So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard

 

 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 (noon) 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 that most patristic commentary teaches that Mary the mother of James and Joses is the Virgin Mary, as she was in fact the stepmother of James and Joses (see Matthew 13:55; compare Mark 15:40, 47).  It notes that Theophylact summarizes in this way:  "James and Joses were sons of Joseph by his first wife.  And since the Theotokos 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.  Joseph of Arimathea commits a bold public act; to ask for the body of Jesus is a sign of deep faith for a wealthy man.  My study Bible says it shows that his faith has overcome any fear.

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 notes that Christ 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.  While the chief priests and Pharisees act to prevent what they suspect on the part of Christ's disciples, this action effectively secures the understanding that the witness reports of what is to come are authentic and true.

 

The chief priests and Pharisees suspect that Christ's disciples might steal His body from this new tomb (that is, one in which no one else has been buried), so they may falsely claim His Resurrection later.   But let us take note how God uses circumstances to achieve God's purposes.  Effectively their actions demanded in false suspicion only help to seal the veracity of the witnesses to come.  First, it is a new tomb and therefore only one body is placed there, that of Christ.  Second, it's quite interesting that the chief priests and Pharisees are apparently aware of Christ's prophecy that He would rise again, that they have understood what Christ meant by the sign of the prophet Jonah (Matthew 12:38-39; 16:1-4).  This is quite a contrast to the deliberate machinations around Christ's prophecy of the same when He spoke of His body as a temple (Matthew 26:61; John 2:19).   It exposes their disingenuous behavior, that they knowingly have done what they've done.  The other thing to note about today's text is the importance of the women, right from the beginning, in Christ's followers.  Without their witness, we would not have the understanding that we do.  They are the ones out and about, doing the necessary things for Christ's burial, keeping watch and keeping witness.  Joseph of Arimathea -- who is honored today in the Episcopal Church -- is also a member of the Council (see Mark 15:43), and therefore extremely courageous.  What we find in this account is telling us that, immediately upon Christ's death, not only do all kinds of signs and wonders occur in Jerusalem (see yesterday's reading, above), but also the courage of even what we might call Christ's "least likely" followers comes to the fore for all to see.  While the disciples are scattered (Matthew 26:56) and in hiding, these come out and do what is necessary for Him, even acting with a kind of courage that could lose them their lives and status in the society.  What we find is that, even before the knowledge of the Resurrection, Christ's death is already producing fruit, from the centurion and his guards who proclaimed "Truly this is the Son of God!" to these women and the prominent and wealthy member of the Council Joseph of Arimathea.  Without the new tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, without the order to seal the stone and set the guard, without these women, we wouldn't have the story we know.  It all affirms that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).  Let us keep this in mind through our own struggles, setbacks, and hardships -- for Christ's sacrifice and the power of Resurrection still brings forth fruit, even where we may least expect it.