Joseph of Arimathea Takes a Stand - JOSEPH BURIES JESUS

 Jewish law required that those sentenced to death be  buried before sundown. (Deuteronomy 21:22, 23) As fare as the Romans were concerned, though, the bodies of executed criminals either were left on the stake to rot or were thrown into a common grave. But that is not what Joseph had in mind for Jesus. Close to the execution site, Joseph had a new rock-cut tomb.  This vault had never been used, which indicates that Joseph  had recently moved from Arimathea to Jerusalem and that he expected to use this property  as his family's burial site. (Luke 23:53' ; John 19:41) Burying Jesus in Joseph's own future tomb  was a generous gesture on Joseph's part and fulfilled the prophecy that the Messiah would be buried "with the rich." - ISAIAH 53:5. 8, 9. 

All four Gospels record that after Jesus' body was removed from the stake, Joseph wrapped it in fine linen and laid it in his own tomb. ( Matthew 27:59-61; Mark 15:46,47; Luke 23"53, 55; John 19:38-40)  The only person specifically stated to have helped Joseph was Nicodemus, who brough burial spices.  Given the status of these twokk it is unlikely that they would have moved the body themselves. It is more likely that they would have used servants to do the actual carrying and burying.  Be that as it may, the task that the two men undertook was not trivial.  Any who came in contact with a corpse incurred ceremonial uncleanness for seven days, making everything that they touched unclean.  (Numbers 19:11; Haggai 2:13)  Such a condition would require them to be secluded during the Passover week and to miss all its obervances and celebrations.  (Numbers 9:6) By arranging  Jesus' burial, Joseph had also risked derision from his colleagues.  Yet, as this point, he was willing to accept the consequences of giving Jesus a dignified burial and of openly identifying himself as one of Christ's disciples. 

Nexts time: Joseph of Arimathea Takes a Stand - THE END OF JOSPEH'S STORY

From the jw.org publications