Mattityahu 27
27
1Now when boker had come, all the Rashei Hakohenim and the Ziknei HaAm took counsel together against Yehoshua to put him to death.
2And having performed the akedah (binding), they led him away, and delivered him up to Pilate the Governor.
3Then when Yehudah, who had betrayed Moshiach, saw that Yehoshua had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the sheloshim shiklei kesef (thirty pieces of silver) to the Rashei Hakohanim and the Zekenim,
4saying Chatati (I have sinned). I have betrayed dahm naki (innocent blood). But they said, What is that to us? See to that yourself!
5And Yehudah threw the shiklei kesef (pieces of silver) into the Beis Hamikdash and departed; and, having gone away, Yehudah hanged himself.
6And the Rashei Hakohanim took the shiklei kesef and said, It is asur (forbidden) to put these into the Beis Hamikdash otzar (treasury), vi-bahlt (since) it is blood money.
7And they took counsel together and they bought the Potterʼs Field as a beis hakevoros (cemetery) for zarim (foreigners).
8For this reason that field has been called the Sadeh HaDahm (Field of Blood) to this day.
9Then that which was spoken through Yirmeyah HaNavi was fulfilled, saying, And they took the SHELOSHIM KASEF (thirty pieces of silver), HAYEKAR (the price) of the one whose price had been set by the Bnei Yisroel.
10And they gave them for the potters field as Hashem directed — Zech 11:12-13.
11Now Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach stood before the Governor, and the Governor questioned Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach saying, Are you the Melech HaYehudim? And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to him, It is as you say.
12And while Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was being accused by the Rashei Hakohanim and the Zekenim, he answered nothing.#27:12 Isa 53:7
13Then Pilate said to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Do you not hear how many things they give edut against you?
14And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach did not answer him with even one word, so that the Governor was quite amazed.#27:14 Isa 53:7
15Now at the Chag (Festival, Pesach) the Governor was accustomed to release for the multitude any one prisoner they wanted.
16And they were holding at the time a notorious prisoner, called#27:16 Yeshua Bar-Abba.#27:16 son of the father
17When, therefore, they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, Whom do you want me to release for you, Bar-Abba or Yehoshua called Moshiach?
18For Pilate knew that because of kinah (envy) they had delivered Yehoshua up.
19And while Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, Have nothing to do with that Tzaddik; for last night I suffered greatly in a chalom (dream) because of Yehoshua.
20However, the Rashei Hakohanim and the Zekenim persuaded the multitudes to ask for Bar-Abba, but Yehoshua they should destroy.
21But the Governor answered, saying to them, Which of the two do you want me to release for you? And they said, Bar-Abba.
22In reply, Pilate says to them, What, therefore, may I do with Yehoshua, the one called the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach? Everyone says, Let him be made TALUI AL HAETZ (being hanged on the Tree!) Be hanged on HAETZ!#27:22 Dt 21:23
23But Pilate said, Why? What rah (evil) has he done? But they kept shouting all the more, saying, Let him be hanged on HAETZ!
24And when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the multitude, saying, I am innocent of this manʼs blood; see to that yourselves.
25And, in reply, all the people said, His dahm be on us and on our yeladim.
26Then Pilate released Bar-Abba to them. But after having Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach scourged, he handed him over to be hanged on HAETZ.#27:26 Dt 21:23
27Then the soldiers of the Governor took him into the praetorium and gathered the whole cohort against Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach.#27:27 Ps 2:1
28And they stripped him and put a royal scarlet robe on him, and,
29After weaving a keter of thorns, they placed it on his head and put a reed in his right hand, and they fell down before him and mocked him saying, Hail, Melech HaYehudim!
30And they spat on Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach and took the reed and began to beat him on the head.
31And after they had made leitzonus (mockery) of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, they took off his robe and put his garments on him, and led him away to hang him on HAETZ.
32And as they were coming out, they found a man from Cyrene named Shim'on, whom they pressed into service to bear Moshiachʼs Etz.
33And when they had come to a place called Gulgolta, which means place of a skull,
34They gave him wine to drink mingled with gall. And, after tasting it, he was unwilling to drink.
35When they had hanged Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach on HAETZ, they divided up Moshiachʼs garments among themselves, casting lots;
36And, sitting down, they began to keep watch over him there.
