55-56. In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take Me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on Me. But all this was done, that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled . He shows the absurdity of their efforts, and that they did not seize Him by their own strength. "For when I was in the temple," He says, "you wanted to take Me but you could not because I did not permit you; but now I voluntarily give Myself over to you. For I know that it is impossible that the Scriptures which foretold your wickedness should be proved false."
56-58. Then all the disciples forsook Him, and fled. And they that had laid hold on Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But Peter followed Him afar off unto the high priest�s court, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. The other disciples fled, but Peter, who was more fervently devoted to the Master, followed at a distance. If John also followed, it was not as a disciple but as an acquaintance of the high priest ( Jn. 18:15 ).
59-60. Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put Him to death; but found none: yea, though many false witnesses came forward, yet found they none. They brought Jesus to Caiaphas who was the high priest for that year. There Caiaphas spent the night along with the others, not keeping the Pascha at that time, but waiting so that they might kill the Lord, and thus transgressing the law ( Jn. 18:28 ). For the Lord kept the Pascha in keeping with the law, but they despised the law that they might slay the Lord.
60-64. At the last came two false witnesses, and said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. And the high priest arose, and said unto Him, Answerest thou nothing? What is it which these witness against thee? But Jesus was silent. And the high priest answered and said unto Him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said. Truly these were false witnesses. For Christ had not said, "I am able to destroy," but "You shall destroy." And He had not said, "the temple of God," but "this temple," that is, "My Body." And again, He had not said, "I shall build," but "I shall raise." So they were clearly false witnesses, the Lord having said one thing while they reported that He had said another. Jesus therefore kept silent, knowing that their tribunal was unlawful. For how would a verbal defense persuade those whom signs had not persuaded? The high priest asks the question, wanting to induce Him to blaspheme; so that if He should say, "I am the Son of God," He might be condemned as a blasphemer, but if He should deny it, the High priest would have Him as a witness against Himself. But the Lord caught those sophists in their own cunning, and answers, "Thou hast said," meaning, "Your mouth has confessed that I am the Son of God."
64. Nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming upon the clouds of heaven . He is speaking to them from the prophecy of Daniel who said, "I saw one coming as the Son of Man upon the clouds" ( Daniel 7:13 ). For since they thought that He was deluded, as He appeared to them in humble form, He said, "You shall see Me then coming in power and seated with the Father." "Power" here means that of the Father, and the Son of Man will be coming not from earth but from heaven.
65-66. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy! What further need have we of witnesses? Behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty unto death . It was the practice of the Jews to tear their garments whenever something insufferable would befall them. In order to deceive the crowd, Caiaphas tears his clothes as if he were faced with manifest blasphemy, meaning to create the impression that Christ had greatly blasphemed, and thus to impel the crowd to say that He was guilty unto death. Nevertheless, learn that when Caiaphas rent his clothes, it was a symbol that the high priesthood of the Old Testament had been rent.
67-68. Then did they spit in His face, and buffeted Him; and others smote Him with the palms of their hands, saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee? When they had condemned Him, then they abused Him and mocked Him, wrapping His face in a cloth, as another evangelist says ( Lk. 22:64, Mk. 14:65 ). They mocked Him in this manner because the people considered Him a prophet. To "buffet" is to strike with the hands with the fingers clenched, or, to put it more plainly, to punch with the fist.
69-75. Now Peter sat without in the courtyard: and a servant girl came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech discloseth thee. Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crowed. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crows, thou shalt deny Me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly. Overcome with immense fear, Peter forgot his promises and became enslaved to human weakness, as if he were lifeless with fear, not knowing what he was saying. Understand it also in the spiritual sense, that Peter was rebuked by the servant girl, that is, by human weakness which is lowly and meant to be governed, until the cock crowed and brought him to his senses. The rooster is the Word which does not permit us to be lazy and to sleep, but says, "Wake up and rise, O sleeper!" Peter, therefore, was wakened by the Word as if by a rooster. Going out of the palace of the high priest, that is, the confines of a hardened mind, and leaving behind senselessness, he wept bitterly. While he was in the courtyard of the hardened mind, he could not weep, for he had lost his sense; but as soon as he went out, he came to his senses.
Pilate the governor. Judas� regret. The scourging, the punishments,
and the crucifixion of Christ.
The request for the Lord�s Body, and those who guarded the tomb.
1-2. When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death: and when they had bound Him, they led Him away, and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor. Behold how the devil held them all in his grasp, convincing them to commit murder on such high days when they ought to have been making many sacrifices and offerings for their other sins, and for their purification and cleansing. But instead they bound Him and led Him away to Pilate the governor, who was from Pontus but was subject to the Romans who had sent him to be the governor of Judea. The chief priests and elders handed the Lord over to Pilate on the grounds that He had fomented sedition and had plotted against the emperor.
