Nicodemus Brought a Mixture of Myrrh

Thanks Morguefile.com

On Friday we talked about Joseph of Arimathea taking Jesus' body to his own grave. Nicodemus, a Pharisee, accompanied Joseph and helped him.

Here is how John, the close friend and follower of Jesus, described the scene:

"Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds" (John 19:38-39).

There is a prophecy in the myrrh. (Tweet that!)

Myrrh was one of the three gifts brought by the Magi to Jesus at his birth. Matthew, another follower of Jesus, wrote of the Magi's visit to the newborn Jesus:

"On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh" (Matthew 2:11).

In the first book in my 3-book "Prophecies Fulfilled" series, Prophecies Fulfilled in the Birth of Jesus, we explored the significance of the three gifts from the Magi and how these gifts were prophetic, picturing what Jesus would do in his life…and death:

• Gold was a gift fit for royalty, for a king.

• Frankincense is an incense used by priests when making offerings and sacrifices at the Temple. Incense was also burned on the Incense Altar inside the Temple and symbolized the prayers of the people rising to God, a sweet aroma pleasing to Him.

• Myrrh was a fragrance used in embalming dead bodies for burial.

The gift of myrrh was a prophecy of and predicted Jesus' death. And when he died, Nicodemus brought a large amount of an expensive mixture of myrrh for Jesus' burial. And so another prophecy was fulfilled. (Tweet that!)