TEXT [Commentary]

N. The Burial of Jesus (27:57-66; cf. Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42)

57 As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus, 58 went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him. 59 Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. 60 He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left. 61 Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching.

62 The next day, on the Sabbath,[*] the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. 63 They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ 64 So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.”

65 Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure it the best you can.” 66 So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it.

NOTES

27:57 The burial of Jesus unfolds as Friday afternoon gives way to evening (cf. Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:31-42).

Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea. His appearance is unexpected. Very little is known about the obscure place of Arimathea (1 Macc 11:34; Josephus Antiquities 5.342; 13:127). The mention of Joseph’s wealth may be an allusion to Isa 53:9.

had become a follower of Jesus. As both a rich man and a disciple (cf. Mark 15:43; John 19:38), Joseph is a unique person in Matthew’s narrative, an example of God’s power to do seemingly impossible things (cf. 19:23-26). Joseph, unlike the rich young ruler, did use his wealth to help the poor.

27:58-59 went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Joseph obtained permission from Pilate to bury Jesus. Bodies were to be buried before sunset (Deut 21:22-23), and the burial of corpses was regarded as a righteous work (Acts 5:6, 10; 8:2; Josephus War 4.317; Tob 1:17-20). This would be all the more true on the eve of the Sabbath. But victims of crucifixion were often left on their crosses after their deaths to perpetuate the lesson of the futility of rebellion against Rome. When they were disposed of, this would often involve being unceremoniously thrown on a trash heap. Joseph’s bold and reverential treatment of Jesus’ body is a remarkable demonstration of his faith in the Messiah.

long sheet of clean linen cloth. Lit., “clean linen cloth.”

27:60 He placed it in his own new tomb. This tomb was carved out of a rock escarpment, which was typical in those days. Visitors to Israel can see examples of such ancient tombs even today.

rolled a great stone across the entrance. The tomb was closed with a large stone, probably carved into a shape like a disc or millstone. The stone would roll in a groove carved into the ground across the front of the tomb. According to John 19:39-42, Nicodemus aided Joseph in burying Jesus.

27:61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching. The two Marys from 27:56 were still keeping watch over the body of Jesus; they would be the first to learn of the resurrection (28:5ff).

27:62 on the Sabbath. This correctly interprets an expression that speaks of the day after the day of preparation (for the Sabbath).

leading priests and Pharisees. The religious leaders continued to pursue Jesus even after his death. This time the Pharisees, last mentioned in Jesus’ denunciations in Matt 23, joined the leading priests in asking Pilate to seal and guard the tomb. Here, two groups normally in tension with one another unite to accomplish a larger common purpose (cf. 21:45).

27:63-64 that deceiver. It is unclear how the chief priests and Pharisees became aware of Jesus’ predictions concerning his resurrection. Jesus’ repeated explicit predictions of his resurrection had been made only to his disciples (16:21; 17:22-23; 20:17-19). Perhaps the veiled predictions of the resurrection in terms of the sign of Jonah were understood by the Pharisees and Sadducees who heard it (12:38-40; 16:4). Calling Jesus a deceiver (Luke 23:14; John 7:12, 47), they feared the highly implausible event that his disciples would perpetrate further deception by stealing the body and then claiming that Jesus rose from the dead.

27:65 Take guards. Pilate’s response should probably be taken as a command for the Jewish religious leaders to take a guard, evidently of Roman soldiers at Pilate’s disposal, and secure the tomb, but possibly Pilate was permitting them to guard the tomb with their own resources—namely, the Temple police. However, the fact that these guards were called soldiers (28:12-13) and that they were accountable to Pilate (28:14) suggests that they were Roman soldiers.

27:66 they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it. If the former view is correct, these soldiers sealed the tomb and guarded it with the authority of Rome. The seal would likely be clay or wax pressed into the crack between the rolling stone and the tomb itself. The clay or wax would then have the imperial seal stamped on it (Dan 6:17), but this would not hinder the power of God at dawn the next morning.

COMMENTARY [Text]

This passage contains two sections, the first describes the burial of Jesus (27:57-61) and the second the fear of the Jewish religious leaders that the disciples would steal Jesus’ body and make deceptive claims of his resurrection (27:62-66). Both sections involve a request being made to Pilate, and Pilate granting the request. This section sets up Matthew 28 because the burial of Jesus and guarding of his tomb are reversed by the resurrection and flight of the guards to the chief priests.