37They put up above his head the charge against him which read, THIS IS YEHOSHUA, MELECH HAYEHUDIM.
38At that time, two shodedim were each hanged on his own etz with Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, one on the right and one on the left.
39And those passing by were hurling insults at Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, wagging their heads,
40And saying, You who are going to cause the churban (destruction) of the Beis Hamikdash and rebuild it in shloshah yamim (three days), save yourself! If you are the Ben HaElohim, come down from HAETZ (the Tree).
41Likewise, also the Rashei Hakohanim along with the Sofrim and Zekenim, were mocking him, and saying,
42He saved others; yet himself he is not able to save. He is Melech Yisroel? Let him now come down from the Etz, and we shall have emunah in him.
43He trusts in Hashem; let Hashem be his Moshi'a (Deliverer) and deliver him now, if Hashem takes pleasure in him, for this one said, Ben HaElohim Ani!
44And the shodedim (robbers), hanging, each on his etz, with him, were casting similar insults at Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, reproaching him.
45Now, from the sixth hour, choshech fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.
46And about the ninth hour, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach cried out with a kol gadol, saying Eli, Eli, lemah sabachthani! (that is, My G-d, my G-d, why hast thou forsaken me? Ps 22:2 [1]).
47And some of those who were standing there, when they heard, began saying, This one calls for Eliyahu HaNavi.
48And immediately one of them ran and, taking a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed and gave him a drink.
49But the rest of them said, Wait. We will see whether Eliyahu HaNavi will come to save him.
50And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach cried out again with a loud voice, and dismissed his ruach.
51And hinei! The parochet of the Beis Hamikdash was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook; and the rocks were split,
52And the kevarim (graves) were opened, and many gufot (bodies) of the kedoshim who had fallen asleep were made to stand up alive.
53And coming out of the kevarim after the Techiyas HaMoshiach, they entered the Ir Hakodesh (Holy City) and appeared to many.
54Now when the centurion, and those who were with him keeping shomer (guard) over Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, they became very frightened and said, Truly this was the Ben HaElohim.
55And many nashim were there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach from the Galil and had ministered to him.
56Among them was Miryam of Magdala, Miryam the Em of Ya'akov and Yosef, and the Em of Zavdaiʼs sons.
57And when it was erev, there came an oisher (rich man) from Ramatayim named Yosef who himself had also become a talmid of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach.
58This man went to Pilate and asked for the gufat Yehoshua.#27:58 Ps 16:9-10 Then Pilate ordered it to be given over to Yosef.
59And Yosef took the gufat Yehoshua, and wrapped it in the tachrichim,
60and laid it in Yosefʼs own new kever, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the kever (tomb) and went away.#27:60 Isa 53:9
61And Miryam of Magdala, and the other Miryam, stayed there, sitting opposite the kever.
62Now on the next day,#27:62 i.e., Motzoei Shabbos which is the one after the Preparation, the Rashei Hakohanim and the Perushim gathered together with Pilate
63and said, Sir, we remember that when he was still alive that mateh (deceiver) said, After shloshah yamim I am to stand up alive.
64Therefore, give orders for the kever to be made secure until the Yom HaShlishi (the Third Day), lest his talmidim come and steal him away and say to the people, He has stood up alive from the mesim. And the last deception will be worse than the first.
65Pilate said to them, You have a guard, go make the kever as secure as you know how.
66And they went and made the kever secure, and, along with the guard, they set a seal on the stone.
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Mattityahu 27: TOJB2011
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THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE
FOURTH EDITION © Artists For Israel Intl Inc., 2002-2011, 2021.
