1. Every word of God is tested… Proverbs 30:5

2.  Important information supporting the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus  Flogging  Mark 15:15 – “Wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.”

3.  “The adjudged criminal was usually first forcefully stripped of his clothes, then tied to a post or pillar in the tribunal. Then the awful and cruel scourging was administered by the lictors or scourgers. Although the Hebrews limited by their law the number of strokes in the scourging to 40, the Romans set no such limitation….” John Mattingly

4.  Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea (third century historian: the victim’s “veins were laid bare, and…the very muscles, sinews, and bowels of the victim were open to exposure.  John Mattingly: “It has been conjectured that [His] scourging even surpassed the severity of the normal one.

5.  Additional pain beforehand:  Matthew 27:31 – “After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.”  Mark 15:22 – “Then they brought Him to the place Golgotha…” (Carried Him?)

6. Marcus Tullius Cicero – “Even the mere word, cross, must remain far not only from the lips of the citizens of Rome, but also from their thoughts, their eyes, their ears….” Frederick Farrar – “…dizziness, cramp, thirst, starvation, sleeplessness, traumatic fever, tetanus, shame, publicity of shame, long continuance of torment, horror of anticipation, mortification of untended wounds….

7. Mark 15:44-45 – “Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.”

8. Both soldiers and centurion ascertain Jesus is dead. “Pilate was indeed surprised that Jesus was already dead, but he was sufficiently convinced by the centurion’s assurance to give Joseph permission to remove the body from the cross.” John R.W. Stott

9. Joseph had no reason to suspect Jesus wasn’t dead. None of those who handled His body and prepared it for burial thought he wasn’t dead. The flow of blood and water from his side demonstrates He was dead.

10. “Had Jesus been alive when the spear pierced His side, strong spouts of blood would have emerged with every heart beat. Instead the observer noticed semi-solid dark red clot seeping out, distinct and separate from the accompanying watery serum. This is…exceptionally strong medical proof of death.” -- Michael Green

11. Begins to set in within 4 to 6 hours after death. Complete some four to six hours after that. Jesus cried out around ninth hour of the day (3 p.m.) Mark 15:34 Joseph collected the body when evening came. He and Nicodemus prepared the body for burial. Nothing caught their attention.

12. Never been used. Hewn out of solid stone. Matthew 27:59-60; Luke 23:53 John 19:41-42 -- Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

13. It was Joseph’s own tomb. He knew where it was. It was hewn out of solid rock. There was no back door. The guards knew where the tomb was which is why they went there to guard it. And seal it, which they did. (Matt. 27:62-66). The disciples looked into the tomb and were surprised when Jesus was not there.

14. All burial stones were large and very heavy. Possibly between one and three tons. This one was “extremely large” Mark 16:4

15. Sure He was dead Sure He was buried In a specific tomb known by his disciples. Sealed with a very large stone. Stone sealed with an official seal. Guards placed to prevent theft or tampering.