3-5. Then Judas, who had betrayed Him, when he saw that Jesus had been condemned, repented, and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. Judas began to have second thoughts and he repented, but it was not a good repentance. To pass judgement against oneself is good, but to hang oneself is of the devil; for Judas was not able to endure the thought of the reproaches that would later be heaped upon him and so he fled from this life, when he ought instead to have wept and reconciled himself to Him Whom he had betrayed. Some say that Judas in his greed believed that he himself could gain the silver by betraying Christ, without Christ actually being slain, as He would escape from the Jews as He had done on many occasions. But when Judas saw that Jesus had been condemned and already sentenced to die, he repented that the affair had not turned out as he had planned. Whereupon he hanged himself thinking to precede Jesus into hades and there to plead for his own salvation. Nevertheless, know that while he did put his neck into the noose and hanged himself from a tree, the tree bent and he survived, as God wanted to save his life, either so that he could gain the silver by betraying Christ, without Christ actually being slain, as He would escape from the Jews as He had done on many occasions. But when Judas saw that Jesus had been condemned and already sentenced to die, he repented that the affair had not turned out as he had planned. Whereupon he hanged himself thinking to precede Jesus into hades and there to plead for his own salvation. Nevertheless, know that while he did put his neck into the noose and hanged himself from a tree, the tree bent and he survived, as God wanted to save his life, either so that he could repent, or to make an example of him and to shame him. They say that Judas later became so bloated from dropsy that he could not pass through an opening that a wagon could easily pass through; and then falling face forward he burst asunder, or ruptured, as Luke says in the Acts of the Apostles ( Acts 1:18 ).
6-10. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful to put them into the corban, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter�s field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him that was valued, Whom they of the sons of Israel did value, and gave them for the potter�s field, as the Lord appointed me. The corban was the treasury in the temple in which they put the gifts offered to God. See how God brings to naught their schemes by exposing their bloodstained minds. For to this day, it says, that field is called "The field of blood," as a reminder to all that they murdered the Lord. Learn this as well, that the Jews were so diligent in providing hospitality that they purchased a plot where even strangers could be buried. Let us be ashamed, then, we who think we live a more perfect life while disregarding strangers. "The price of Him that was valued," it says, that is to say, the price of Christ. He was beyond price, yet the sons of Israel set a price on Him, having agreed to give Judas thirty pieces of silver.
11-14. And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked Him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. And when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto Him, Hearest Thou not how many things they witness against Thee? And He answered him never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly . He was brought to Pilate accused of crimes against the state, which is why Pilate asked Him if He had fomented an insurrection or attempted to make Himself king of the Jews. But Jesus said to him, "Thou sayest," giving a most wise answer. For He neither said that He was or that He was not, but He said, somewhere between the two, "Thou sayest." For this could be interpreted either as "I am what you say," or, "I do not say it, but you do." He gave no other answer, however, for He knew that the tribunal was an unjust proceeding. Pilate marveled at the Lord because He scorned death, and because, though He was eloquent and could have said a myriad of things in His own defense, He made no answer and disregarded His accusers. May we also learn from this to say nothing when we are brought before a corrupt court lest we cause a greater stir and provoke those who refuse to hear our defense to condemn us all the more.
15-18. Now on that feast there was the custom that the governor would release unto the people a prisoner whom they wanted. And they had then a notorious prisoner whom they called Barabbas. Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ? For he knew that out of envy they had delivered Him. Pilate was eager to release Christ, though even that would have been cowardly; for he ought to have stood up for the truth. First Pilate asked the Lord, "Do you not hear what they are testifying against you?" He asked this so that if Christ had given a defense, he would have had a reason to release Him. But the Lord did not defend Himself, since, all-knowing, He knew that even if He made a defense He would not be freed. Pilate then turned to another course of action. He appealed to the custom at the feast, all but saying, "Even if you do not release him as innocent, pardon him on the feast as one who has been condemned." For how could Pilate have suspected that the people would demand the crucifixion of Jesus, Who was innocent, and the release of the guilty thief? Pilate knew, then, that Jesus was not guilty but was the object of spite, and it was for this reason that he asked them to choose which prisoner they wanted released. This shows that he was cowardly; for he ought to have disdained all danger to champion the good. Therefore he merits condemnation for having covered up the truth. "Barabbas" means "son of the father," "bar" meaning "son," and "abbas," "father." These Jews, therefore, demanded the son of their spiritual father, the devil, but Jesus they crucified. And to this day, there are those like them who have chosen Antichrist, the substitute messiah, the son of their father, and have rejected Christ, the true Messiah.
