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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mar_15:42-47
42When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. 44Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. 45And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was laid.
Mar_15:42 "When evening had already come" Mark is the only Gospel that mentions this. Exo_12:6 has "evenings" as if there were two: (1) 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. and (2) 6:00 p.m. and later. Context implies it must have been after 3:00 p.m. (the time of the evening sacrifice), but before 6:00 p.m. (the start of the Passover Sabbath).
▣ "the preparation day" This refers to the day everything had to be made ready for the high holy Sabbath of Passover week (i.e., Passover and Unleavened Bread was an eight-day feast, therefore, it had two Sabbaths), not the Passover meal itself.
Mar_15:43 "Joseph of Arimathea" He seems to have been a secret disciple, along with Nicodemus (cf. Mat_27:57; Joh_12:42). However, after Jesus' death he went publicly to ask Pilate for Jesus' body (cf. Joh_19:38). It was dangerous to be identified as a friend of a crucified insurrectionist.
As an orthodox Jew of his day Joseph would have made himself ceremonially unclean to observe the Passover Sabbath by:
1. going into a Gentile house
2. touching a dead body
However, he may have been attempting to remove the curse of Deu_21:22-23. Usually the Romans let the bodies of the crucified remain unburied at the place of death, but because the Jews were so squeamish about unburied bodies, the Romans allowed them to bury their dead, but usually not immediately.
The term Arimathea means "height" and apparently is another name for the city of Ramah, which was five miles northeast of Jerusalem.
▣ "prominent member of the Council" Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin, as was Nicodemus. See Special Topic: Sanhedrin at Mar_12:13.
▣ "waiting for the kingdom of God" Joseph was a religious man (cf. Mat_27:58). The Kingdom of God was a common Jewish expectation among Pharisees and the common people. Jesus often preached on this subject. It was the subject of His first and last sermons and the focus of His parables. See Special Topic at Mar_1:15.
In what sense Joseph was waiting for the kingdom is uncertain. How could he be a disciple and not know the kingdom had come? Perhaps he was still expecting an earthly kingdom (like the disciples, cf. Act_1:6).
▣ "went in before Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus" This would have made him ceremonially unclean to participate in the high Sabbath of Passover week. This would also have identified him with Jesus, a crucified insurrectionist. This was a bold and decisive act.
▣ "asked for the body" Normally the Romans left the bodies on the cross to decay, as a deterrent to rebellion. These bodies were the property of Rome. They were usually not given back to the families for proper burial, which was especially important to Jews. This was a special, unusual request. It was granted because of the Jewish sensibilities about dead bodies ceremonially polluting the land especially during the Passover season.
Mar_15:44 "Pilate wondered if He was dead at this time" Crucifixion was a very slow painful death. Often it took several days. The Roman soldiers gave the victims water or wine from time to time, not out of mercy, but to prolong their death. However, this time the condemned had to die quickly because of the upcoming Passover Sabbath, so the soldiers broke the two criminals' legs (cf. Joh_19:31 ff). This was so that they could not push up on their legs to breathe properly. They would have died quickly after this. Jesus, however, was already dead, so His legs were not broken. This fulfills prophecy (cf. Joh_19:36, quoting from Exo_12:46. See hermeneutical comment at Mar_15:27).
"If" is not a marker for a conditional sentence, but an indirect question. Pilate was amazed Jesus had died so quickly, therefore, he asked his attendants this indirect question.
Mar_15:45 "body" The Greek word is not soma, but ptôma, which means corpse. Jesus was dead!
Mar_15:46 "Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth" Nicodemus was also there (cf. Joh_19:39-40). They quickly prepared Jesus' body (i.e., because of the rapid approach of the Sabbath at 6 p.m.) according to Jewish tradition. The Jews did not practice embalming as the Egyptians did, but they had a set procedure involving linen wraps and spices.
▣ "laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock" This fulfills the specific prophecy of Isa_53:9. Mat_27:57-60 tells us it was Joseph's personal tomb.
▣ "hewn out in the rock" Jesus was not buried in the ground, but in Joseph's family crypt. It was hollowed out of a rock cliff and would have included several burial slabs. There were many of these in the Jerusalem area.
▣ "stone" This large hewn round slab of rock was shaped like a grinding stone. These graves were regularly robbed so they were sealed with a heavy stone. The size of the stone showed it was a rich man's grave.
Mar_15:47 "were looking on to see where He was laid" This term means "to view with interest and attention." They wanted to make sure that Jesus was properly prepared for burial. However, this also provided the needed two witnesses (i.e., Deu_17:6; Deu_19:15) to confirm a legal testimony. Jesus was dead and they did not go to the wrong tomb!
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