Matthew 27
27
Jesus Before Pilate. 1#Cf. Mk 15:1–20. Matthew’s account of the Roman trial before Pilate is introduced by a consultation of the Sanhedrin after which Jesus is handed over to…the governor (Mt 27:1–2). Matthew follows his Marcan source closely but adds some material that is peculiar to him, the death of Judas (Mt 27:3–10), possibly the name Jesus as the name of Barabbas also (Mt 27:16–17), the intervention of Pilate’s wife (Mt 27:19), Pilate’s washing his hands in token of his disclaiming responsibility for Jesus’ death (Mt 27:24), and the assuming of that responsibility by the whole people (Mt 27:25). When it was morning,#Mk 15:1; Lk 23:1; Jn 18:28. all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel#There is scholarly disagreement about the meaning of the Sanhedrin’s taking counsel (symboulion elabon; cf. Mt 12:14; 22:15; 27:7; 28:12); see note on Mk 15:1. Some understand it as a discussion about the strategy for putting their death sentence against Jesus into effect since they lacked the right to do so themselves. Others see it as the occasion for their passing that sentence, holding that Matthew, unlike Mark (Mk 14:64), does not consider that it had been passed in the night session (Mt 26:66). Even in the latter interpretation, their handing him over to Pilate is best explained on the hypothesis that they did not have competence to put their sentence into effect, as is stated in Jn 18:31. against Jesus to put him to death. 2They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
The Death of Judas. 3#Acts 1:18–19. Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned, deeply regretted what he had done. He returned the thirty pieces of silver#The thirty pieces of silver: see Mt 26:15. to the chief priests and elders,#26:15. 4saying, “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? Look to it yourself.” 5#For another tradition about the death of Judas, cf. Acts 1:18–19. The two traditions agree only in the purchase of a field with the money paid to Judas for his betrayal of Jesus and the name given to the field, the Field of Blood. In Acts Judas himself buys the field and its name comes from his own blood shed in his fatal accident on it. The potter’s field: this designation of the field is based on the fulfillment citation in Mt 27:10. Flinging the money into the temple, he departed and went off and hanged himself. 6The chief priests gathered up the money, but said, “It is not lawful to deposit this in the temple treasury, for it is the price of blood.” 7After consultation, they used it to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. 8That is why that field even today is called the Field of Blood. 9Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet,#Cf. Mt 26:15. Matthew’s attributing this text to Jeremiah is puzzling, for there is no such text in that book, and the thirty pieces of silver thrown by Judas “into the temple” (Mt 27:5) recall rather Zec 11:12–13. It is usually said that the attribution of the text to Jeremiah is due to Matthew’s combining the Zechariah text with texts from Jeremiah that speak of a potter (Jer 18:2–3), the buying of a field (Jer 32:6–9), or the breaking of a potter’s flask at Topheth in the valley of Ben-Hinnom with the prediction that it will become a burial place (Jer 19:1–13). “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of a man with a price on his head, a price set by some of the Israelites, 10#Zec 11:12–13. and they paid it out for the potter’s field just as the Lord had commanded me.”
Jesus Questioned by Pilate. 11#Mk 15:2–5; Lk 23:2–3; Jn 18:29–38. Now Jesus stood before the governor, and he questioned him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”#King of the Jews: this title is used of Jesus only by pagans. The Matthean instances are, besides this verse, Mt 2:2; 27:29, 37. Matthew equates it with “Messiah”; cf. Mt 2:2, 4 and Mt 27:17, 22 where he has changed “the king of the Jews” of his Marcan source (Mk 15:9, 12) to “(Jesus) called Messiah.” The normal political connotation of both titles would be of concern to the Roman governor. You say so: see note on Mt 26:25. An unqualified affirmative response is not made because Jesus’ kingship is not what Pilate would understand it to be. Jesus said, “You say so.” 12#Is 53:7. And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders,#Cf. Mt 26:62–63. As in the trial before the Sanhedrin, Jesus’ silence may be meant to recall Is 53:7. Greatly amazed: possibly an allusion to Is 52:14–15. he made no answer. 13Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?” 14But he did not answer him one word, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
