Bible Study series: Matthew 27:57-66. There must be a burial before a resurrection. Guard were placed at the tomb make sure it was secure.
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In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Matthew 27:57-66
57 When evening came, a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus, arrived. 58 He approached Pilate and requested the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded it to be given. 59 And taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in clean linen cloth 60 and placed it in his own new tomb which he had cut into the rock. And when he had rolled a large stone at the entrance of the tomb, he left. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite of the grave.
62 The next day, which was after the Preparation Day, the chief priests and Pharisees assembled before Pilate, 63 saying, “Sir, we remember that this deceiver said while he was alive, ‘After three days I will be raised.’ 64 Therefore order that the tomb be secured until the third day, in case his disciples come and steal him and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead!’ And the final deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard. Go, secure it as you know how. 66 Then they went and secured the tomb and sealed the stone, along with the guard. (Matt. 27:57-66)
Comments:
57-61:
Arimathea: the exact location remains unknown (BTSB on Luke 23:51), but the best guess is Ramathaim, the birthplace of the prophet Samuel, northwest of Lydda (Carson). My website is not set up for maps. You can google these locations nowadays.
Joseph was a prominent member of the Jewish council and court (Sanhedrin) (Mark. 15:43). He did not consent to the condemnation of Jesus (Luke 23:51). John 19:38 says that he was a disciple of Jesus, but only in secret, because he feared the Jewish leadership. Luke 23:50 says that Joseph was a good and righteous man. One way we can know he was good and righteous is that he did not agree with the Sanhedrin’s plot and action to execute Jesus. And he showed kindness to Jesus’s body. Who knows? Maybe Jesus appeared to him after the resurrection and thanked him for his kindness.
In Luke 23:51, Joseph was expecting or waiting for the kingdom of God. This expands the definition of why he was considered a good and righteous man. He probably did not know what the kingdom really was, but he sensed that Jesus was the main source of it. Now what would happen to his kingdom expectation? He may have not considered the resurrection, so his hopes must have crashed and burned. Yet, he had the courage to get the body.
Speaking of courage, Joseph approached Pilate and asked for the body. Pilate must have thought about it. Did the governor shake his head in disappointment that he got involved in the whole sorry “trial”? Or did he just say yes and told Joseph to go? If his heart was softened, then he probably did say something about the recent events. Mark 15:44 says that he asked a centurion whether Jesus had died so quickly. He was amazed when the centurion confirmed it. It usually took two to three days for the crucified man to die.
No doubt, since Joseph was rich and it took more than one man to physically move the body, he had his servants take down the cross and level it on the ground, the lifeless body moving, the head bobbing with the descent of the cross. Then Joseph ordered his servants to unfasten the body by pulling out the spikes.
The rock-hewn tomb was probably specially chosen for Joseph. In any case, no other body was lain there before (Luke 23:53). This act of generosity showed extra kindness and respect.
The other Mary: Mark 15:47 says she was the mother of Joses, or as verse 56 says, the mother of James and Joseph (v. 56). They were devoted followers of Jesus. They wanted to be sure that they knew where he was buried. Evidently, they planned to visit the tomb immediately after the Sabbath ended (28:1).
62-66:
This scene sets up the resurrection and the inserted pericope about bribing the guard (Matt. 28:11-15). The guards will tremble with fear and fall like dead men when the angel arrive (28:4). Jesus resurrection is more powerful than the might Roman empire and the nation of Israel.
Preparation Day was Friday, and the day after was Saturday or the Sabbath. The chief priests and Pharisees were not breaking the Sabbath if they walked less than a small distance. More importantly, they must have believed that they were protecting the nation and Judaism, the theocratic religion of their nation. They were protecting a life—the life of the nation.
Now this scene finishes with a totally secure tomb—a seal and a guard. The seal was probably a wax all around the stone and the entrance to the tomb (France, p. 1095, n. 20).
And now with the guard and seal, no group of disciples can come and steal the body and make false claims about a resurrection. However, God knows better. The resurrection will be even more miraculous.
GrowApp for Matt, 27:57-66
1. Joseph was courageous enough, because of possible persecution from his fellow Jewish leaders, to show sacrificial kindness to Jesus. What sacrificial kindness have you shown a disciple of Jesus or a future disciple who is about to convert?
2 Jesus is dead and buried. Some followers may have been hopeful, but no one truly knew whether he would be resurrected. What part of your life of discipleship had to be dead and buried before God resurrected it?
RELATED
9. Authoritative Testimony in Matthew’s Gospel
1. Church Fathers and Matthew’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
SOURCES AND MORE
To see the bibliography, please click on this link and scroll down to the bottom. You will also find a “Summary and Conclusion” for discipleship.
