57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave.
With the twelve disciples out of commission for various reasons, a man by the name of Joseph came to properly bury the body of Jesus. If left to the Romans, it would have been simply discarded in a mass grave somewhere or burned. Joseph, who is only mentioned in the gospel in connection with the burial, was “a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews (John 19:38). Although Matthew doesn’t mention it, he was accompanied in this action by Nicodemus of John chapter three fame (see John 19:39), demonstrating that he, as a Pharisee, was also a secret disciple of Jesus.
Following proper protocol, Joseph obtained the body of Jesus and gave it a proper, customary burial. He donated his own tomb, cut out of a rock, placed the body there and closed it up with a large boulder. When it was all complete, Joseph simply walked away. His deed was done.
While Joseph fades from the biblical record, we are amiss if we simply walk away from the significance of what he has done. What he did was prophesied hundreds of years earlier by the prophet Isaiah, “His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death… ” (Isaiah 53:9). Joseph gave Jesus a rich man’s burial, though He died a cursed man’s death. His demonstrated devotion fulfilled the predetermined plans and foreknowledge of God (compare this with Acts 2:23).
More details about this burial are given in the other gospel accounts, but Matthew is brief in his record. However, he records the presence of Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” (not the mother of Jesus, but the mother of James the lesser and Joseph). Again, while this information does not seem to advance the story plot line in an obvious way, it does give prominence to the faithful women in Jesus’ life and now in His death. In a few days, Mary Magdalene will be playing a prominent role in the witness of His resurrection.
The stage is being set for the events about to happen. The stone grave, the linen wrappings, the burial, the large stone, and the women. All these play prominently in the resurrection of our Lord.
Lord, I want to serve You in ways that honor You, not as a secret disciple but as one who is not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.
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