And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb

And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, "Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise.' Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead.' So the last deception will be worse than the first." Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how." So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.

- Matthew 25:55-66

In yesterday's reading, we read about Jesus' crucifixion. From noon until three P.M. Matthew tells us there was darkness through all the land. At about three, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" quoting from Psalm 22. Some think He is calling for Elijah. One ran and took a sponge filled with sour wine and offered it to Him. The rest said, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him." And Jesus cried out yet again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. The veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"

And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons. Matthew does not forget these women faithful, who have also been an essential part to Jesus' ministry. Many of them are named by the Church "Apostle to the Apostles" and Matthew tells us they ministered to Christ. They have been with Him throughout the Galilean ministry, and have seen everything, to the end. My study bible reminds us that Mary the mother of James and Joses is not Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. Joseph of Arimathea is most likely a member of the Sanhedrin, so his boldly going before Pilate and asking for Jesus' body is something to be remarked upon. We know there was at least one other member of the Sanhedrin who sought to defend Jesus openly, and that was Nicodemus, who is mentioned earlier in Matthew as the one whom Jesus taught about being born again from water and the Spirit. We really must remember that even among the leadership there were people of great courage who were followers of Jesus; at this point just after crucifixion, it took great courage indeed. My study bible calls it "a bold public act even for this influential and wealthy man." It says also, "He is buried in a new tomb, so that no suspicion might later arise that another had risen instead of Christ."

And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb. Again, the women are there for Him. In the donation of the tomb, and in these women sitting with Him, we are reminded again of the great act of love by Mary the sister of Lazarus at Bethany, who anointed Him for burial. What is a service to the Lord but an act of love? Sitting and waiting, an essential component of prayer and relationship, is also serving, devotion.

On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, "Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise.' Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead.' So the last deception will be worse than the first." Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how." So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard. The chief priests and Pharisees are still afraid, and yet again they come to Pilate, demanding a secure tomb. One gets the feeling that Pilate is mighty tired of them and their pestering and squabbling. He finds the pragmatic approach: they have their own guard, they have permission to secure it themselves.

There's a kind of hush over these passages. All seems silent, as we read. The women patiently watch from afar, despite all the bloodshed, violence, hysterical words of blasphemy around the Cross. And they patiently sit and wait at the tomb. They have been sitting and waiting and ministering since Galilee, both active in service to Him, and yet also patient, ministering, attending. And again there is the example of another Mary, the sister of Lazarus, who also sat at His feet. Mostly, I'm reminded of Jesus' words in John about His death: "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." It's the time underground, like winter, when we await the spring. All seems quiet and hushed as we await the plants and the green leaves in the quiet of winter. But this is also a time of preparation for something magnificent, beyond description, a power we can't contain nor quite name ourselves. It's been indicated already in yesterday's reading, in the veil of the temple torn from top to bottom, in the earthquake and the split rocks, and of course the opening of the tombs. Something has been unleashed in the world at this death, but we don't know what it is yet. It's something over all the earth, a kind of universal disruption, and we wait to see its blossoming. We who sit and wait in prayer must always remember Jesus' words, and the power of Resurrection. St. Paul said, "I die daily." Christ asks of us periods of growth for which it is also necessary that we experience some kind of death, a casting away of something from ourselves. Let us remember this is the life He has taught us, the process and power of Resurrection. Let us remember the day of preparation, and always keep its life within us, within our hearts, and its power that will always be at work, however we may or may not quite yet see.