Matthew 27:57–66

Each of the Gospels mentions him, and each one gives some special detail about him. Matthew tells us that he was rich and a disciple. Mark calls him an honoured member of the council, a man who was waiting for the kingdom of God. Luke says he was a good and just man. Luke adds that he had not agreed to the decision or the act of the great majority of the Sanhedrin in putting Jesus to death. John admits that he was a disciple, but a secret one for fear of the Jews.

The phrase is the same as in Matt. 27:57, where Joseph of Arimathea is said to have been "discipled to Jesus"; that is, of course, made a disciple of Jesus.

God uses a perilous time to call forth His own hidden ones. Joseph of Arimathea can be a secret disciple no longer. He was a rich man (Matthew 27) and an honoured member of the council (Mark 15). But wealth and position only make it harder to confess Christ. Until now, fear of the Jews had held him back. The death of Jesus, which made others afraid, made Joseph bold. He was not alone: Nicodemus... joined him in the last acts of love, with a generous offering of myrrh and aloes.

If the Lord had come down from the cross when the priests challenged Him, Joseph might have been bold and said, "I knew all the time who He was." But He hangs dead, looking completely defeated. Peter and the other disciples have left Him and fled. And it is then that this nobleman comes out boldly and asks for His body.

God has always His instruments ready for His work. In this case they came forward of their own accord. There were two of them, and both sat on the Sanhedrin. Neither Annas nor Caiaphas can have had the slightest idea of what was coming. Two men of reputation, one of them wealthy, and both members of the great council of the nation, came forward to bury the body of the Crucified One.

In our usual English version, the grave and the death of our Lord run together in Isaiah 53:9, and we have to separate the two. The literal Hebrew is: "He (one) shall appoint His grave with the wicked, but (He shall be) with a rich man in His death." When Pilate handed the Lord Jesus over to be crucified as a criminal, he was appointing His grave with the wicked... No such place could be for Him. God allows no dishonour to the body of His holy One.

There is no doubt what the Jews had planned. They meant to throw the blessed, holy body of the Son of God into the common pit, along with the bodies of the two criminals who died beside Him... It was a terrible hour. Everything seemed over, His own people had lost all hope, and Satan thought he had everything in his hand. But God remembered that "he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth." So the rich man of Arimathea, Joseph, stepped in and secured His body.

And why a new tomb? Because Christ must ever have the first of everything. He will not take the second ride on an ass (Mark 11:2), the second place in a tomb (Matt. 27:60; John 19:41), or the second place in your heart or mine.

So, in the face of that fanatical hatred, these two disciples honoured our Lord in broad daylight, with no secrecy about it... Is this not a message to secret believers, to timid disciples who keep to the shadows? They should come out boldly into full daylight and confess their Saviour and Lord.

Yet this was the moment when God emboldened a man of high station, whom we might least have expected — and this despite everything around Him. One disciple had betrayed Him. Another, too confident, had denied Him with oaths. All who ought to have been faithful had forsaken Him and fled. Those who had once followed Him devotedly now looked on from a distance, full of sorrow. Joseph of Arimathea had waited for the kingdom of God for some time. He was a good and just man, and a real believer, though he had shrunk from confessing the Lord Jesus openly. But now, when fear might have kept him back more than ever, grace made him bold. If the death of our Lord does not unlock a man's heart and tongue, I do not know what will.

The world had held others back — and this often happens. Then the sufferings of the One they really loved stir the depth of their affection. Other people are terrified, because the moment is so painful. But the rejection of Christ emboldens those who loved Him, and they feel the time has come for decision. They become fearless confessors of the Lord. Until then they had stood with those who crucified Him. Now they must either accept that act or declare themselves. Through grace they do the latter.

He went right to Pilate. This man had the authority to dispose of the bodies of the crucified. Usually they suffered every dishonour before being thrown into the graves of criminals. So he asked for the body of Jesus, and Pilate consented readily and gave his permission. The death of Christ had made a deep impression on the Roman governor.

