Section 15:42–47

Joseph buried Jesus

After someone died on a cross, his body was normally left on the cross to rot. Sometimes the Romans threw the body in a group grave and buried it without any honor. But for the Jews, a proper burial was important. It was their custom to bury the body on the same day that a person died.

Joseph was determined to give Jesus a proper burial. So he bravely went to Pilate and asked permission to do this. When he did this, he risked being punished. Pilate might have thought that since he was a friend of Jesus, he was also rebelling against Rome.

The Sabbath day began just a few hours after Jesus died. On the Sabbath, it was forbidden to move a dead body. So Joseph had to act very quickly in all that he did.

In this section, Mark emphasized two important facts that help readers understand that Jesus truly rose from the dead. First, he showed that Jesus was really dead. Second, he said that the women in 15:47 observed and noted carefully the location of the tomb where Jesus was laid. They did not mistakenly go to the wrong tomb later.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

Joseph put/laid the body of Jesus in a tomb
-or-
Jesus was placed in a burial cave.
-or-
The burial of Jesus

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 27:57–61, Luke 23:50–55, and John 19:38–42.

Paragraph 15:42–47

In Jewish culture, a new day started at sunset. Jesus had died sometime during the middle of the afternoon. The Sabbath day would begin in a few hours. On the Sabbath day, a dead body could be washed and prepared for burial, but it could not be moved. This explains why Joseph had to hurry to bury Jesus’ body.

15:42–43

See the General Comment on 15:42–43 at the end of 15:43e for suggestions about how to change the order of these verses.

15:42a

it was already evening: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as it was already evening is literally “evening had already come.” In this context, this phrase indicates “late afternoon” or “before sunset.” Jesus died in the middle of the afternoon. So Joseph had to get the body and bury it before sunset when the Sabbath would begin. Indicate the time between late afternoon and sunset in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

it was becoming dusk
-or-
late in the afternoon
-or-
as evening approached (New International Version)
-or-
It was toward evening (Good News Bible)

In some languages, it will be helpful to put a footnote here. For example:

At sunset, the Sabbath would begin. The religious law of the Jews did not permit them to move a dead body on the Sabbath day.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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