It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour. The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.
Then Jesus called out in a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.” And when He had said this, He breathed His last.
When the centurion saw what had happened, he gave glory to God, saying, “Surely this was a righteous man.” And when all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts. But all those who knew Jesus, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching these things.
Now there was a Council member named Joseph, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision or action. He was from the Judean town of Arimathea, and was waiting for the kingdom of God. He went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and placed it in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was beginning.
The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how His body was placed. Then they returned to prepare spices and perfumes. And they rested on the Sabbath, according to the commandment. Luke 23:43-56.
What was done to Jesus was wrong. But it was necessary to bring redemption to the world. What was done to Jesus was also right, because He gave His life willingly to take our punishment.
God gave man agency to execute justice on the earth. But He didn’t make it easy. In the Law of Moses, one witness was not enough. You needed two. There were also cities of refuge, where the guilty could run and hide out until a trial could establish what had happened. There was due process, and I’m sure a lot of guilty people went free. Today we also execute justice imperfectly. Witnesses lie. Police add or subtract evidence. Witnesses don’t come forth out of fear. Politics gets involved. This is why there is ultimate justice, which God alone will adjudicate.
Apparently, the decision to execute Jesus was not unanimous. Joseph of Arimathea was on the ruling council, but did not consent. He was waiting for the kingdom of God. He acquired Jesus’s body and gave Him a decent burial. He was not part of the mob. In the face of injustice, he did not consent. He didn’t violate his conscience. He trusted final justice to God.