The Jews had certainly planned to put the blessed holy body of the Son of God into the common pit, along with the bodies of the two criminals who died beside Him. God's answer to this insult to His Son was already on record: "His grave was appointed with the wicked, but He was with the rich in His death." … In that terrible hour everything seemed over. His own had all lost hope, and Satan thought he held everything in his hand. But God remembered that "He had done no violence, and there was no deceit in His mouth" (Isaiah 53:9). Joseph, the rich man of Arimathea, stepped in and secured His body.

When Pilate handed the Lord Jesus over to be crucified as a criminal, he was appointing His grave with the wicked. Jesus was crucified between two thieves, so it was natural that His body should receive the same treatment as theirs. But no such place could be for Him. No one may desecrate the body of God's holy One, so Pilate's arrangement is set aside. In fact, he himself reverses it by handing the body over to the rich man, Joseph.

It was God who then moved Pilate to give Joseph permission to take the body. The Romans had appointed His grave to be with the wicked. It is precious that God allowed no unholy hands to touch Him after He had died. They had done their worst: only after that did God step in. We may be sure Joseph handled that body with reverent affection.

It was a great and noble act. The timid, secret disciple came out as bold as a lion. Facing a hostile world, he took his stand beside the cross of his crucified Lord. It was unheard of. Who had ever before set any value on the body of a crucified criminal? That a ruler of the Jews should do it must have caused a sensation. The world would scoff. But there stood one man beside that cross, cut off from his fellows and ignoring all consequences. The sight must have thrilled heaven!

God uses a perilous time to call out His own hidden ones. Joseph of Arimathea can be a secret disciple no longer. He was a rich man (Matthew 27) and an honourable counsellor (Mark 15); but wealth and position make the confession of Christ only harder. Fear of the Jews had prevailed until now. The death of Jesus, which made others afraid, made Joseph bold... The cross of Christ, so offensive to unbelief, tests his faith and brings it into the open. He and Nicodemus grow brave by grace, and they make up for the missing service of the twelve.

But when the great work was finished, and the darkness was past, and His beloved Son hung dead upon the cross, God stepped in and cried, Halt. He let men go no further in dishonouring the One who had done His will with perfect obedience. He pushed His enemies aside, and from this point on those who loved Him honoured and revered Him... It was an unheard-of thing! Who had ever before set any value on the body of a crucified criminal?

What honour was done to the Lord. They wrapped Him in a clean linen sheet after they lifted Him from the cross. Then came a resting place for Him who had finished the work the Father gave Him to do — a new tomb cut in the rock. It was a fulfilment of Isaiah 53:9... Literally translated it is "And men appointed His grave with the wicked, but He was with the rich in His death, because He had done no violence, and there was no deceit in His mouth."... The enemy wanted to throw His body where the bodies of the wicked were thrown, but the power of God made that impossible.

They wrap the body in something that pictures our Lord's perfect humanity: a clean linen cloth. White linen stands for purity and righteousness, as "the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints." They do not lay the body in the earth, as if fulfilling the words "you are dust, and to dust you shall return." They lay it in a new tomb, cut in lasting rock that does not crumble. That rock is a fitting place for His body, which saw no corruption and could not be held by death.

Nicodemus brought a hundred pounds of spices. The Lord had the burial of a rich man. This was ten times what was normally used; so the winding-sheet was surely the kind the wealthy used.

The devoted women were not the only ones watching their crucified Lord. When Jesus was certainly dead, Joseph of Arimathea goes to Pilate and asks for His body. Pilate gives it to him. He wraps it in a linen cloth and lays it in his own tomb, where no one had ever been laid. Then he rolled a great stone to the mouth and went away. In all of them it was respect and attachment. But in Joseph's act God had another purpose. He meant to give due respect to Jesus, and also to give the strongest proofs that He was really risen.

At the cross, in burial, in resurrection, and in life, God has identified the believer with Christ. At the cross — pictured by circumcision — Christ actually died to everything after the flesh. In burial He passed out of sight. In resurrection He passed forever beyond the reach of death.

