Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus

 

 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 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were told that from the sixth hour until the ninth hour (approximately noon to 3:00 p.m.) 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 has a note on Mary the mother of James and Joses.  It explains that in patristic commentary, most teach this was in fact the Virgin Mary, as she was the stepmother of James and Joses (Matthew 13:55; compare Mark 15:40, 47).   It quotes from the commentary of Theophylact, who summarizes this teaching in the following 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.  My study Bible points out to us that to ask for the body of Jesus is a bold public act for this wealthy man, showing that his faith has overcome any fear. We should remember also that he was a member of the Sanhedrin, who disagreed with the Council regarding the trial of Jesus (Luke 23:50-51).

 

 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.  My study Bible comments here that Jesus was buried in a new tomb so that no suspicion might later arise that another had risen instead of Christ.  

 

In tradition, tombs were used for families, not the single burial plots we are used to.  So the point my study Bible makes about Christ's tomb is very important.  Additionally, we shouldn't dismiss the great sacrifice made by Joseph of Arimathea.  Not only as a wealthy man, but as a member of the Council, the Sanhedrin, he had everything to lose by going openly to Pilate.  This tomb would have been very expensive as well, expressing Joseph's love of Jesus.  According to the tradition of the Orthodox Church, he is called holy and righteous, and is a saint.  The Church teaches that he was imprisoned by the Jewish authorities, and Christ appeared to him in prison, thus convincing him of the Resurrection.  He was later released from prison and banished from Jerusalem, eventually preaching the Gospel throughout the world, later reposing in Britain where he helped to found the Church.  Perhaps coincidentally, his feast day is celebrated tomorrow, July 31st.  Joseph is an important figure in that he bridges, together with many others, the old and new covenants.  Moreover, he was willing to risk all that he had, even his very life, out of love for Jesus.  In this category we also place Nicodemus, who, according to St. John's Gospel, was also a student of Christ, a member of the Sanhedrin, and helped Joseph of Arimathea to bury Christ (John 3:1-21; 7:50-52; 19:38-42).  Finally we also come to the women who remained steadfast and loyal to Christ throughout His ministry.  As today's reading tells us, they had followed Him from Galilee.  According to St. Luke's Gospel, these women had supported His ministry in Galilee, supporting Him from their own wealth (Luke 8:1-3).  In today's reading, we're given immediate examples of faith following Christ's death, those who are helping and ministering to Him.  All of these people, we should remember, are faithful Jews.  But more importantly, out of their love for Christ, they are risking everything to show Him love even though they believe Him to be dead.  A crucifixion, we should remember, was the most shameful kind of death, reserved for the worst criminals, a person's body stripped of all protection and modesty, and made to be paraded in extreme suffering until the end.  Jesus' death was also accompanied by mocking and condemnation.  Yet these people remain loyal to Him, which must have demanded tremendous faith and equally great courage.  This teaches us, right from the beginning, that the Church needs all her members; each of us is capable of a playing a role with whatever resources we have, and especially in our faith and the courage we can muster to care and do what the times call us to do.  Ultimately it is love and loyalty that command our response to the One who loved and is loyal to us even through death.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar

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 (or 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 notes here that most Patristic writers teach that Mary the mother of James and Joses is the Virgin Mary.  She was in fact the stepmother of James and Joses (see 13:55; compare to Mark 15:40, 47).   My study bible quotes from Theophylact, who summarizes the teaching in this way:  "James and Joses were sons of Joseph by his first wife.  And since the Theotokos [in Greek, "God-bearer," title of the Virgin 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.  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.  That Joseph of Arimathea would ask for the body of Jesus is a bold public act.  He is a wealthy man, a member of the Sanhedrin.  He has everything to lose by openly asking for the body of Christ.  My study bible says that this shows that Joseph's faith has overcome any fear.  It notes also that 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.  Let us make note of how each act committed in hostility to Christ and His ministry becomes one more plank in the building of the stage for Resurrection.  In effect, the chief priests and Pharisees sealing the stone and setting the guard will only serve to more greatly affirm what is going to happen.