After all of the abuse Jesus had taken this day, the manner of his burial is surprising, to say the least. He is spared the ignominy of having his body hang on the cross after sundown, a sundown that led to the Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Leaving his body exposed would have added insult to injury, to say the least. But Joseph stepped in and brought the story of Jesus’ horrible death to an end by giving him a decent burial. Fittingly, this was the kindest treatment Jesus received since the unnamed woman anointed him for his burial in 26:6-13.

The fear of the religious leaders that the disciples would steal Jesus’ body and go on to deceive people with false resurrection claims seems to be irrational, even bordering on paranoia. The religious leaders thought too highly of the disciples, who were scattered, afraid, and hardly in a position to steal the body. But a far worse mistake is that the religious leaders thought so little of Jesus that they ruled out any possibility that God would make good on Jesus’ promised resurrection. In any event, the post-resurrection appearances refute the stolen body theory of the resurrection (28:9, 17; cf. Acts 1:3-11; 1 Cor 15:5-8). The conspiracy that results after Jesus’ resurrection shows the lengths to which unbelief will go in order to sustain its pretended autonomy (cf. 28:11-15; cf. Luke 16:31). The book of Acts portrays the ensuing confirmation of the worst fears of these religious leaders. Jesus whom they crucified had indeed risen from the dead and commissioned his followers to take this message to all the nations (Acts 2:24; 3:15; 10:40; 13:30; 17:31; 23:6-10; 24:15, 21; 25:19; 26:8, 23). And the last “deception” certainly does turn out to be “worse” than the first (27:64; cf. Acts 2:41-47; 6:7; 9:31; 21:20).

Summary and Transition. Matthew 27 carries the drama of Jesus’ arrest and trial before the religious leaders to its awful conclusion, as Jesus is condemned by Pilate and crucified. After his death and burial, the Jewish religious leaders attempted to nullify any possibility of his predicted resurrection by guarding the tomb and sealing the stone. Certainly this is the low point of the Gospel for followers of Jesus the Messiah, but the seeming victory of Jesus’ enemies was only temporary.

The chapter begins with the note that Jesus was sent to Pilate for condemnation (27:1-2) but interrupts this story line briefly with the pathetic account of Judas’ remorse and suicide (27:3-10). Then Matthew returns to the trial of Jesus before Pilate and Pilate’s somewhat reluctant deliverance of Jesus for crucifixion (27:11-26). Jesus was then cruelly mocked by the soldiers (27:27-31), led to Golgotha, crucified, and mocked even more (27:32-44). Matthew next features the circumstances of Jesus’ death at the ninth hour (3 p.m.; 27:45-56), and the remarkable manner of his burial (27:57-61). The chapter concludes with yet another evidence of the hardness of the religious leaders’ hearts as they did all in their power to prevent the disciples from stealing Jesus’ body (27:62-66). This final section of the chapter sets the scene for the resurrection as the event that once for all exposes the folly and futility of those who would thwart the plan and purpose of God.

In this chapter, Matthew develops two contrasting themes in parallel fashion. On the one hand, the religious leaders continue their hard-hearted, cruel, mocking treatment of Jesus and admit their absolute responsibility for his execution (27:1, 4, 20, 41-43, 62). To the bitter end their amazing obstinacy in opposing Jesus continues. On the other hand, Jesus is repeatedly vindicated in the midst of this mockery by the officials of Israel and Rome. Judas remorsefully admitted that Jesus was innocent, and the religious leaders did not attempt to persuade him otherwise (27:4). Even Pilate was aware of the ulterior motives of the religious leaders and, along with his wife, regarded Jesus as innocent (27:18-19, 23-24). The Father provided meteorological phenomena, which befit the atrocity committed and provided a sort of vindication as well (27:51-53). A detachment of Roman soldiers was more perceptive than the Jewish religious leaders when they interpreted these phenomena as demonstrating that Jesus is the Son of God (27:54). While it is debatable how much the soldiers understood of Jesus’ divine sonship, their sincere confession contrasts starkly with the taunts of the multitudes and the religious leaders (27:40, 43). This confession paves the way for the resurrected Jesus to send his disciples to all the nations, who must likewise confess in baptism the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (28:19).