The Jews had certainly planned to throw the blessed holy body of the Son of God into the common pit. The bodies of both the criminals who died at His side would go in with Him. Satan's malice did not only suggest that a close friend should betray Him. It also suggested that after He was dead they should throw His body into the common pit. God's answer to this insult to His Son was already on record. This is beautiful, and the reason is more beautiful still: "Because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth."

In Joseph of Arimathea we see a man who had a great deal to lose: a rich man and a councillor, and on top of that a secret disciple of Jesus. Now God brings him to a point when you would least expect it. When Jesus died on the cross — "numbered with the transgressors" — he goes to Pilate and asks for His body. He lays it in his own new tomb and rolls a great stone to the door. Without knowing it, he fulfils Isaiah 53:9 — "with a rich man in His death." If apostles and disciples fled, God can, and does, raise up testimony for His name's sake.

Kainos means new in kind. It stands in contrast to what existed before and takes its place… In Matthew 27:60, no dead body had ever made the new (kainos) tomb ceremonially unclean. Workers might have cut it out of the rock years before, so it is not called neos.

Only Matthew tells us that it was Joseph's own tomb, and he also says that it was new. Luke and John press the point harder: no one had ever lain there. The Psalms had foretold that the Lord would not let His "Holy One" see corruption… But it also meant that His body should not even touch corruption from the outside. When God fulfils His word, He does it thoroughly and completely.

When it was all over, He had only a tomb that another man lent Him… Certain millionaires pay for lavish tombs out of their own wealth; but the Son of God was laid in the lent tomb of another. "For your sakes" was all this.

The world rejoiced when the tomb closed upon Jesus. But what a wonderful Seed was sown in that tomb in the garden! It was sown with the tears and grief of Joseph and Nicodemus and the women. And how wonderful was the springing up of that Seed on the resurrection morning! That was the day of victory, the beginning of a new creation.

Why is God so careful to say the tomb was new? Turn to the Second Book of Kings. Some men were burying a body when they saw a raiding band. They threw the body into the tomb of Elisha. When the man touched the bones of Elisha, he came back to life and stood on his feet… If the Spirit of God had not recorded this, Satan and the Jews would soon have spread a story: Jesus had risen from the dead, but that was nothing new. He had been put into a tomb where the bones of a prophet lay, and so He had revived again. God foresaw that lie, and took great care to tell us it was a new tomb.

But if disciples fail, there are others who do not. At first the women who followed Him from Galilee watch that scene of horror from a distance, as we would expect. Later, it seems (John 20), they come as near as the spears of the Roman guard allowed. Faith may have died out of their hearts, but fear found no place there. Love marks them out, and love is never stronger than when the one it loves is most in need. That is how the Spirit of God describes their devotion. They would watch by His body until the stone concealed it from their sight.

Joseph leaves, and we may be sure it was not from indifference. He leaves because his precious task is done. The women, however, cannot tear themselves away from the spot. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary keep the vigil of love.

Joseph took the body down with Pilate's permission. He placed it in his own tomb, which had never covered man's corruption. That was a blessed testimony to the perfection of that blessed One whose body they laid in the grave. That tomb was the spot prepared for the spotless body of Jesus, and there they laid Him. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, that is, the wife of Cleopas, were sitting opposite the tomb. They saw it. Their affection for Jesus kept them there. Their eyes, their hearts, all their interest and powers stayed fixed on the place where they saw that blessed One.

It was affection, but with little intelligence. Their love lingered over the scene of His death and burial. For the moment they did not realise at all the life He would soon show in such glory. Had they not heard His words? Would He, would God, not make them good?

In love they had followed the Lord through His life of service. They clung to Him in His death on the cross. They watch as His body is laid in the grave. It is easy to dwell upon their lack of intelligence, while falling far behind them in their devoted love.

Joseph's new tomb receives His body. Love laid Him there. Hatred sealed the stone and set a watch. The women had followed Him from Galilee. They had waited at the cross to see what they thought was the end. They wait still, to see the place where He was laid.

With the many women the two Marys had looked on the terrible crucifixion scene. How they must have suffered in those hours of the agony of Him whom they loved. Then we see them sitting opposite the tomb. Others had gone away to rest. These women could not stay away. They overcame all fear and went out to the tomb once more.

