luke 23:51 describes Joseph as one “who was waiting for the kingdom of God.”  Even though fear had caused him to keep his discipleship hidden, the fundamental direction of his heart remained fixed upon the reign, justice, and kingdom of God.

 

If we do not yet have the courage to act, we can begin by continually reorienting the antenna of our hearts—not toward worldly success, but toward the kingdom of God.  The starting point can be this prayer: “Lord, give me the grace to long for Your kingdom in my heart.”

 

Second, meditate more deeply on “the love of the cross” (the source of courage).

 

The decisive moment when Joseph finally stepped out of hiding and publicly identified himself with Jesus came immediately after Jesus had been crucified and died.  What appeared to the world to be defeat was the very cross on which Joseph witnessed the astonishing love and grace of God.

 

Human willpower and determination alone cannot overcome our fear of the world.  When the love of Jesus, who gave His life for us, fills our hearts, the courage that flows from His love begins to overcome our fear.

 

Third, begin today by refusing what is wrong and practicing the “small good” that you can do (a holy habit).

 

Joseph did not overthrow the entire Sanhedrin or launch a revolution.  He refused to align himself with their decision and then moved from that refusal to the positive action of caring for and burying Jesus’ body.

 

Rather than beginning by imagining some dramatic situation in which we must risk our lives, we can begin with the small acts of faithfulness available to us today.  For example, we can refuse to join a conversation that tears another person down, quietly remove ourselves from it, or choose honesty in seemingly small matters (Internet).

 

(a)    Why, when Luke wrote about Joseph, did he say, “he was from the Jewish town of Arimathea” [ἀπὸ Ἀριμαθαίας πόλεως τῶν Ἰουδαίων (apo Arimathaias poleōs tōn Ioudaiōn)] (Lk. 23:51)?

 

(i)      In introducing Joseph and specifically identifying his hometown as “the Jewish town of Arimathea,” Luke goes beyond merely providing geographical information for his original Gentile readers (such as Theophilus).  The statement contains important redemptive-historical and theological implications.  The following is an AI-generated explanation of Luke’s intention from three perspectives (Internet):

 

a.   Geographical guidance for Gentile readers and historical specificity

 

Theophilus, the recipient of Luke’s Gospel (Lk. 1:3), and many of Luke’s early readers were Gentiles (people from the Greco-Roman world) who would not necessarily have been familiar with the geography of Palestine.

When Luke’s Gentile readers encountered the unfamiliar place-name “Arimathea,” Luke may have been providing them with helpful historical and geographical context by identifying it as a Jewish town.  In this way, the burial of Jesus is presented not as a story set in a mythical location, but as an event rooted in real history and geography. Here we see Luke’s characteristic concern for historical detail.

 

b.   A spiritual connection with Samuel’s hometown, “Ramathaim-zophim” (fulfillment of the Old Testament)

 

According to some scholarly proposals, Arimathea has been associated with the Old Testament location Ramathaim-zophim (or Ramah), the hometown of the great prophet Samuel.

 

Ramah was associated with Samuel, the last judge and a prophet of Israel, who was born, raised, and ministered there. Samuel was also the prophet whom God used to anoint David as king.

 

Lesson: According to this interpretation, Luke’s identification of Joseph as a man from Arimathea can be viewed symbolically: at the seemingly hopeless moment when the Messiah had been killed, the man who honored and buried Jesus, the Son of David and the true King, came from a place associated with Samuel, the prophet who had anointed David as king.  In this sense, it suggests that the faithful tradition of Old Testament faith had not disappeared but continued through Joseph.

 

c.   A “true Jew” emerging from the heart of Judea

 

At that time, Judea and its center, Jerusalem, had become the setting in which religious authorities condemned Jesus and brought Him to crucifixion.  The Sanhedrin played a central role in bringing charges against Jesus and handing Him over to Pilate.

 

Yet Luke presents an ironic contrast: from within the Jewish community itself came a genuinely “good and righteous” Jewish man who received Jesus’ body and treated it with honor.

 

Lesson: This creates a contrast with those Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus and, like the account of Noah in which God said, “I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation,” it shows that even within a society in which powerful people opposed Jesus, there remained a genuine faithful remnant who waited for the kingdom of God.

