Matthew:27:57-61
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Matthew:27:57 @{
And when even was come } (\
opsias de genomen
s \).
It was the Preparation (\
paraskeu \),
the day before the sabbath (
Mark:15:42 ;
strkjv @
Luke:23:54 ;
strkjv @
John:31:42 |). \
Paraskeu \
is the name in modern Greek today for Friday .
The Jews were anxious that these bodies should be taken down before the sabbath began at 6 P .
M .
The request of Joseph of Arimathea for the body of Jesus was a relief to Pilate and to the Jews also .
We know little about this member of the Sanhedrin save his name Joseph ,
his town Arimathea ,
that he was rich ,
a secret disciple ,
and had not agreed to the death of Jesus .
Probably he now wished that he had made an open profession .
But he has courage now when others are cowardly and asked for the personal privilege (\
it
sato \,
middle voice ,
asked for himself )
of placing the body of Jesus in his new tomb .
Some today identify this tomb with one of the rock tombs now visible under Gordon '
s Calvary .
It was a mournful privilege and dignity that came to Joseph and Nicodemus (
John:19:39-41 |)
as they wrapped the body of Jesus in clean linen cloth and with proper spices placed it in this fresh (\
kain
i \)
tomb in which no body had yet been placed .
It was cut in the rock (\
elatom
sen \)
for his own body ,
but now it was for Jesus .
But now (
verse 60 |)
he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and departed .
That was for safety .
But two women had watched the sad and lonely ceremony ,
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (
mother of James and Joseph ).
They were sitting opposite and looking in silence .
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Matthew:27:63 @{
Sir ,
we remember } (\
kurie ,
emnesth
men \).
This was the next day ,
on our Saturday ,
the Jewish Sabbath ,
the day after the Preparation (
Matthew:27:62 |).
Ingressive aorist indicative ,
we have just recalled .
It is objected that the Jewish rulers would know nothing of such a prediction ,
but in strkjv @
Matthew:12:40 |
he expressly made it to them .
Meyer scouts as unhistorical legend the whole story that Christ definitely foretold his resurrection on the third day .
But that is to make legendary much of the Gospels and to limit Jesus to a mere man .
The problem remains why the disciples forgot and the Jewish leaders remembered .
But that is probably due on the one hand to the overwhelming grief of the disciples coupled with the blighting of all their hopes of a political Messiah in Jesus ,
and on the other hand to the keen nervous fear of the leaders who dreaded the power of Jesus though dead .
They wanted to make sure of their victory and prevent any possible revival of this pernicious heresy . {
That deceiver } (\
ekeinos ho planos \)
they call him ,
a vagabond wanderer (\
planos \)
with a slur in the use of {
that } (\
ekeinos \),
a picturesque sidelight on their intense hatred of and fear of Jesus .
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Matthew:27:64 @{
The last error } (\
h
eschat
plan \).
The last delusion ,
imposture (
Weymouth ),
fraud (
Moffatt ).
Latin _error_
is used in both senses ,
from _errare_
,
to go astray .
The first fraud was belief in the Messiahship of Jesus ,
the second belief in his resurrection .
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Matthew:27:65 @{
Make it as sure as you can } (\
asphalisasthe h
s oidate \). "
Make it secure for yourselves (
ingressive aorist middle )
as you know how ." {
Have a guard } (\
echete koust
dian \),
present imperative ,
a guard of Roman soldiers ,
not mere temple police .
The Latin term _koust
dia_
occurs in an Oxyrhynchus papyrus of A .
D .
22 . "
The curt permission to the Jews whom he despised is suitable in the mouth of the Roman official " (
McNeile ).
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Matthew:27:66 @{
Sealing the stone ,
the guard being with them } (\
sphragisant
s ton lithon meta t
s koust
dias \).
Probably by a cord stretched across the stone and sealed at each end as in strkjv @
Daniel:6:17 |.
The sealing was done in the presence of the Roman guard who were left in charge to protect this stamp of Roman authority and power .
They did their best to prevent theft and the resurrection (
Bruce ),
but they overreached themselves and provided additional witness to the fact of the empty tomb and the resurrection of Jesus (
Plummer ).