Mark 15:42  And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,
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.
44  And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.
45  And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.
46  And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.
47  And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.

Verse 42 causes some serious problems for many. We know that God is not a deceiver. We also have already noted that God chose to tell each writer what they were supposed to write. There is nothing in the Bible that is false. What is required is faithful study of God’s Word in order to come to know the Truth.
As we read in this passage the eve of the crucifixion was the preparation. The text even went further to state that this day was the day before the sabbath. According to the Bible, the regular sabbath was the seventh day of the week. Many people ignore the truthfulness of the Word of God and they assume that because it says the next day was the sabbath, Jesus could not have been in the tomb for three days and three nights. They assume that Jesus was crucified on Friday and that He rose again early Sunday morning. Thus many people accept the Catholic lie of “good Friday” and “Easter Sunday”.
If we do a little math, we know that from Friday evening to Sunday morning, we do not have three days and three nights. Jesus even referred to Jonah’s time in the belly of the whale, to illustrate the fact that He would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Matthew 12:40  For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

It is important that those who are truly born again, not be guilty of calling Jesus a liar. He did spend three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. When we go back to Mark 15:42, we have to keep those clear facts in mind.
We know that God instituted the weekly sabbath as a day of rest for the Jews. It was a sign between God and the Jews. We also know that there were other sabbaths for particular events. To help us understand what Mark was talking about we need to look at where else God recorded the events of this time. We must do this so that we are not guilty of accusing God of contradicting Himself.

John 19:31  The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

We note that John recorded the next day as the sabbath, but he was also told to write that day was an high day. During the Passover feast, which was combined with the days of unleavened bread there was more than one sabbath in the week. Both John and Mark record the day of the preparation.
The “high day” was a special sabbath that God instituted in the Old Testament as part of the feast of unleavened bread.
There is no confusion here. Jesus was crucified and buried and spent three days and three nights in the heart of the earth and rose triumphant over sin and death on the first day of the week. That is why born again Christians, since the time of the resurrection met on the first day of the week, which is also called the Lord’s Day and on our calendars it is called Sunday. That is why born again Christians keep Sunday in a different way than the rest of the days of the week. It is not our sabbath but it is a day of remembering the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and all that entails.
We, those who are saved, do not need to try to make Catholic false teaching fit by ignoring the facts of the Bible. We need to reject the lies and accept the truth.
Nowhere are born again Christians told to try to reenact the crucifixion account. We are commanded to keep the Lord’s Supper as a reminder of His death til He come.
We read further in our account that Joseph of Arimathaea went to Pilate and craved the body of Jesus. Joseph was an honourable counsellor. He was waiting for the kingdom of God. He knew Jesus was already dead and he wanted to take His body off the cross prior to this high day.
Pilate marvelled that Jesus was already dead. Pilate was a cold blooded, evil man. He had witnessed the severe beating that Jesus had endured. He should have known that it would be highly unlikely for a man to lose the amount of blood that Jesus lost and still survive for a long period of time. Pilate would not have known, nor would he have cared about God’s timing of these events.
Pilate needed to consult with the centurion first to find out if Jesus was truly dead. They witnessed the fact that Jesus was dead and they testified to that fact.
Pilate then gave permission to Joseph to take Jesus’ body down from the cross. Joseph was not ashamed of identifying himself with the truth. He did not know all the details either but he was not afraid of the Romans, nor of the Jewish leaders. He was willing to invest his own money to buy linen to wrap Jesus’ lifeless body in.
Joseph wrapped Jesus in the linen he had purchased and then he placed Jesus in his own tomb. That tomb had never been used before. There was no contamination of other men’s bones in that tomb.
They put Jesus’ body in that tomb, and then they rolled a stone over the door of that sepulchre. They buried Jesus’ body with respect. They did not have all the spices that were normally used in burials and the women would try to look after this later.
We read in verse 47 that Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus beheld where Jesus had been laid. They too did not understand the prophecies that Jesus had given earlier about His resurrection. They were going to make sure they did what they could for Jesus’ lifeless body. They too had great respect for Jesus.
We need to remember that what was taking place at that time, was highly unusual. We also need to remember that the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, had not yet been sent by Jesus Christ. There was a lack of ability of the true believers to be able to understand the facts clearly.
Yes, Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead earlier. Women like Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus did not doubt that event. However what was happening and what would happen to Jesus was unique.
He is the firstfruits of the resurrection. Today, true saints receive the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. We have the ability to understand and believe the truth.
Those who are saved will all be raised up one day in the future. All the lost will also be raised up one day in the future.
Joseph and the two women mentioned here were acting on things they could see. They would be pleasantly surprised by the fulfilment of Jesus’ words regarding His resurrection. Today we have no reason to doubt the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We also have no reason to doubt the resurrection of our own bodies.
It is important to know the true Jesus and to live in anticipation of the fact that one day in the future our bodies will be raised up and our souls will be reunited with our resurrected bodies. That will be a great day. Those who are lost will also face a resurrection. They will not look forward to that day. It will be the day that will expose their evil works and condemn them to eternity in the lake of fire.
It is essential to believe what God says and not allow corrupt human teachings to rob us of the Truth. God does not lie. He declares the Truth and He is well capable of working everything out according to His Word. God wants us to have confidence in what He has declared. We need to humble ourselves and receive the truth.
Pastor Bartel