The day after the crucifixion was of course the Sabbath, but they conveniently forgot their zeal for keeping it holy. The Lord had told them that they would kill Him: that prophecy came true. He had also told them He would rise again the third day. They were afraid that prophecy also might come true, so they were determined to prevent it!

The Sabbath, sad to say, was the only day right through, evening and morning, that the Lord Jesus spent in the grave. Yes, and that Sabbath was a high day! So over the grave of the crucified Christ, unbelieving, guilty, rebellious Israel kept holiday. They had rejected the Son of God, and so brought rejection on themselves. He lay in the grave; and they kept their Sabbath. And where was God? What were His thoughts? Where were His affections and His glory? In that grave they had made for His Son.

They suddenly remembered the words of the Lord, which shows how closely they had watched what He said. The disciples, to whom He had so often said that He would rise on the third day, had forgotten all about it. It never entered their minds. This is proved by the way they received the news of His resurrection. No doubt this forgetfulness was produced by the Spirit of God, and in that very fact lies a strong argument for the resurrection of the Lord. Their imaginations could not produce, as unbelief has claimed, a supposed appearance of the One who had died.

Yet could they really fear that His disciples would steal His body? The disciples had been scattered like sheep. Poor Peter, where was he? They had fled. Would the feeble women roll the stone away and steal His body? Could they think that fraud and deception might be practised? It was their bad conscience that made them afraid.

I have no doubt, from the way Pilate speaks, that he had a deep sense that the Lord would rise from the dead. Could any power keep that blessed One in the grave? Impossible. And I think Pilate knew it deep in his heart… When you think about it, this is an awful thing: the religious world did its very best to keep Christ out of the scene. Imagine sealing in a dead Man, and then setting a group of soldiers with drawn swords around Him.

It is certain that the Jews, and above all the religious leaders, took the lead in evil and in opposition to God. That was true before Christ's death, while He lay in the grave, and after He rose again. But unbelief is, after all, as weak against God as faith is mighty with Him and by Him. Their own guard became the clearest, most unwitting and least suspected witness of the resurrection. What a testimony was the alarm of the soldiers, added to the doubts of His own disciples!

Stone and seal and soldiers held the lonely tomb in the garden where the body of Jesus lay… What orders did the Roman guard receive as they went to their unwanted watch? Were they told, I wonder, how to handle the expected raid on that tomb by a mob of Galilean fishermen? It is more than likely they were. But no one told them how to deal with an earthquake, or with an angel of the Lord. And the Galilean fishermen never came — but the earthquake and the angel did.

Satan deceives the whole world. Matthew 27:63 shows how well he did it with some of the most religious men the world has ever seen. He deceived them into seeing the One who was the truth as "that deceiver."

His enemies in the world would rejoice that He was dead (John 16:20). They hoped in this way to be rid forever of the One they scornfully called "that deceiver," ho planos (Matt. 27:63). They little knew that by rejecting the Christ they had paved the way for the later appearance of "the deceiver" indeed, the antichrist. (2 John 7.)

The women who watched Him die and saw Him buried showed devotion, but not understanding. It was His bitter enemies who remembered that He had predicted that He would rise from the dead. Their hatred sharpened their memories and their wits... They wrote off what He had achieved in life as the first error. They dreaded any proof of His resurrection, realizing that it would have far more powerful effects. To their minds it would be the last error and worse than the first. It would inevitably vindicate Him and condemn them, as they saw very well.

This of course was the Sabbath, but they conveniently forgot their zeal for keeping it holy. The Lord had told them that they would kill Him: that prophecy came true. He had also told them He would rise again the third day. They were afraid that prophecy also might come true, so they were determined to prevent it! As for the disciples stealing His body away, the disciples themselves had completely forgotten His words that He would rise again. They had not the slightest wish to take away His body. At that time they were utterly weak and defeated.

