John 19:38-20:10

The Message Beyond the Grave

I. The PUBLIC identifying with Christ

(Joh 19:38) And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of

Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took

the body of Jesus.

(Joh 19:39) And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came

to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an

hundred pound weight.

(Luk 9:26) For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of

man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.

(Rom 1:16) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:

for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that

believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

(Mar 15:43) Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable

counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and

craved the body of Jesus.

The true measure of a man is not how

he behaves in moments of comfort and

convenience but how he stands at

times of controversy and

challenges.

Martin Luther King Jr.

II. The PREPARATION of the Body of Christ

(Joh 19:39) And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and

brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred

pound weight.

(Joh 19:40) Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices,

as the manner of the Jews is to bury.

Shroud of Turin

(Exo 30:22-29) Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take thou also unto thee

principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much,

even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the

shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment,

an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil. And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the

congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the

altar of incense, And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. And thou shalt sanctify them, that

they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.

(Psa 45:7) Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest

wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee

with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

(Psa 45:8) All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and

cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have

made thee glad.

III. The PICTURE displayed in the clothes

of Christ

A. The Change that comes to

John

(Joh 20:5-9) And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes

lie, And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but

wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other

disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

B. The Content left

behind

(Joh 20:5-9) And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into

the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen

clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other

disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that

he must rise again from the dead.

(Heb 10:5) Wherefore when he

cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou

wouldest not, but a body hast thou

prepared me:

(Eph 1:22) And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to

the church,

(Eph 1:23) Which is his body, the fulness of him

that filleth all in all.

(Eph 5:2) And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and

a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

(2Co 2:14-15) Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to

triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his

knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved,

and in them that perish:

(Son 4:10) How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love

than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all

spices!(Son 4:11) Thy lips, O my

spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and

the smell of thy garments is like the smell of

Lebanon.

(Son 1:2) Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth:

for thy love is better than wine.

(Son 1:3) Because of the savour of thy good ointments

thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the

virgins love thee.

C. The connection

of the separation of napkin and linen

(Eph 1:22) And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head

over all things to the church,

(Eph 1:23) Which is his body, the fulness of him

that filleth all in all.

(Eph 5:23) For the husband is the head of

the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

(1Th 4:16-17) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a

shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of

God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

(1Th 4:17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up

together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall

we ever be with the Lord.