The King Is Buried: Joseph and Nicodemus Honor Jesus in Death

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Scripture • World English Bible

John 19:31–42

WEB

³¹Therefore the Jews, because it was the Preparation Day, so that the bodies wouldn’t remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a special one), asked of Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.

³²Therefore the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with him;

³³but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they didn’t break his legs.

³⁴However, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

³⁵He who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, that you may believe.

³⁶For these things happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled, “A bone of him will not be broken.”

³⁷Again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they pierced.”

³⁸After these things, Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked of Pilate that he might take away Jesus’ body. Pilate gave him permission. He came therefore and took away his body.

³⁹Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred Roman pounds.

⁴⁰So they took Jesus’ body, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.

⁴¹Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb in which no man had ever yet been laid.

⁴²Then, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day (for the tomb was near at hand), they laid Jesus there.

World English Bible (WEB) • Public Domain

Reflection

The cross is finished and the crowd has gone. What remains in John 19:31–42 are small, human details that carry great theological weight: soldiers checking corpses, a spear piercing a side, an eyewitness witnessing, and two frightened disciples arranging a burial. These are not merely aftermath; they show who Jesus was and what his death accomplished.

First, the bodily reality of Jesus’ death is emphasized. The soldiers do not break Jesus' legs because he is already dead; a spear pierces his side and blood and water flow. This confirms that Jesus truly died. His death was not a swoon or illusion. For faith grounded in reality, this matters: the Savior entered fully into death so that he might conquer it. The eyewitness testimony that follows is given so that you may believe. The gospel does not ask you to leap from a myth into faith; it calls you to rely on observed truth.

Second, prophecy and purpose appear in the details. The avoidance of broken bones and the piercing echo Old Testament promises, showing that even the humiliation of crucifixion fits God’s plan. God’s purposes run deeper than the surface chaos of the moment. When life feels shattered and purposeless, the burial shows that God can weave final-seeming events into the pattern of redemption.

Third, notice the courage and devotion of Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus. Joseph is a disciple who steps forward publicly, despite previous fear. Nicodemus, who once came by night, now comes with costly spices. They give Jesus a proper burial—binding him in linen with spices as custom required, using a new tomb in a garden. Their actions model faithful love: when many flee, even quiet, costly service honors Christ and fulfills God’s plan. Small acts of care—tending a body, wrapping it with spices—become instruments of God’s unfolding story.

Finally, the garden tomb itself whispers of hope. A new tomb in a garden suggests new creation imagery: death is placed within the soil of creation, and what happened there will be overturned by God’s life-giving power. Burial is not the end; it is the hinge toward resurrection.

Practically, this passage calls us to hold sorrow and hope together. We are invited to face the reality of death and pain honestly, to serve sacrificially even when it costs us, and to anchor our faith in the concrete facts of Jesus’ life, death, and fulfilled prophecy. The King is buried—but he is not abandoned. What looks like closure is the preparatory silence before the victory that changes everything.

Putting Faith Into Action

When someone in your church or family faces death or deep loss, offer practical care: attend the funeral, bring a meal, or help with arrangements. Small, tangible acts honor the person and reflect Christ’s love.
If fear has kept you from openly following Jesus, take one concrete step this week to be seen—share your testimony with a friend, invite someone to church, or join a ministry that serves others.
When grief or confusion presses in, practice honest lament alongside hope: read the gospel accounts, pray about your questions, and confess that you trust God’s purposes even when you don’t see the end yet.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you entered death fully and bore our shame. Give us courage to serve faithfully when it costs us, clarity to trust your purposes, and hope that rests on the facts of your death and your promised resurrection. Help us to honor you in sorrow and to live in the light of your victory. Amen.

Memory Verse

John 19:31 — Therefore the Jews, because it was the Preparation Day, so that the bodies wouldn’t remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a special one), asked of Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. (WEB)

“Therefore the Jews, because it was the Preparation Day, so that the bodies wouldn’t remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a special one), asked of Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.”

Keep Going Continue to Part 70 Empty, Not Defeated John · John 20:1–10 Read the next devotional →

Bible Context

Read all of John 19

John 19

World English Bible • WEB

¹So Pilate then took Jesus and flogged him.

²The soldiers twisted thorns into a crown and put it on his head, and dressed him in a purple garment.

³They kept saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and they kept slapping him.

⁴Then Pilate went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I bring him out to you, that you may know that I find no basis for a charge against him.”

⁵Jesus therefore came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the man!”

⁶When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw him, they shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify!”

⁷The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.”

⁸When therefore Pilate heard this saying, he was more afraid.

⁹He entered into the Praetorium again, and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.

¹⁰Pilate therefore said to him, “Aren’t you speaking to me? Don’t you know that I have power to release you and have power to crucify you?”

¹¹Jesus answered, “You would have no power at all against me, unless it were given to you from above. Therefore he who delivered me to you has greater sin.”

¹²At this, Pilate was seeking to release him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you release this man, you aren’t Caesar’s friend! Everyone who makes himself a king speaks against Caesar!”

¹³When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called “The Pavement”, but in Hebrew, “Gabbatha.”

¹⁴Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, at about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!”

¹⁵They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!”

¹⁶So then he delivered him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led him away.

¹⁷He went out, bearing his cross, to the place called “The Place of a Skull”, which is called in Hebrew, “Golgotha”,

¹⁸where they crucified him, and with him two others, on either side one, and Jesus in the middle.

¹⁹Pilate wrote a title also, and put it on the cross. There was written, “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

²⁰Therefore many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.

²¹The chief priests of the Jews therefore said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘he said, “I am King of the Jews.” ’ ”

²²Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

²³Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top throughout.

²⁴Then they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to decide whose it will be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which says,

²⁵But standing by Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

²⁶Therefore when Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”

²⁷Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour, the disciple took her to his own home.

²⁸After this, Jesus, seeing that all things were now finished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I am thirsty!”

²⁹Now a vessel full of vinegar was set there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop, and held it at his mouth.

³⁰When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.