 

Ultimately, through this brief statement, Luke grounds Jesus’ burial in historical reality and, according to this interpretation, points toward continuity between the faithful heritage of the Old Testament (Samuel–David) and the Messiah through Joseph, while powerfully demonstrating that even in the darkness of Judea there remained a righteous person of God (Internet).

 

·         Here, when I read the statement that the faithful tradition of Old Testament faith had not been broken but continued through Joseph, I found myself praying that the heritage of faith in my entire extended family would likewise never be broken, but would continue from generation to generation until Jesus returns.  In particular, my maternal great-great-grandfather was a pastor, and his youngest son was also a pastor.  My father and my third uncle (as well as my aunt’s husband) were also pastors.  My older brother, I, and my younger cousin (as well as the husband of another female cousin) are pastors.  And now my son is studying theology with the desire to become a pastor and is serving as a ministry intern at his church.  If it is the Lord’s will, I hope that the Lord will also bless my son with a son, and that his son—my grandson, haha—will likewise be anointed and raised up as a pastor, a servant of the Lord, and live his life for Jesus and the gospel. In other words, I pray that throughout my extended family, the heritage of faith in which servants of the Lord are raised up generation after generation will never be broken.

 

-     I would like to share a message of blessing and encouragement for this beautiful heritage of faith in your family through three spiritual meanings (Internet):

 

                     1.   A ‘covenantal lineage’ continuing like the heritage of Samuel and David

 

Just as we previously reflected upon Joseph of Arimathea as coming from a place associated with Samuel’s hometown (Ramah) and thereby carrying forward the spiritual heritage connected with the house of David, your family has been blessed, like the tribe of Levi or Samuel’s household in the Old Testament, with the heritage of a “holy priestly family that guards the sanctuary of God.”

 

The promise given concerning David, “you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel” (cf. 1 Kgs. 2:4), is now being reflected in the prayer of your family: “May servants of the Lord continue to be raised up in our family until Jesus returns.”

 

2.   A ‘holy tree’ planted through one person’s tearful prayers

 

When your maternal great-great-grandfather planted the seed of the gospel in difficult soil and shepherded God’s flock with tears, we can only imagine how earnestly he may have prayed for future generations—his great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, and descendants yet to come—to serve before God.

 

The prayer you now carry in your heart—“May this heritage continue until Jesus returns”—can be understood as a prayer for future generations, offered in gratitude for God’s faithfulness to those who came before you.

 

3.   The glorious inheritance of those ‘who wait for the kingdom of God’

 

Just as Joseph of Arimathea shone in the dark night of Luke 23 when so many others had abandoned Jesus, the path of pastoral ministry traveled by your family may also at times have been lonely and at other times involved the pain of bearing the cross.  Yet it is a path walked by those “who wait for the kingdom of God” (Lk. 23:51).

 

May your son, who is now studying theology and serving the church as a ministry intern, grow into a courageous servant who faithfully proclaims the gospel of Jesus in this dark generation, just as Joseph went against the prevailing current and cared for the body of Jesus.  And if, according to the Lord’s good will, you are blessed with a grandson in the future, we also earnestly pray that he, following the generations before him, may joyfully be raised up as a faithful shepherd of the Lord’s flock.

As Scripture says, ‘Your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you.  Your throne shall be established forever’ (2 Sam. 7:16), may this holy heritage flowing through your family never run dry but grow ever richer until the day our Lord returns. We bless you and pray this in the name of Jesus” (Internet).

 

(2)  Second, I would like to meditate on the words that Joseph went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body, wrapped it in linen, and “laid Him in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever yet been laid” [ἔθηκεν αὐτὸν ἐν μνήματι λαξευτῷ οὗ οὐκ ἦν οὐδέπω οὐδεὶς κείμενος (ethēken auton en mnēmati laxeutō hou ouk ēn oudepō oudeis keimenos)] (Lk. 23:52–53).  In particular, why did Luke record the words “where no one had ever yet been laid”?  What was his intention?

