The Body Of Jesus Is Rescued From Ignominy And Buried In A Rich Man' Tomb (27:55-61).
Matthew now brings out that God had made His own funeral arrangements for His Son, as He had revealed beforehand. As Isaiah had said, ‘They made His grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death' (Isaiah 53:9). And while the faithful women disciples watched from afar (they would not have been seen as under the same threat as the Apostles), waiting for an opportunity to pay their respects to Jesus' body, ‘a rich man' from Arimathea came to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus. Normally the bodies of crucified criminals would be tossed onto the burning rubbish dump in the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem (compare Isaiah 66:24), for they were seen as accursed, but Pilate had the last say in what happened to the bodies of men subjected to Rome's jurisdiction, and he gave permission for the body of Jesus to be put at Joseph's disposal. We learn in Luke 23:50 that Joseph was a respected councillor, a member of the Sanhedrin, one who had not consented to the verdict against Jesus, although whether he was present at the final morning trial we do not know. And Joseph laid Jesus' body in his new family tomb that had not yet been used. The fact that it had not been used previously would be seen by many Christian Jews as important, for it demonstrated the unique holiness of the body of Jesus. For it was ‘holy things' that must not be subjected to what was previously used. Compare the asses unused colt on which Jesus entered Jerusalem (Luke 19:30), and the ‘new cart' that bore the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH (2 Samuel 6:3). See also 1 Samuel 6:7.
Analysis.
a And many women were there beholding from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee (Matthew 27:55-56).
b And when even was come, there came a rich man from Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple (Matthew 27:57).
c This man went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus (Matthew 27:58 a).
d Then Pilate commanded it to be given up (Matthew 27:58 b).
c And Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock (59-60a).
b And he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed (Matthew 27:60 b).
a And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre (Matthew 27:61).
Note that in ‘a' the women were watching at the cross and in the parallel they are watching at the tomb. In ‘b' Joseph comes, and in the parallel he departs. In ‘c' he requests the body of Jesus, and in the parallel he gives it good burial. Centrally in ‘d' Pilate yields up the body of Jesus (that the Scripture might be fulfilled).