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 27:55-66

Yesterday we read that from the sixth hour until the ninth hour (that is, from noon to three o'clock in the afternoon) there was darkness over all the land during Jesus' crucifixion.  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, an 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.  According to my study bible, most patristic commentators teach that Mary the mother of James and Joses is the Virgin Mary, who was in fact stepmother to James and Joses (see 13:55; compare Mark 15:40, 47).  According to Theophylact's summary:  "James and Joses were sons of Joseph by his first wife.  And since the Theotokos [the Greek title for the Virgin Mary, meaning "God-bearer"] 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.  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.  For Joseph of Arimathea to ask for the body of Jesus from Pilate is a very bold public act.  According to Luke 23:50, he was a member of the Council.   Particularly considering his wealth and potential loss of social status, his faith is remarked on as exceeding or overcoming any fear.   According to my study bible, Jesus is buried in a new tomb so that no suspicion might later arise that another had risen instead of Christ.

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.  Inadvertently, the chief priests' and Pharisees' efforts to discredit Christ and His followers work to affirm the Gospel account of Resurrection.  By making the tomb secure and setting the guard, the mystery of the Resurrection simply deepens.

In this time period of the days immediately following Jesus' death, it's as if a huge hush is felt over the Gospel account, a great quiet has settled.  Things begin to fall into place, a kind of work that comes together in surprising ways.  Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Council and a wealthy man, who is secretly a disciple of Christ, boldly comes forward publicly and asks for the body of Christ from Pilate.  A new stone-hewed tomb was something costly enough so that it is what only a rich man could generally afford.  But this new tomb made of rock only serves to eliminate the possibility that Jesus' body will be exchanged or mistaken with another.  Once again, the workings of the leadership who wish to destroy Jesus' movement and to discredit His ministry, simply work to put into place an unshakable faith in His Resurrection.  By themselves sealing the stone on the tomb, and setting a guard to keep watch, they eliminate all obvious sources of doubt in the story of Resurrection for His followers.  Everything seems to work to simply fall together, like a kind of clockwork that happens in mysterious ways, all unexpected and unplanned.  We can simply imagine the state of His followers.  The apostles themselves seem to have scattered, and these particular players in the story of Jesus take up their roles:  the women who keep watch, Joseph of Arimathea who has up until now been a secret follower of Christ, even the guards sent by the chief priests and Pharisees.  The story of Jesus is not yet finished, and it will take these various players of so-called "small roles" to make the greatest and most stupendous chapter that will live for thousands of years beyond its time.