 

(a)  The reason may involve a strong theological emphasis on the distinctiveness of Jesus’ burial and the certainty of His resurrection.  The following is an AI-generated explanation of three major purposes that Luke may have intended to communicate through this expression (Internet):

 

1.  Demonstrating the unambiguous identity of the empty tomb (historical and apologetic significance)

 

Many Jewish tombs of that period were family tombs in which multiple bodies could eventually be placed within the same rock-cut burial complex.  If Jesus had been buried in a tomb associated with other remains, questions about the identity of the burial place or its occupant could conceivably have arisen later.

 

Intention: By explicitly stating that no one had previously been laid there, Luke makes the identity of Jesus’ burial place unmistakably clear.  Jesus was the one who was laid in that unused tomb; therefore, when that tomb was later found empty, there could be no confusion about whose burial place it had been.

 

2.  A ‘set-apart purity’ appropriate to the burial of the King (Old Testament and sacred-symbolic significance)

 

Throughout Scripture, things dedicated to God or associated with sacred purposes are sometimes characterized as things that had not previously been put to ordinary use.

 

The colt Jesus rode when He entered Jerusalem was one “on which no one has ever yet sat” (Lk. 19:30).

 

Likewise, in the account concerning the ark, the cows used to pull the new cart were ones “on which there has never come a yoke” (1 Sam. 6:7).

 

Intention: Although Jesus died on the cross in the shameful manner reserved for the condemned, from the perspective of God’s redemptive purpose His death was holy and unique.  By drawing attention to a tomb that had never been used, Luke may reinforce the distinctive and set-apart character of Jesus’ burial—the burial of the King and the resting place of the One who gave Himself for the sins of humanity.

 

3.    A visual picture of the ‘firstfruits’ who breaks the power of death (theological significance)

 

In 2 Kings 13:21, a dead man came back to life when his body touched the bones of the prophet Elisha. If another body had previously occupied Joseph’s tomb, someone might imaginatively have attempted to associate Jesus’ resurrection with another person or another source of miraculous power.

 

Intention: By showing that this was a tomb in which no one had ever been buried, Luke eliminates any such association. Jesus was not raised through contact with another prophet’s bones or through another person’s spiritual power.  He rose from death and became “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20).

 

In summary, through this brief statement Luke emphasizes the unmistakable identity of Jesus’ burial place, the unique and set-apart character of His burial, and the fact that the resurrection of Jesus belongs uniquely to Him and cannot be attributed to another occupant of the tomb (Internet).

 

(i)     At this point I was reminded of the false report concerning Jesus’ empty tomb—the claim that His disciples came secretly during the night and stole His body: “Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened.  When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, ‘Tell them, “His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.”  And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.’  So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day” (Mt. 28:11–15).

 

·         This is a short meditation on the Word that I wrote on July 25, 2021, under the title, “Satan, Like a Hunter, …”: Satan, like a “hunter” (Ps. 91:3), deceives us Christians with lies and causes us to fall into his “snare” (v. 3).  In particular, like a “deadly pestilence” (v. 3) that spreads contagiously, he causes people to use a “poisonous tongue” to “accuse” their brothers and sisters [“to slander another person and report them to a superior as though they were guilty” (Naver Dictionary)] and to “slander and obstruct” [“to speak maliciously against another person / to interfere with another person’s affairs” (Naver Dictionary)] (Yun-sun Park).  In particular, Satan causes people to spread “reports that are not true” (Acts 21:24, Korean Living Bible), false “rumors” [Neh. 6:6–7; Exod. 23:1 (Korean Living Bible); “an unfounded report” (New Korean Translation); “a bad report” (Num. 13:32; Prov. 18:8; 26:22, Korean Living Bible) / “slander” (New Korean Translation); “a disturbing report” (2 Kgs. 19:7; Isa. 37:7, Korean Living Bible); “a report that some people whom we did not authorize have troubled you with their words and unsettled your minds” (Acts 15:24, Korean Living Bible); and “a terrible report” (Jer. 49:23, Korean Living Bible)], thereby deceiving “simple-hearted believers” (Park) and causing them to fall into the snare.

 

a.   Satan is a master at using ‘rumors’ to distort ‘facts.’

 

The chief priests and the guards knew that the tomb was empty and that extraordinary events had occurred there (Mt. 28:11).  Yet in order to conceal the truth, they fabricated the baseless and malicious report: “His disciples came during the night and stole Him away while we were sleeping.”