19-26. When he was seated upon the judgement seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that righteous man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of Him. But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask for Barabbas, and kill Jesus. The governor answered and said unto them, Which of the two will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them, What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why, what evil hath He done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous Man: see ye to it yourselves. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified. O, how miraculous! While being judged by Pilate, Christ caused his wife to suffer a fright. It was not Pilate who saw the dream, but his wife; either because he was unworthy, or because the people would not have believed that he had seen such a dream and would think that he said this only with a view towards granting a pardon. And perhaps he would have kept silent if he had seen the dream, as he was the judge. The dream was a work of providence, not occurring so that Christ would be released, but so that the woman would be saved. Why, then, did Pilate not release Him? Because it was not politic to do so as Jesus had been charged with accusations concerning kingship. But Pilate should have asked for evidence either that Jesus had enlisted soldiers or that He had forged weapons. Instead, Pilate let himself be drawn to their side, like one who is mute and cowardly, and because of this he is not without blame. For when they demanded the man who was notorious for wickedness, he handed Barabbas over; but when it came to Christ, he asked them, "What then shall I do with Jesus?�� thus making them masters of the decision. Yet he was the governor and could have snatched Christ away from them, as the chief captain did with Paul ( Acts 21:31-33 ). They said, "Let him be crucified," desiring not only to kill Him but to mark Him as a criminal, for the cross was reserved as a punishment for criminals. Pilate washed his hands as if to show that he was clean of defilement, but his thoughts were evil. For he called Jesus a righteous man and yet handed Him over to murderers. The people took upon themselves the punishment for His murder, and this punishment indeed overtook them when the Romans destroyed them and their children. But even to this day, the Jews, who are children of those who slew the Lord, have His blood upon them. Because of their disbelief in the Lord they have been persecuted by all, and they have had no boldness before their persecutors on account of those words spoken to Pilate. Pilate scourged Jesus, that is, he had Him whipped, either to gratify the people, or else to show that it was he himself who had condemned Christ, and to make it appear that they were not about to crucify an innocent man, but rather one who was dishonorable. Thus was fulfilled this prophecy of Isaiah as well, "I gave My back to scourges" ( Is. 50:6 ).
27-30. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praeto-rium, and gathered unto Him the whole company of soldiers. And they stripped Him, and put on Him a scarlet cloak. And when they had plaited a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon Him, and took the reed, and smote Him on the head. Here was fulfilled the word of David, "Thou hast made Me a reproach to the foolish" ( Ps. 38:8 ). For the soldiers were foolish, and did things that befitted their foolishness: they clothed Him with a cloak as if it were the imperial purple; they gave Him a reed for a scepter and a crown of thorns for a diadem; they paid Him homage, in mockery, for this is the meaning of "bowed the knee." See how they performed every sort of insult and abuse: His face they reviled with spit, His head with a crown, His hand with a reed, the rest of His Body with a cloak, and His ears with words of mockery. But if they did these things in derision, you, O reader, must understand them also in a more spiritual manner, as something not merely done to, but accomplished by, Jesus. The scarlet cloak reveals our nature, bloody and murderous, which He assumed and sanctified by wearing it. The crown is made of thorns which are the sins resulting from our cares for this life; these Christ consumes with His own divinity, for His head represents His divinity. The reed is a symbol of our weak and crumbling nature which the Lord assumed, as David also says, "The right hand of the Lord hath I exalted me" ( Ps. 117:16 ). By receiving insults in His ears, He healed Eve of the whispering of the serpent which had entered her ears.
31-32. And after they had mocked Him, they took the cloak off from Him, and put His own raiment on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him. And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear His cross. The three evangelists say that Simon carried the cross of Jesus, while John says that the Lord carried it Himself. It is likely that both events occurred. At first Jesus carried the cross as no one else was willing to carry it; but along the way they found Simon and placed the cross on him. You, O reader, learn this as well, that "Simon" means "obedience"; therefore he who possesses obedience is he who carries the cross of Christ. And Cyrene was one of the five cities of Pentapolis, signifying the five senses that are compelled to bear the cross.