The Sentence of Death. 15#The choice that Pilate offers the crowd between Barabbas and Jesus is said to be in accordance with a custom of releasing at the Passover feast one prisoner chosen by the crowd (Mt 27:15). This custom is mentioned also in Mk 15:6 and Jn 18:39 but not in Luke; see note on Lk 23:17. Outside of the gospels there is no direct attestation of it, and scholars are divided in their judgment of the historical reliability of the claim that there was such a practice. #Mk 15:6–15; Lk 23:17–25; Jn 18:39–19:16. Now on the occasion of the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd one prisoner whom they wished. 16#[Jesus] Barabbas: it is possible that the double name is the original reading; Jesus was a common Jewish name; see note on Mt 1:21. This reading is found in only a few textual witnesses, although its absence in the majority can be explained as an omission of Jesus made for reverential reasons. That name is bracketed because of its uncertain textual attestation. The Aramaic name Barabbas means “son of the father”; the irony of the choice offered between him and Jesus, the true son of the Father, would be evident to those addressees of Matthew who knew that. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called [Jesus] Barabbas. 17So when they had assembled, Pilate said to them, “Which one do you want me to release to you, [Jesus] Barabbas, or Jesus called Messiah?” 18#Cf. Mk 14:10. This is an example of the tendency, found in varying degree in all the gospels, to present Pilate in a relatively favorable light and emphasize the hostility of the Jewish authorities and eventually of the people. For he knew that it was out of envy that they had handed him over. 19#Jesus’ innocence is declared by a Gentile woman. In a dream: in Matthew’s infancy narrative, dreams are the means of divine communication; cf. Mt 1:20; 2:12, 13, 19, 22. While he was still seated on the bench, his wife sent him a message, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man. I suffered much in a dream today because of him.” 20#Acts 3:14. The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas but to destroy Jesus. 21The governor said to them in reply, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They answered, “Barabbas!” 22#Let him be crucified: incited by the chief priests and elders (Mt 27:20), the crowds demand that Jesus be executed by crucifixion, a peculiarly horrible form of Roman capital punishment. The Marcan parallel, “Crucify him” (Mk 15:3), addressed to Pilate, is changed by Matthew to the passive, probably to emphasize the responsibility of the crowds. Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus called Messiah?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” 23But he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” They only shouted the louder, “Let him be crucified!” 24#Peculiar to Matthew. Took water…blood: cf. Dt 21:1–8, the handwashing prescribed in the case of a murder when the killer is unknown. The elders of the city nearest to where the corpse is found must wash their hands, declaring, “Our hands did not shed this blood.” Look to it yourselves: cf. Mt 27:4. The whole people: Matthew sees in those who speak these words the entire people (Greek laos) of Israel. His blood…and upon our children: cf. Jer 26:15. The responsibility for Jesus’ death is accepted by the nation that was God’s special possession (Ex 19:5), his own people (Hos 2:25), and they thereby lose that high privilege; see Mt 21:43 and the note on that verse. The controversy between Matthew’s church and Pharisaic Judaism about which was the true people of God is reflected here. As the Second Vatican Council has pointed out, guilt for Jesus’ death is not attributable to all the Jews of his time or to any Jews of later times. #Dt 21:1–8. When Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at all, but that a riot was breaking out instead, he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. Look to it yourselves.” 25And the whole people said in reply, “His blood be upon us and upon our children.” 26Then he released Barabbas to them, but after he had Jesus scourged,#He had Jesus scourged: the usual preliminary to crucifixion. he handed him over to be crucified.
Mockery by the Soldiers. 27#Mk 15:16–20; Jn 19:2–3. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the praetorium#The praetorium: the residence of the Roman governor. His usual place of residence was at Caesarea Maritima on the Mediterranean coast, but he went to Jerusalem during the great feasts, when the influx of pilgrims posed the danger of a nationalistic riot. It is disputed whether the praetorium in Jerusalem was the old palace of Herod in the west of the city or the fortress of Antonia northwest of the temple area. The whole cohort: normally six hundred soldiers. and gathered the whole cohort around him. 28They stripped off his clothes and threw a scarlet military cloak#Scarlet military cloak: so Matthew as against the royal purple of Mk 15:17 and Jn 19:2. about him. 29#27:11. Weaving a crown out of thorns,#Crown out of thorns: probably of long thorns that stood upright so that it resembled the “radiant” crown, a diadem with spikes worn by Hellenistic kings. The soldiers’ purpose was mockery, not torture. A reed: peculiar to Matthew; a mock scepter. they placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30#Is 50:6. They spat upon him#Spat upon him: cf. Mt 26:67 where there also is a possible allusion to Is 50:6. and took the reed and kept striking him on the head. 31And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him off to crucify him.
