Burial

Also part of the kerygma is the burial of Jesus.


MK 15:42-47 "It was toward evening when Joseph of Arimathea arrived....It was Preparation day (that is, the day before the Sabbath), so Joseph went boldly into the presence of Pilate and asked him for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead. He called the army officer and asked him if Jesus had been dead a long time. After hearing the officer's report, Pilate told Joseph he could have the body. Joseph bought a linen sheet, took the body down, wrapped it in the sheet, and placed it in a tomb which had been dug out of solid rock. Then he tolled a large stone across the entrance to the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph were watching and saw where the body of Jesus was placed."


Comment: The early Christians wanted to emphasize that Jesus was buried, in part to counter the claims of some at the time who were saying that Jesus was not raised from the dead because Jesus never died and Jesus was never buried. Some at the time claimed that Jesus was not crucified, but rather it was Simon of Cyrene who was crucified in his place. Consequently, Jesus did not die, he was not buried. These people claimed that Jesus continued to live on this earth, married Mary Magdalene, had children, and there are blood descendants of Jesus living on this earth today. This makes good material for TV talk shows, but you can well imagine why the early Christians wanted to emphasize that Jesus died and was buried.