33-37. And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, which means, a place of a skull, they gave Him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when He had tasted thereof, He would not drink. And they crucified Him, and parted His garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted My garments among them, and upon My vesture did they cast lots. And sitting down they watched Him there; and set up over His head His accusation written, THIS IS JESUS KING OF THE JEWS. It was called "a place of a skull," because those who have learned from the tradition of the fathers say that Adam was buried there; it was necessary that all we who had died in Adam were thus made alive in Christ ( 1 Cor. 15:22 ). Do not be troubled when you hear Matthew say that vinegar with gall was offered to the Lord, Mark, wine flavored with myrrh ( Mark 15:23 ), and John, vinegar with gall on hyssop. For many things were done by many people, as there was a disorderly crowd present, some doing one thing, others another. It is likely that one offered wine and another vinegar mixed with gall. There were many ways to be put to death, but Christ was put to death on the cross so that He might sanctify the wood of the tree by which we were cursed, and bless the whole universe: the heavens, which were signified by the upper portion of the cross; the underworld, signified by the "footstool"; and the ends of the earth, the east and the west, signified by the transverse portions of the cross. But He was also put to death on the cross so that He might stretch out His arms to embrace and gather together the children of God who had been dispersed. The soldiers divided even His clothing, as He was poor and had nothing else. That which the evangelist John calls His "title" ( Jn. 19.19 ), Matthew calls His "accusation." For they wrote down an indictment giving the reason for His crucifixion, namely, that He was accused of claiming to be "King of the Jews" and of leading an insurrection. They indicted Him as "King" meaning to slander Him, but in truth their indictment was unimpeachable evidence admitted by his adversaries. For indeed the Lord is King, and came for this very reason, to save the Jews. But since those who were Jews in the flesh did not want Him to reign over them, He became King of the spiritual Jews, that is, of those who confess Him. For "Jew" means "he who confesses."
38-44. Then were there two thieves crucified with Him, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. And they that passed by reviled Him, shaking their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save Thyself. If Thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking Him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; Himself he cannot save. If He be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him: for He said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with Him, likewise reproached Him . As a slander against Christ the two thieves were crucified with Him, so that people would think that He, too, was such a transgressor of the law as they were. The two thieves were symbolic of the two races, the Jewish and the Gentile, for both races had transgressed the law and reviled Christ, just as both these thieves at first reviled Him. But later the one thief understood Who He was and confessed Him as King; whereupon he also said, "Remember me, Lord, in Thy kingdom" ( Lk. 23:42 ). So, too, did the Gentile race confess Christ, while the other thief, the Jewish race, blasphemed. The devil prompted them to say, "If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross," in order to provoke Him to come down and thus overturn the salvation of all being accomplished on the cross. But Christ, Who is indeed the Son of God, was not persuaded by the enemy, so that you, O reader, might learn that we ought not to be persuaded by the ploys of the devil, but do what is good even if men think ill of us.
45-49. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elijah. And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave Him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him . The darkness which occurred was not according to the natural order of events, as when a solar eclipse occurs in nature. For there is never a solar eclipse on the fourteenth day of the lunar cycle; rather, solar eclipses occur when there is a so-called "new moon." The day of the crucifixion was certainly the fourteenth day of the lunar cycle, as that is when the Jews celebrate the Passover. Therefore the incident was beyond nature. The darkness was universal, not partial as was the darkness in Egypt, to show that the whole of creation mourned the Passion of the Creator, and that the light had been taken from the Jews. Let those Jews who were asking for a sign from heaven now see the sun darkened. On the sixth day, when man had been created, and at the sixth hour, when he had eaten of the tree (for that is the hour of eating), the Lord, refashioning man and healing his sin, on the sixth day and at the sixth hour was stretched out on the tree. Jesus speaks prophetically in the Hebrew tongue to show that He does not contend with the Old Testament. He said, "Why hast Thou forsaken Me?" ( Ps. 21:1 ). to show that He was truly man, and not just in appearance. For man avidly desires life and has a physical appetite for it. Just as Christ agonized and was sorely troubled before the cross, showing the fear that is ours by nature, so now He says, "Why hast Thou forsaken Me?" displaying our natural thirst for life. For He was truly man and like us in all respects, but without sins. Some have understood it in this manner: the Saviour spoke on behalf of the Jews and said, "Why hast Thou forsaken the Jewish race, O Father, that it should commit such a sin and be handed over to destruction?" For as Christ was one of the Jews, He said "forsaken Me," meaning, "Why hast Thou forsaken My kinsmen, My people, that they should bring such a great evil upon themselves?" The multitude did not understand His cry, being uncouth and ignorant of the prophets, and thought that He was calling upon Elijah. For not all the Jews knew the prophets, just as now not all Christians, perhaps, know the Gospel. They gave Him vinegar to drink so that He might die more quickly, before Elijah could come to help Him. This is why the others say, "Let be, let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him;" that is, "Do not make Him die, for we want to know if Elijah will help Him."