The Way of the Cross.#See note on Mk 15:21. Cyrenian named Simon: Cyrenaica was a Roman province on the north coast of Africa and Cyrene was its capital city. The city had a large population of Greek-speaking Jews. Simon may have been living in Palestine or have come there for the Passover as a pilgrim. Pressed into service: see note on Mt 5:41. 32#Mk 15:21; Lk 23:26. As they were going out, they met a Cyrenian named Simon; this man they pressed into service to carry his cross.
The Crucifixion. 33#Mk 15:22–32; Lk 23:32–38; Jn 19:17–19, 23–24. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull), 34#Ps 69:21. they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall.#Wine…mixed with gall: cf. Mk 15:23 where the drink is “wine drugged with myrrh,” a narcotic. Matthew’s text is probably an inexact allusion to Ps 69:22. That psalm belongs to the class called the individual lament, in which a persecuted just man prays for deliverance in the midst of great suffering and also expresses confidence that his prayer will be heard. That theme of the suffering Just One is frequently applied to the sufferings of Jesus in the passion narratives. But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink. 35#Ps 22:19. After they had crucified him, they divided his garments#The clothing of an executed criminal went to his executioner(s), but the description of that procedure in the case of Jesus, found in all the gospels, is plainly inspired by Ps 22:19. However, that psalm verse is quoted only in Jn 19:24. by casting lots; 36then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37And they placed over his head the written charge#The offense of a person condemned to death by crucifixion was written on a tablet that was displayed on his cross. The charge against Jesus was that he had claimed to be the King of the Jews (cf. Mt 27:11), i.e., the Messiah (cf. Mt 27:17, 22). against him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. 38Two revolutionaries#Revolutionaries: see note on Jn 18:40 where the same Greek word as that found here is used for Barabbas. were crucified with him, one on his right and the other on his left. 39#Reviled him…heads: cf. Ps 22:8. You who would destroy…three days; cf. Mt 26:61. If you are the Son of God: the same words as those of the devil in the temptation of Jesus; cf. Mt 4:3, 6. #Ps 22:8. Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads 40#4:3, 6; 26:61. and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, if you are the Son of God, [and] come down from the cross!” 41Likewise the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him and said, 42“He saved others; he cannot save himself. So he is the king of Israel!#King of Israel: in their mocking of Jesus the members of the Sanhedrin call themselves and their people not “the Jews” but Israel. Let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. 43#Peculiar to Matthew. He trusted in God…wants him: cf. Ps 22:9. He said…of God: probably an allusion to Wis 2:12–20 where the theme of the suffering Just One appears. #Ps 22:9; Wis 2:12–20. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now if he wants him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44The revolutionaries who were crucified with him also kept abusing him in the same way.
The Death of Jesus. 45#Cf. Am 8:9 where on the day of the Lord “the sun will set at midday.” #Mk 15:33–41; Lk 23:44–49; Jn 19:28–30. From noon onward,#Am 8:9. darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 46#Ps 22:2. And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?”#Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?: Jesus cries out in the words of Ps 22:2a, a psalm of lament that is the Old Testament passage most frequently drawn upon in this narrative. In Mark the verse is cited entirely in Aramaic, which Matthew partially retains but changes the invocation of God to the Hebrew Eli, possibly because that is more easily related to the statement of the following verse about Jesus’ calling for Elijah. which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47#Elijah: see note on Mt 3:4. This prophet, taken up into heaven (2 Kgs 2:11), was believed to come to the help of those in distress, but the evidences of that belief are all later than the gospels. Some of the bystanders who heard it said, “This one is calling for Elijah.” 48#Ps 69:21. Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge; he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink. 49But the rest said, “Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him.” 50#Gave up his spirit: cf. the Marcan parallel (Mk 15:37), “breathed his last.” Matthew’s alteration expresses both Jesus’ control over his destiny and his obedient giving up of his life to God. But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit. 51#Ex 26:31–36; Ps 68:9; 77:19. And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.