The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 592

absolute certainty. From the present body in the virgin tomb, and ee.ch Joseph paeeu.ge, u.t any ra.te, one fo.ot is shown, the.t is ce.lled e. 'j ast man ' in Holy Scripture " they were not Christ's uterine brothers-a (Wordsworth). truth whioh needed no mention, were not Ver. 58.-He went to Pile.ta. St. Mark the dishonouring heresy of Helvidius still says," came e.n<l went in boldly unto Pi late." rife among us. The mother of Zebedee's He had hitherto been a disciple of Christ, ohildren. 81:1lome (oh. llll. 20; Me.rk xv. 40). "secretly for fear of the Jews" (John xix. The rejection of her ambitious petition had 38); now that Christ was deatl, e.nd his not lessened her love and devotion to death accompanied with such manifest Obrist. wonders, e.ccorcling absolutely with ancient Vere. 57-61.-The burial of the body of prophecy, and fulfilling Christ's own pre- Jesus. (Mark xv. 42-47; Luke xx.iii. 50- dictions, he hesito.te<l no longer, he openly professed bis partisanship, and threw in bis 56; John xi.x. 38--42.) lot with the Crucified. If from expediency Ver. 57.-When the even was oome. This or pusillanimity be had refrained from taking was what was called the firat evening, the e. prominent position as e. favourer of this time between the ninth hour, or three wonderful Teacher, he bad lately learned a o'clock, and sunset, and the great eabbath new lesson, and hailed the opportunity of would shortly be beginning. It was the publicly honouring him deceased whom in Boman custom to leave cri.minale banging his heart be bad loved and reverenced while on the cross for days, till their bodies were alive. So he went to the Prmtorium to see devoured by birds and wild animale; the the procurator, whose sanction was required Jewish Law enacted that when bodies were for removing the body of a criminal from penally suspended, they should be taken the croee. It was probably after the de- down and bnried before night (Deut. xxi. putation of the Jews toPilate, mentioned by 22, 23), that the land might not be defiled. St. John (xix. 31), that Joseph had bis inter- To-morrow (beginning at sunset), being e. view. :Begged the body of Jesus. It was specially solemn day, as combining the not unusual for friends to obtain leave to sabbath and the Passover celebration, the pay the last rites and to give decent Jews were particularly anxious the.t the sepulture in such cases; otherwise the crucified bodies of our Lord and the two corpses were thrown carelessly into name- robbers should be ta.ken away and put out less graves, if they were not left to rot on of sight before the sabbath bege.n. To the cross. The indignities which Christ effect this object, they went to Pilate, and had suffered during life now began to be begged him to put an end to their suffer- reversed. Comm.anded the body to be de- ings by the sbnrp, short process of breaking livered. Pilate first, we are told, sent for their legs. St. John's account must be re- the officer in charge of tl:e execution, and ferred to for this and the result of the finding from bim that Jesus was really dead, soldiers' exo.mination of our Lord. There granted Joseph's request. Perhaps he de- oe.me a rioh man of Arimath111a, named sired e.t the same time to flout the chief .Joseph, who also himself was .Jesus' disoiple. priests, e.nd likewise to make some slight He is further so.id to have been" an honour- reparation to the innocent Victim of his able counsellor," i.e. a member of the San- policy. hedrin, "a good man and a just, who also Ver. 59.-When .Joseph had taken ths waited for the kingdom of God, and had not body. In order to effect this, the cross ,ronld consented to the counsel and deed " of the be taken up e.nd deposited upon the ground. rest of the rulers. "It was divinely ap- the nails would be drawn from bands and pointed," says the Ven. Bede," that Joseph feet, the cord unbound (U cord there was), should be rich, in order to. bavo 11ccoss to and the corpse laid reverently down. We Pilate, for no mco.n man could have access must remember the.t this act of J osepb and to the governor; and that he should be a his frientls we.s not only a bold proceeuing, just man, in order to receive the bouy of our but an act of great self-denial. Contact Lord." This man's native plRce was Ari- with e. corpse caused ceremonial defilement mathaia, a town with much probability of seven days' duration, and thus they would identified with Rame.tbaim-Zophim of 1 be debarred from taking their part in the Sam. i. 1, which le.y in Mount Ephraim, and great Paschal solemnity, with its solemn and was the birthplace of the Prophet Samuel. joyful observances. But the love of Jesus That be was "e. rich me.n" nature.Uy gavo o.nd the unselfish desire to render him him some influence with Pilate, and,joined honour enabled them to rise superior to re- with his pooition as e. Sanhedrist, made his ligious prejudices, e.nd willingly to make request more likely to be granted. "One the required sacrifice. Wrapped it in a Joseph was appointed by God to be gue.rdian olee.n linen oloth; literally, swathed it in of Christ's body in the virgin womb, and clean linen. The body was enveloped iu a another Joseph was the guardiun of his sheet of fine linen, pure and clean, as we. b98 THE GOSPEL AOOORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [oa. xxvu. 1-68.