Unbelief has no faith in itself, and, fearing that what it denies may be true, it mistrusts everything... Pilate tells them to secure the tomb themselves. So all they did was make themselves unwilling witnesses to the fact. Israel was guilty of this futile resistance to the testimony Jesus had given about His own resurrection. They were a witness against themselves to its truth. Pilate himself might not have taken such precautions; they carried them to the extreme, so that any mistake about the fact of His resurrection was impossible.

It is a most terrible thing to think about: the religious world did its very best to keep Christ out of the scene. Imagine sealing in a dead Man, and then setting a company of soldiers with drawn swords around Him. The fact is, when the time came they issued the finest possible testimony that He had risen (Matt. 28:11). Satan always defeats himself.

Was the tomb made sure by those chief priests and Pharisees? No; for a greater power than theirs broke their seal, overpowered the watchers, and robbed the tomb of its contents. Can any such thing happen to those whom God has sealed with the Holy Spirit? Thank God, no; there is no power in the universe that can break His seal or endanger those whom He has placed in safety.

"As deceivers, and yet true." It is enough for the servant to be like his Lord. The wise and clever of this world branded the living Truth with the name "deceiver" (Matt. 27:63), so His faithful followers may well be content to bear the same reproach.

Could they really fear that His disciples would steal His body? The disciples had scattered like sheep. Poor Peter, where was he? They had run away. Would the frail women roll the stone away and steal His body? Did they really think anyone would try fraud and deception? It was their guilty conscience that made them afraid.

"Sir, we remember" — the disciples might forget, but the Pharisees did not, their memories were quicker than the disciples'.

He had told the disciples so often that He would rise on the third day, yet they had forgotten all about it. The thought never entered their minds. The way they took the news of His resurrection proves it. No doubt the Spirit of God produced that forgetfulness, and this very fact is a strong argument for the resurrection of the Lord. Their imaginations could not invent an appearance of the One who had died, as unbelievers have claimed they did.

His bitter enemies were the ones who remembered that He had said He would rise from the dead. Their hatred sharpened their memories and their wits. So they sent a delegation to Pilate to ask for special precautions. They rejected everything He had done in life, and counted it the first error. They dreaded the proof of His resurrection, because they knew it would have far greater power. In their minds it would be the last error, and worse than the first. It was bound to clear Him and condemn them, and they saw that very well.

Notice what resurrection meant to the enemies of the truth. It meant more to them than it really meant to those who loved the truth.

The chief priests ask Pilate to guard the tomb. They want to stop the disciples from building a teaching of the resurrection on the fact that the body of Jesus is gone from the tomb where they laid it. Pilate tells them to secure the tomb themselves. So all they did was make themselves unwilling witnesses to the fact, and assure us that the very thing they dreaded had happened... They took to the extreme the precautions Pilate might not have taken himself, so that no mistake about the fact of His resurrection was possible.

The very people who most wanted to spread the lie that His disciples stole Him away are the ones who guarded against that one possible charge. For "the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Cor. 1:25). Thus, wickedness overreaches itself and must bear witness to the truth.

I imagine the soldiers got their orders about how to handle a mob of Galilean fishermen if they came to rob the tomb. Nobody told them how to handle an earthquake or an angel from heaven! The fishermen never came, but the angel did, and the earthquake, and those Roman veterans fell down like dead men out of sheer fear. What had happened? God had stepped in. God had vindicated His Faithful Witness. God was FIRST at the tomb, and the stone rolled away — not to let Christ out, but to let us look in.

Pilate tells the chief priests and elders to take care of the matter themselves. Is there not a ring of irony and doubt in his words when he tells them, "make it as secure as you can"? In the Lord Jesus he had seen a spiritual power that the chief priests did not have. So he clearly looked down on their precautions. They, however, seal the stone and set a watch — four soldiers of the Sanhedrin in turn, around the clock.

I have no doubt, from the way Pilate speaks, that he had a deep sense that the Lord would rise from the dead. Could any power keep that blessed One in the grave? Impossible. And I think Pilate knew it in the bottom of his heart.

We all know what idea a seal presents. It speaks of authority and ownership. It is a full contract that no one can set aside and that the law enforces. There is the Great Seal of the British Government. Once it goes on a document, that document has binding force... Anyone breaking that seal would have to reckon with the authority that put it there.