#Veil of the sanctuary…bottom: cf. Mk 15:38; Lk 23:45. Luke puts this event immediately before the death of Jesus. There were two veils in the Mosaic tabernacle on the model of which the temple was constructed, the outer one before the entrance of the Holy Place and the inner one before the Holy of Holies (see Ex 26:31–36). Only the high priest could pass through the latter and that only on the Day of Atonement (see Lv 16:1–18). Probably the torn veil of the gospels is the inner one. The meaning of the scene may be that now, because of Jesus’ death, all people have access to the presence of God, or that the temple, its holiest part standing exposed, is now profaned and will soon be destroyed. The earth quaked…appeared to many: peculiar to Matthew. The earthquake, the splitting of the rocks, and especially the resurrection of the dead saints indicate the coming of the final age. In the Old Testament the coming of God is frequently portrayed with the imagery of an earthquake (see Ps 68:9; 77:19), and Jesus speaks of the earthquakes that will accompany the “labor pains” that signify the beginning of the dissolution of the old world (Mt 24:7–8). For the expectation of the resurrection of the dead at the coming of the new and final age, see Dn 12:1–3. Matthew knows that the end of the old age has not yet come (Mt 28:20), but the new age has broken in with the death (and resurrection; cf. the earthquake in Mt 28:2) of Jesus; see note on Mt 16:28. After his resurrection: this qualification seems to be due to Matthew’s wish to assert the primacy of Jesus’ resurrection even though he has placed the resurrection of the dead saints immediately after Jesus’ death. The earth quaked, rocks were split, 52#Dn 12:1–3. tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. 54#Cf. Mk 15:39. The Christian confession of faith is made by Gentiles, not only the centurion, as in Mark, but the other soldiers who were keeping watch over Jesus (cf. Mt 27:36). The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was happening, and they said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!” 55There were many women there, looking on from a distance,#Looking on from a distance: cf. Ps 38:12. Mary Magdalene…Joseph: these two women are mentioned again in Mt 27:61 and Mt 28:1 and are important as witnesses of the reality of the empty tomb. A James and Joseph are referred to in Mt 13:55 as brothers of Jesus. who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him. 56#13:55. Among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
The Burial of Jesus.#Cf. Mk 15:42–47. Matthew drops Mark’s designation of Joseph of Arimathea as “a distinguished member of the council” (the Sanhedrin), and makes him a rich man and a disciple of Jesus. The former may be an allusion to Is 53:9 (the Hebrew reading of that text is disputed and the one followed in the NAB OT has nothing about the rich, but they are mentioned in the LXX version). That the tomb was the new tomb of a rich man and that it was seen by the women are indications of an apologetic intent of Matthew; there could be no question about the identity of Jesus’ burial place. The other Mary: the mother of James and Joseph (Mt 27:56). 57#Mk 15:42–47; Lk 23:50–56; Jn 19:38–42. When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who was himself a disciple of Jesus.#Is 53:9. 58He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be handed over. 59Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it [in] clean linen 60and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb and departed. 61But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary remained sitting there, facing the tomb.
The Guard at the Tomb.#Peculiar to Matthew. The story prepares for Mt 28:11–15 and the Jewish charge that the tomb was empty because the disciples had stolen the body of Jesus (Mt 28:13, 15). 62The next day, the one following the day of preparation,#The next day…preparation: the sabbath. According to the synoptic chronology, in that year the day of preparation (for the sabbath) was the Passover; cf. Mk 15:42. The Pharisees: the principal opponents of Jesus during his ministry and, in Matthew’s time, of the Christian church, join with the chief priests to guarantee against a possible attempt of Jesus’ disciples to steal his body. the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63#12:40; 16:21; 17:23; 20:19. and said, “Sir, we remember that this impostor while still alive said, ‘After three days I will be raised up.’ 64Give orders, then, that the grave be secured until the third day, lest his disciples come and steal him and say to the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead.’ This last imposture would be worse than the first.”#This last imposture…the first: the claim that Jesus has been raised from the dead is clearly the last imposture; the first may be either his claim that he would be raised up (Mt 27:63) or his claim that he was the one with whose ministry the kingdom of God had come (see Mt 12:28). 65Pilate said to them, “The guard is yours;#The guard is yours: literally, “have a guard” or “you have a guard.” Either the imperative or the indicative could mean that Pilate granted the petitioners some Roman soldiers as guards, which is the sense of the present translation. However, if the verb is taken as an indicative it could also mean that Pilate told them to use their own Jewish guards. go secure it as best you can.” 66So they went and secured the tomb by fixing a seal to the stone and setting the guard.
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