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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 27:55-66
Yesterday, we read that from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, "This Man is calling for Elijah!" Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. The rest said, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him." And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, 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. My study bible says here that most Fathers teach that Mary the mother of James and Joses was the Virgin Mary, being in fact the stepmother of James and Joses (see 13:55; compare Mark 15:40, 47). It notes that Theophylact summarizes the teaching of the Fathers to say that James and Joses were sons of Joseph by his first wife. Since Mary was called the "wife" of Joseph, she is rightly called the "mother" of his children, meaning "stepmother."
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. My study bible says, "To ask for the body of Jesus is a bold public act for this wealthy man, showing that his faith has overcome any fear." Ancient commentators remark on the bravery of all of these people: Joseph of Arimathea was known as a member of the council, a wealthy man with much to lose - and here he risks death to show support for Jesus, as do the women who are present. There is already a depth of love for Jesus shown here that is to remark upon, and very great courage.
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. My study bible says that Jesus is buried in a new tomb so that no suspicion might later arise that another had risen instead of Christ. St. John Chrysostom comments that the courage of these women is a model for all men to attempt to measure up to.
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. Ironically, this statement, that He will rise on the third day, constitutes the very meaning of Jesus' words these people have twisted in order to condemn Him to death (see John 2:19).
So, the stage is set for what will come next. It's remarkable that the religious authorities seek to take precautions against Jesus' rising on the third day, given that in their deliberations it was the false witnesses who twisted Jesus' teaching about His Resurrection in order to condemn Him to death. It's like the whole world is watching, breathing, waiting -- like those women who sit opposite the tomb. By tradition, these women, (in particular Mary Magdalene) are called "Equal to the Apostles" and we will see why. They are also known as "the Holy Myrrbearers." But for now these women sit and wait with Him outside of a new tomb. They are the friends of the Bridegroom, who wait outside this new, "pristine" chamber as His body is wrapped in clean linen. For many ancient commentators, this new tomb, also, is symbolic of the baby Jesus in the womb of the Virgin Mary. In some ways there is a parallel here with Eastern icons of the Nativity, where Jesus is born in a manger which has always been understood as being in a cave where the animals were kept, a typical practice of the region. The clean linen shroud would then appear to imitate the swaddling clothes in which the infant Jesus was wrapped. The linen, perhaps most powerfully of all, is viewed as the linen in the vision in which Peter saw all animals given to him from heaven, made clean by the power of God. Thus, the shroud, the tomb, this death -- is all made clean by the touch of Christ. We are, in fact, awaiting a birth -- one which will open faith to the Gentile heart, for the whole world. Hilary of Poitiers comments: "It is perhaps not too extravagant to understand from this parallel that the church is buried with Christ under the name of the linen shroud. Just as in the linen, so also in the confession of the church are gathered the full diversity of living beings, both pure and impure. The body of the Lord, therefore, through the teaching of the apostles, is laid to rest in the empty tomb newly cut from a rock. In other words, their teaching introduced Christ into the hardness of the Gentile heart, which was uncut, empty and previously impervious to the fear of God. And because he is the only one who should penetrate our hearts, a stone was rolled over the entrance to the tomb, so that just as no one previous to him had been introduced as the author of divine knowledge, neither would anyone be brought in after him." (ON MATTHEW 33.8). This tomb is also seen as a symbol of our "burial" with Christ in baptism, to be risen with Him as well. For now we await a rebirth, a glorious opening of the tomb.