They suddenly remembered the words of the Lord. That shows how they had watched what He said. The disciples, to whom He had so often said that He would rise on the third day, had forgotten all about it. It did not enter their minds. The way they took the news of His resurrection proves it... Unbelief has claimed they imagined a supposed appearance of the One who had died. Their imaginations could not produce it. But the enemy remembered.

In guarding against the report of an event, they gather witnesses to behold it. Yes, they make the seal fast and the guard sure, no doubt very pleased with themselves. But in the end both the seal and the guard became witnesses against them that no one could question.

I expect someone told the soldiers how to handle a crowd of Galilean fishermen coming to rob the tomb. They were not told how to deal with an earthquake or an angel from heaven! The fishermen did not come, but the angel did, and the earthquake. Those Roman veterans fell down like dead men from sheer fear... God was FIRST at the tomb, and the stone was rolled away, not to let Christ out but to let us look in.

By these two things they sought to make the tomb secure, as secure as they could: by sealing it, and by setting a watch. And in similar ways God has made us as secure as He can. He has sealed us with the Holy Spirit. He has set a watch over us, for "He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous" (Job 36:7). He watches over us by day and by night... Was the tomb made secure by those priests and Pharisees? No; a greater power than theirs broke their seal, overpowered the watchers, and emptied the tomb. Can any such thing happen to those whom God has sealed with the Holy Spirit? Thank God, no.

We all know what idea a seal presents. It speaks of authority and ownership. It is a complete contract that no one can set aside, binding in law... The chief priests and Pharisees asked Pilate to make the tomb of our Lord secure. They wanted to stop His disciples from taking His sacred body and then claiming He had risen from the dead. Pilate agreed, and we read, "So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard." Anyone breaking that seal would have to reckon with the authority that put it there.

They suddenly remembered the words of the Lord. That shows how they had watched what He said. The disciples, to whom He had so often said He would rise on the third day, had forgotten all about it. It never entered their minds... But the enemy remembered. Yet could they really fear that His disciples would steal His body? His disciples had scattered like sheep. They had fled. Would the frail women roll the stone away and steal His body?... It was the bad conscience which made them afraid.

Pilate said to them — was it again in mockery? — "You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can." The puny power of the priests on the one side: on the other the almighty power of God. Man striving with his Maker.

But unbelief has no confidence in itself. It fears that what it denies may be true, so it mistrusts everything. The chief priests ask Pilate to guard the tomb. They want to stop the disciples from teaching the resurrection on the ground that the body of Jesus is gone from the tomb where it was laid. Pilate tells them to secure the tomb themselves. So all they did was make themselves unwilling witnesses to the fact. They assure us that the very thing they dreaded had happened.

So they sent a guard and sealed the stone. I suppose the soldiers were told how to deal with a mob of Galilean fishermen if they came to rob the tomb. They were not told how to deal with an earthquake or an angel from heaven! The fishermen did not come. The angel came, and the earthquake came too. Those Roman veterans fell down like dead men in sheer fear.

God turned their wisdom into folly. He made their scheme serve His own purpose and overthrow their own. The authorities of earth had sealed the tomb. A far higher authority broke the seal and flung back the stone door. The sealed tomb was the challenge of daring men. God accepted their challenge, broke their power, and reduced their representatives to nothing. God's power had raised the Lord Jesus. The tomb was opened so that men could see beyond doubt that He was not there. The angel not only rolled back the stone but sat on it. He placed himself as a seal upon it in its new position, so that no one could roll it back until enough witnesses had seen the empty tomb.

By these two things they sought to make the tomb secure, as secure as they could: (1) by sealing it, (2) by setting a guard. And in similar ways God has made us as secure as He can: (1) by sealing us with the Holy Spirit, and (2) by setting a watch over us. For "He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous" (Job 36:7)... Was the tomb made secure by those priests and Pharisees? No; a greater power than theirs broke their seal, overpowered the watchers, and robbed the tomb of its contents. Can any such thing happen to those whom God has sealed with the Holy Spirit? Thank God, no. No power in the universe can break His seal.