50-53. Jesus, when He had cried out again with a loud voice, yielded up the spirit. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the Holy City, and appeared unto many . Jesus cries with a loud voice so that we may know that it was true when He said, "I have authority to lay down My life" ( Jn. 10:18 ). For He released His soul by His own authority. What was it that He cried with a loud voice? "Into Thy hands I commit My spirit" ( Lk. 23:46 ). Not under compulsion, but by His own will He released His spirit. For this is what is meant by "I commit." He also shows that He will take it back again. For what is committed or deposited can be returned. Thanks be to the Lord, that when He died and committed His spirit into the hands of the Father, from that time forward the souls of the saints are also committed into the hands of the Father, and not as before into the recesses of hades. So the death of Christ became our sanctification. For this reason He summons death with a loud voice, for death did not dare to approach until it had been summoned. The veil of the temple was a cloth of fine linen hanging in the middle of the temple, separating the inner sanctuary from the outer like a partition wall. This veil was rent, and God thereby showed that the inaccessible and unseen temple, whose innermost part, the Holy of Holies, had been secluded by the veil, would be made common and profane so as to be visible and accessible to all. Some give further explanations. The veil being rent, they say, indicated that the letter of the law had been stripped away to reveal the entirety of the law which formerly had been concealed by the letter as if by a veil; and what before had been obscure and enigmatic in the law would now be made clear by its fulfillment in Christ ( II Cor. 3:14-16 ). One might also mention that it was the custom of Jews to rend their clothing when they heard blasphemies against God. So now the divine temple rent its own clothing, the veil, as if abhorring the death of Christ. There is more that one could say, but this suffices. The elements quaked, showing at one and the same time that it was the Creator Who suffered and that all things would be changed. For earthquakes are mentioned in Scripture to mark a change in the course of affairs. And there did occur a change in the scope of God�s supervision of mankind, namely, from the Jews to the Gentiles. Even the stones, which are the stony hearts of the Gentiles, were split open to accept the seed of Truth. And those who were dead in sins arose and entered the Holy City, the heavenly Jerusalem, and appeared to the many who were walking the broad road [leading to perdition]. By appearing to them, they became an exemplary model of a good life and of repentance. For if one sees a man who was formerly deadened by many passions now changed and ascending to the holy heavenly City, he imitates that man in every way, and himself repents. These things have been explained in a rather elaborate manner; but you, O reader, understand that the raising of the dead which occurred at the Lord�s crucifixion, also revealed the freeing of the souls in hades. Those who arose at that time were seen by many, lest the event appear to have been only an apparition. They arose as a sign from God, and it is evident that they again died. Some say that after Christ�s resurrection, these arose and have not yet died; but I do not know if this should be accepted.
54-56. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. And many women were there beholding afar off, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto Him: among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. The Gentile centurion and those with him believed because of these great signs, but the Jews, who had clearly heard the prophets and the law, remained unbelieving � such an evil thing is malice! And this centurion later bore witness to Christ. The women who beheld these events, who were the most tender of all in their compassion [and so ought to have been less able to endure the sight of the Lord�s suffering], and were of the gender that was condemned [because of the sin of Eve], were the first to enjoy this vision of good things. The disciples fled while the women were stalwart. "Mary the mother of James and Joses" means the Theotokos, the Virgin Mother of God, for James and Joses were the sons of Joseph by his first wife. And since the Theotokos was called the "wife" of Joseph, she is rightly called the "mother" of his children, meaning "stepmother." The mother of the sons of Zebedee was named Salome. They say that she also was a daughter of Joseph.
57-61. When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus� disciple: he went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in pure linen, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed. And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre . Joseph of Arimathea before had hidden himself, but now he dares to do a great deed, risking his life for his Teacher�s Body, and taking upon himself the enmity of all the Jews. Pilate gives him the Body as a great favor. As Christ had been put to death as a rebel, it is likely that they were going to throw His Body aside unburied. But Joseph was rich and probably gave gold to Pilate; then he took the Body and honored it by placing it in a new tomb in which no one else had ever been placed. This was by God�s providence, so that when the Lord had risen, no one could say that it was another dead man who had previously been buried there that had risen. For this reason the tomb was new. Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary," that is, the Theotokos, who above was called the mother of James and Joses, were sitting opposite the tomb and waiting for the frenzy of the Jews to subside, so that they could go and embrace the Body and anoint it with myrrh. Isaiah spoke concerning these women, "Ye women coming from the sight, come hither; for this is a people without understanding" ( Is. 27:11 ). He is clearly saying that the Jewish people who crucified the Lord lacked understanding ( Lk. 23:34 ). He is calling upon the women, then, to forsake the mindless people and to go to the apostles and bring them the good tidings of the Resurrection.