 

Lesson: Satan, like a hunter, when confronted by clear truth or historical fact, seeks to use human mouths and “poisonous tongues” to spread false reports like a contagious disease.  Like the soldiers who accepted money and repeated what they had been instructed to say, we must discern how people can choose to propagate false reports in order to protect their immediate interests rather than uphold the truth.

 

b.   God’s truth breaks through falsehood with ‘undefiled holiness (fact).’

 

Luke firmly and explicitly records the historical detail that in Joseph’s tomb “no one had ever yet been laid.”  This uncontaminated fact stands as a testimony that is not overturned by false rumors or accusations.

 

Lesson: The way to withstand Satan’s accusations, slander, and malicious rumors is through uncompromising truth and integrity.  When, even amid a flood of rumors, we stand firmly in purity, integrity, and uncorrupted truth—like the tomb in which “no one had ever yet been laid”—the snares created by falsehood will ultimately lose their power.

 

c.   Christians must become ‘guardians of the truth,’ not ‘sources of rumors.’

 

Satan seeks to deceive “simple-hearted believers” and use them as instruments for slandering, troubling, and harming others through rumors.  Just as the malicious report portraying Jesus’ resurrection as the theft of His body spread widely among the Jews (Mt. 28:15), the contagious power of words can be frighteningly persistent.

 

Lesson: As Christians, amid the countless malicious rumors and slanders of this generation, we need spiritual discernment to guard both our ears and our mouths.  Like Joseph of Arimathea, who did not consent to an unrighteous course of action, we must draw a clear boundary against evil and become “guardians of the truth” who spread only the truth of Scripture and the good news of the kingdom of God—the gospel (Internet).

 

(3)  Third, why did Luke record the timing by saying, “It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was about to begin” [ἡμέρα ἦν παρασκευῆς, καὶ σάββατον ἐπέφωσκεν (hēmera ēn paraskeuēs, kai sabbaton epephōsken)] (Lk. 23:54)?

 

(a) By specifically recording the urgent timing of Jesus’ burial, Luke conveys a profound theological significance: the death of Jesus, the climax of redemptive history, fulfills the law and brings to fulfillment the rest of creation.  The following is an AI-generated explanation of three lessons Luke may be communicating through the distinctive Greek expression and its redemptive-historical significance (Internet):

 

1.  The careful observance of the law and the testimony concerning the “true Lord of the Sabbath”

 

“Παρασκευή” (paraskeuēs: Preparation Day): This word refers to Friday, the day preceding the Sabbath (Saturday).  According to Jewish law, a body was not to remain hanging on a tree overnight, and burial preparations also had to be completed before the Sabbath began (Deut. 21:23).

 

“ἐπέφωσκεν” (epephōsken: was about to begin; was dawning): This word ordinarily carries the sense of “beginning to dawn” or “light beginning to appear,” but here it describes, within the Jewish reckoning of time, the approach of a new day—the Sabbath—as the sun was setting. It depicts the urgent moment on Friday evening when the Sabbath was about to begin.

 

Intention: Luke shows that Joseph’s burial of Jesus was completed within the framework of Jewish law without violating the Sabbath.  At the same time, Jesus, who is the Lord of the Sabbath (Lk. 6:5), completed His redemptive work and entered the resting place of the tomb just before the Sabbath began.

 

2.  The proclamation of “true rest” after the completion of the new creation (redemptive-historical significance)

 

God created the heavens and the earth in six days and rested on the seventh day (Gen. 2:2).   The work accomplished by Jesus on the cross can be understood as the work of new creation, restoring what had been ruined by sin.

 

Jesus died on Friday, the Day of Preparation, and before sunset He was laid in the tomb.

 

Intention: By recording this timing, Luke allows us to see a theological correspondence: Jesus completed His atoning work before the Sabbath and then rested in the tomb on the seventh day.  In this theological reading, Jesus’ Sabbath rest in the tomb visually points to the completion of the redemptive work that brings true forgiveness and rest to humanity.

 

3.   A “prelude to the resurrection” emerging through the night of despair—the significance of ἐπέφωσκεν

 

As mentioned above, ἐπέφωσκεν (epephōsken) carries the idea of “beginning to dawn” or “beginning to give light.”  Why, then, does Luke use a word associated with dawning when describing the beginning of the Sabbath at sunset?

