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(8)
Joseph then went to Golgotha with linen and permit and presented the latter to the
centurion on duty--.
(9)
Having received permission to move the body, Joseph with help took down and
covered the body with the cloth and carried it to Joseph's tomb (Mark 15: 46;
Matt. 27: 59, 60; Luke 23: 53).
(10)
Women from Galilee followed after (Luke 23: 55).
(11)
Joseph, with help, would remove the much soiled cloth and wash the body of its
blood stains, after which it was wrapped in a single clean linen cloth without
spices (Matt. 27: 59; Mark 15: 46; Luke 23: 53).
(12)
The body was then laid in Joseph's new tomb (Matt. 27: 60; Mark 15: 46).
(13)
During these operations the women watched, but did not help (Matt. 27: 61).
(14)
Joseph and his friends rolled a great stone across the mouth of the tomb and
departed (Matt. 27: 60; Mark 15: 46).
(15)
The women returned to the city, having seen how the body was laid without
embalming (Luke 23: 55).
(16)
Nicodemus, unknown to the women, had procured a great quantity of expensive
spices and with these made contact with Joseph (John 19: 39).
(17)
The women went to the market and bought raw materials for spices which they
prepared (Luke 23: 56).
(18)
Joseph and Nicodemus returned to the tomb, rolled away the stone, took off the
single linen cloth in which the body was wrapped and wound the limbs and the
body in a number of bandages with spices (John 19: 40). Then they wrapped
the whole corpse in a single linen sheet and the head separately in a napkin,
and put the body back in place (John 20: 7).
(19)
The stone was rolled again across the mouth of the tomb, and the men departed.
(20)
The women, having prepared the spices, rested on the Sabbath (Friday 6p.m. to
Saturday 6p.m.) (Luke 23: 56).
On the first day of the week (Saturday after 6p.m.) very early in the morning*, the
women came, bringing the spices they had prepared (Luke 24: 1). [*very early in
the morning -- this can only refer to Sunday 5a.m.+/- onwards--DHC.]
Surely it must be admitted, all this could not have taken place within three hours. No
part of it could be done on Saturday, for that was the weekly Sabbath. The markets were
all closed and nothing could be bought and no labour hired.
We must remember that the Sabbath of John 19: 31 was not the weekly Sabbath, but
one earlier in the week connected with Passover, a "high day". So there were two
Sabbaths in that week and the high day Sabbath being confused with the weekly Sabbath,
has led to all the confusion as to when Christ was crucified. Exod. 12: 3-8 regulates
that the Passover must be offered on the 14th day of the month. Straight away followed
the Feast of Unleavened Bread on the 15th day, and this day was a Sabbath (Lev. 23: 6,
7). By this calendar, instead of having three hours only, from 3p.m. to 6p.m. on Friday
for these twenty events, there were the three hours on Wednesday and the whole of
Friday. Thursday and Saturday could not be used being Sabbaths. Joseph must have
hurriedly buried the Lord's body on Wednesday before 6p.m. and he, with Nicodemus,
would embalm it on Friday. The markets were open on this day and the women would be
able to buy what spices they wanted.