But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things

 

 Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.  Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.  And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.'"  Having said this, He breathed His last.  So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous Man!"  And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned.  But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. 

Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man.  He had not consented to their decision and deed.  He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God.  This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before.  That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.  And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid.  Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.  And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. 

 

- Luke 23:44-56 

 

On Saturday we read that there were also two others, criminals, led with Jesus to be put to death.  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.  Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."  And they divided His garments and cast lots. And the people stood looking on.  But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."  And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:  THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.  Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."  But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."  Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." 

 

 Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.  In Friday's reading and commentary, we remarked upon what seems like an "upside down" time, a time when evil seems to make a great show.  That there is darkness during the brightest time of the day (the sixth hour corresponds to noon, the ninth hour to 3 p.m.) is another kind of "upside down" sign.  In another sense, we could say that all of these events indicate the disturbance of creation, for the Logos experiences earthly death.  It is almost as if creation itself is mourning in its upside down time, when creatures seek to destroy the Creator.

Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.   My study Bible comments that the veil that separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple was a symbol of the separation between God and human beings.  Christ's death opens the way into the presence of God for all, giving people access to that which is the most holy of all:  God.  In many Orthodox churches, one may see a curtain between the altar and the nave which is drawn open during liturgical services.  This emphasizes that this communion with God, which was at one time sealed off from humanity, is now available to all who approach in faith. 

And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.'"  Having said this, He breathed His last.  My study Bible notes that Jesus does not have His life taken from Him, but will voluntarily commit it to the Father.  His was the first human soul not to be taken to Hades, my study Bible further explains.  Instead it was freely given into the hands of God.  So, therefore, Christ frees all of humanity from the grip of death.  His death reconciles humankind to God, not by satisfying the Father's need for blood-justice as some might teach, but in causing every aspect of our corrupt human nature to be transformed -- for whatever divinity touches is healed.  Christ accepts human nature in order to sanctify human nature.  He accepts our weakness in order to make us strong.  He takes on our sin in order to free us from sin.  He suffers in order to transfigure suffering.  And finally, He enters death in order to destroy it (1 Corinthians 15:20-28).  Jesus' words are from Psalm 31:5, teaching us that He was praying on the Cross.

Having said this, He breathed His last.  So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous Man!"  And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned.  But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.  My study Bible quotes St. Cyril of Alexandria, who reflects on the conversion of the centurion  St. Cyril writes, "Observe that no sooner had Christ endured the Passion on the Cross for our sakes than He began to win many unto knowledge of the truth."  Let us also note that the Gospel gives us these various strata of people in response to Christ.  There is the whole crowd who came together, and seeing what had been done causes them to beat their breasts in anguish and return.  But the acquaintances of Christ are different, and these include the women who followed Him from Galilee.  They stood at a distance, almost seemingly passive, watching these things.  But they are the ones who were already warned by Christ what was to come to Him in Jerusalem.  They are the ones, one feels, who love Him.

Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man.  He had not consented to their decision and deed.  He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God.  This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before.  That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.  My study Bible comments that, if the apostles had buried Christ, doubters could claim His body was simply hidden away.  Joseph, as both a council member and a good and just man refutes any possibility that the Lord's body was deceptively hidden by the apostles.  The spiritual significance of a tomb where no one had ever lain before is that Christ died a death unlike any person had ever died.  That is, a death without corruption, and a death leading to victory over the grave itself.  Let us also note that here we are given yet another layer of the people of Jerusalem and who surround the story of Christ.  Joseph of Arimathea as both a rich man (indicated by this grave hewn out of rock where no one had ever lain before) and a council member reminds us that the Gospels do not present human beings as monoliths.  Joseph had not consented to the decision and deed of the rest of the council, although he was a prominent member (Mark 15:43).  In this viewpoint of the Gospels, nothing in our nominal worldly identity prevents us -- or anyone else -- from being a good and just person and one who loves Christ and awaits the kingdom of God -- and even boldly acts that love as does Joseph of Arimathea.

And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid.  Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.  And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.  Christ's rest in the tomb fulfills the image of His birth in a cave. (See Luke 2:7, where this manger would have been by custom in a cave for the animals).  This understanding reveals the ultimate purpose of Christ's coming.  The faith of the women, while stronger than that of the hiding disciples, was still imperfect in that they prepared for the corruption of Christ's body.  My study Bible adds, regarding the Sabbath:  As God rested from the work of creation on the original Sabbath (Genesis 2:1-3), so now Christ rests from the work of the new creation on the Sabbath.  Therefore, Jesus gives the Sabbath its ultimate meaning and fulfills the Law even in death.  My study Bible quotes a hymn from Matins of Holy Saturday:  "This is the most blessed Sabbath on which Christ sleeps in order to rise on the third day."

 

There is a kind of stoicism one might read in the followers of Christ.  Perhaps we should not understand stoicism as a word referring to a specific philosophy, but a more generalized term to indicate a particular attitude or disposition.  Christ's followers accept.  They are not the ones who are beating their breasts and making an outcry of grief.  They watch even from a distance all the things that happen.  Perhaps they are following Christ's words of warning about what is to come in the future disasters in Jerusalem, or perhaps they are merely responding to Christ's repeated warnings that this was to come for Him.  After all, He has shown them the way, as He could under the particular circumstances of the events in the days just before His Passion.  He would not let them fight for His life; He even healed the ear of the servant of the high priest (see Luke 22:49-53).  See also John 18:36, in which Jesus testifies to Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."  No, His servants do not make a revolution nor even a stir, but watch from afar.  There is then Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy man about whom we've not heard anything in this Gospel before now.  But Joseph is a good and just man, who does not consent to the decision of the Council, and he acts quite courageously in giving this new and unused rock tomb -- a quite expensive gift -- for Christ's burial.   Finally, there are the women, who pay attention to what it is their business to do.  These are the women of such faith that they have followed Him from Galilee.  Earlier we were told they were supporting His ministry from their own means (Luke 8:1-3).  They also do not spend time wailing and mourning, but like Joseph, they do what is necessary.  They get to work.  They go to this tomb and observe how it is laid out.  Then they return to prepare spices and fragrant oils, so that they may do the proper burial.  But they must, dutiful as they are, rest on the Sabbath.  All of these people who are the ones indicated in the text who love and follow Christ, they make of themselves a pattern that we can recognize.  They accept what has happened and do what is necessary.  But what seems to characterize their behavior is that they examples of truly "good and faithful servants" (see Matthew 25:23).  They remind us of what we are to be doing, of the proper attitude we must take, as we await the Master's return.  These are the ones who do not waste time with passions that can so often take us off track.  They are the faithful and wise servants, alert to what is necessary, doing the things that need to be done.  They are also the ones who are watchful, who do not waste time in unprofitable pursuits, forgetful of what they are to be about (Luke 21:34-36).  They have not lost themselves to the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and to desires for other things (Mark 4:18-19).   It is these few, perhaps, who are keeping everything together for the making of the future Church, providing what is necessary, and doing what they must, and they are all examples of what our lives are supposed to be.  For even in this worst of all circumstances, at a time when the unthinkable has happened, when even the sun is blacked out from its glory in seeming grief of the created universe, these stand back and do what they are able and what they must, and they do not wait for others to tell them what to do.  They know what to do and do what they can.  For these women, especially, who have followed Him from Galilee, this faithful and true behavior will serve to bring the greatest news of the world, for which they will be the first bearers into the world.