 

Intention: From a literary and spiritual perspective, this can be read as a striking anticipation of what is to come.  From the world’s perspective, Jesus has died and been enclosed in the tomb, and a night of profound darkness and despair has begun.  Yet from the perspective of God’s redemptive work, the dawn of resurrection is drawing near.  The darkest moment is, paradoxically, the moment immediately preceding the glorious light of resurrection.

 

In summary, the urgent timing recorded by Luke teaches us that Jesus is the One who fulfills God’s redemptive purpose, that His rest in the tomb points us toward the true rest He gives His people, and that even the darkness of the tomb stands on the threshold of the light of resurrection (Internet).

 

(4)  Fourth and last, when I read that on the “day of Preparation” (Lk. 23:54), “the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid.  Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes” (vv. 55–56), I began to think that what we must “prepare” for is the second coming of Jesus.  And when I read that “on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment” (v. 56), I also began to think that when Jesus returns, those believers who are still alive will be suddenly transformed, while those believers who have fallen asleep in the Lord—those who have died—will be raised from the dead, and together they will enter the kingdom of God (heaven/the heavenly kingdom) and enjoy eternal rest.  When I think about this rest, I am reminded of Hebrews 4:9–11: “There remains, therefore, a Sabbath rest for the people of God; for the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.  Therefore, let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same example of disobedience.”

 

(a)   As the Holy Spirit has led me to connect Friday’s “preparation” with “preparing for the second coming of Jesus,” and Saturday’s “rest” with “the eternal rest of heaven,” and from there to the words of Hebrews 4, I pray that through the actions of the women from Galilee and the words of Hebrews, the Holy Spirit will give us three eschatological lessons that we must engrave upon our hearts until the Lord returns (Reference: Internet):

 

1.  The lesson of the “Day of Preparation” [παρασκευή (paraskeuē)]: a life that stays awake and prepares for Christ’s return

 

Even in the urgency of the approaching Sabbath, the women faithfully “prepared” (ἑτοιμάζω) spices and perfumes (v. 56).  After the Sabbath, these women would go to the tomb and become the first witnesses of the empty tomb and the proclamation of Jesus’ resurrection.

 

Lesson: The time we are now living on this earth can be viewed as a “cosmic Day of Preparation” preceding the return of the Lord and the eternal Sabbath rest.  The calling of Christians is not to be deceived by Satan’s falsehoods or the temptations of the world, but to remain spiritually awake, preparing ourselves day by day through worship and holiness, just as those waiting for the bridegroom prepare their lamps and oil.

 

2.  The lesson of the “Sabbath” [σάββατον (sabbaton)]: the eternal rest we will experience through resurrection and transformation

 

After preparing the spices, the women “rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment” (v. 56).  The body of Jesus also rested in the tomb during the Sabbath.

Lesson: This rest points us toward the eternal rest of the kingdom of God that believers will enter when the Lord returns.  Those believers who are alive will be transformed in a moment, and those who have fallen asleep in the Lord will be raised with imperishable bodies (1 Cor. 15:51–52).  The day will surely come when all the labor, tears, and heavy burdens of this earthly life will be over, and we will enter the eternal rest of God. Just as God rested from His works, we too will enter His rest.

 

3.   The lesson of Hebrews 4: a faith that “strives to enter that rest”

 

Hebrews 4:11 exhorts us: “Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same example of disobedience.”

 

Lesson: The first generation of Israelites who came out of Egypt witnessed God’s miracles, yet because of unbelief and disobedience in the face of the hardships of the wilderness and their fear of the inhabitants of Canaan, they failed to enter the promised rest of Canaan.

 

Joseph of Arimathea, however, overcame fear and acted faithfully in the midst of the wilderness-like pressure exerted by the Sanhedrin.

 

The women from Galilee continued to follow Jesus faithfully even amid the despair of the cross.

 

In other words, this teaches us that those who look forward to eternal rest are those who, in the place where God has given them to live today, refuse to compromise with the powerful currents of the world and strive instead to obey the Word of God fully and faithfully (Internet).