It is the women sitting by the tomb, and standing afar off and watching Christ being crucified, that really grab our attention, so to speak, in today's reading.  This is ironic, as the last thing these women are doing is seeking attention.  We don't hear them speak or cry out.  They don't stand close to the crucifixion of Christ so that they are noticed, or even that the text would tell us they weep and wail.  On the contrary, they seem to be standing almost silently, stoically by, accepting what has happened, bearing witness, being there.  Even when the men, Christ's disciples, have fled, these women stand there.  They are there bearing witness to Him, still supporting Him, their souls are with Him.  They will not leave Him.  So the women stand steadfast, and their silent witness to the Cross from afar, and their silent seating keeping watch opposite the tomb tell us something.  It reminds us that we who pray, who can do nothing more to change or help a situation, still remain loyal in love and in truth.  They remain close to Christ, even as His disciples are scattered (26:31).   These are the women who have supported His ministry all along (Luke 8:1-3, 23:55).  They have followed Him from Galilee, and provided for the ministry.  In John Milton's Sonnet 19, the last line is quite famous, and it reads:  "They also serve who only stand and wait."   The poem is ostensibly about his personal blindness and its effect upon his ability to work and to serve God through his work, but that last line tells us a deeper and wider truth.  These women might not have vivid stories of compelling action written about them detailing their work in the kingdom as would the apostles in their travels.  They do not have bold and astonishing testimonies such as crossing the sea in a terrifying storm, or bravely preaching in the face of enemies.  But nevertheless the Gospels testify that they remain even when the rest are nowhere to be found.  Their strength is in their steadfastness, their courage in their closeness and refusal to flee and in their willingness to remain beside the crucified Christ, to stand and wait.  They are ready and willing to do whatever needs to be done out of the love and loyalty and courage of their hearts, and so they remain as witnesses.  They will not desert Him, giving in to fear as did the disciples.  They remain and watch.  They who serve and "only stand and wait" will become the first witnesses to the greatest event of history, the pivotal news that will change everything for everybody.  In their steadfast love -- together with Joseph of Arimathea -- they remain in the place where they will become Apostles to the Apostles and bear the news of Resurrection.  It tells us what it means simply to be in the place where we are taught to be, even to stand and wait, so long as we serve -- and what an extraordinarily powerful thing that can be, if only we listen and watch in our faith.   It is very like the power of prayer, a help that is perhaps most profound in silence, but which should never be underestimated in its service and strength.

Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus

 There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome, who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem. 

Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time.  So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.  Then he brought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen.  And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.  And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid.

- Mark 15:40-47

On Saturday we read that when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.  And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachtani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?"  Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, "Look, He is calling for Elijah!"  Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down."  And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.  Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, "Truly this Man was the Son of God!"

 There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome, who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.    My study bible comments that the faithfulness of these women shows that in Christ, divine order is being restored to the fallen world.  In the Old Testament, Eve was created in order to complete Adam (Genesis 2:18), but rather led him to sin (Genesis 3:6).  But now it is the women disciples who remain faithful, while the men flee and hide.  It's the women who bring the message of the Resurrection to the men (16:9-11; Luke 24:9-11), and thereby restore that which had been broken through sin.

Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time.  So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.  Then he brought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen.  And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.  We note the courage of Joseph of Arimathea. who went to Pilate the governor, and asked for the body of Jesus.   My study bible comments that if the apostles had buried Christ, doubters could claim that His body was simply hidden away.  But Joseph, being a prominent council member, refutes any possibility that Christ's body was deceptively hidden by the apostles.    Let us note that Joseph is a not only a prominent council member and righteous man waiting for the kingdom of God, but that this tomb is hewn out of the rock.  Luke's Gospel tells us also that it was a tomb in which no one had lain before (Luke 23:53).  This all points to the highly costly sacrifice on the part of Joseph; it is a tomb fit for the Christ, and an open gesture of faith for One executed among the worst of criminals.  

 

Mark's Gospel gives us an important teaching:  that those who are faithful to Christ come from all walks of life, all categories, classes, groups, and peoples.  There are no bars to faith, or to those, like Joseph of Arimathea, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God.   Here is a man who is not simply a council member, part of the ruling members of the temple, and among the religious leaders, but he is also a very wealthy man as well.  Righteousness does not depend upon circumstances.  It is not limited to one type of person or another.  It is a question of the heart.  Neither can we take from the Gospels a firm stand against this people or that, for among the members of the ruling council which condemned Jesus are also those who disagreed, like Joseph of Arimathea and also Nicodemus (see John 7:45-52).  What we take, then, from the Gospels is a sense in which Jesus reaches to all, that there are no real barriers to this faith save those which we allow to stop us.  Indeed, Jesus Himself said to His disciples, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When asked by disciples, "Who then can be saved?" He replied, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible." In yesterday's reading, above, we read that even the centurion, apparently supervising the scene, came to faith in Christ through witnessing Christ's death.  St. Paul writes, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28).  It is very easy for us to generalize about who can be saved, but there are no real generalizations in our faith.  The author Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn has written, "Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart -- and through all human hearts" (The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956).  Throughout His ministry, Christ's emphasis has been continually on the heart and its condition.  He has noted the heart as the center of all things that come out of a person, good or evil (Matthew 12:35, 15:19-20).  He has consistently taught His disciples they must be prepared to discard things the heart harbors that cause bad behavior between oneself and others, and in particular, hardship or abuse or exploitation of the "little ones," the less powerful (Matthew 19:6-9) In this wealthy and prominent member of the council, Joseph of Arimathea, we are given an example that teaches us that the pitfalls to a truly righteous life prove no obstacle to a heart that dwells where it needs to, and for a person who makes the difficult choices for faith every time.  Let us remember and follow His example.  His behavior is heroic and courageous, but this, too, begins in with the heart.  In the example of the women, we have those who have ministered to the ministry, so to speak.  Our text tells us that these women followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.   They are the faithful, who may not be in positions of nominal leadership as the men who are named apostles and later will be bishops of the Church, but they are nevertheless as influential and essential to the Church.  These are the ones who did not fail and did not flee, and without them we would not have the story of the Resurrection.  These are stories of courage and endurance, the qualities Christ asks of us.  Let us clearly understand the power of faith that may work through all and in all, and reverence that truth the Gospels give to us.