The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 626

greo.t atone to the door of the tomb, they departed. God can find fit instruments for hie work. Hie providence ho.d reserved these two secret disciples for thi1 solemn duty. Secret disciples e.re more genero.lly employed in rendering service to tile body c,f <..:i,r.~r, dr material interests of his Church. (2) God honours the faithfulness of his secrC't disciples by encouraging and strengthening their faith. Had Joseph listened to the, promptings of human prudence, he would have hesitated to interfere for the body r,f Christ, lest he should be brought under suspicion, incapacitated for doing good, perbe.;,s utterly ruined. Probably his timidity had been rewuved by the prodigies at 011r Lord's death, working in him a stronger conviction that Jesus was the Messiah. Now be went" boldly" to Pilate (Mark xv. 43). 3. Thereby they advance the interest.9 of ltis truth. (1) The riches and honourable station of Joseph are mentioned, not or,ly because of the influence they would have with Pilate, but to show the fulfilment of the words of Isaiah, "And his grave we.s appointed with the wicked, but with the rich man was his tomb" (!iii. 9, Lowth's translation). His grave would have been "i,h the malefactors had not Joseph interposed. How infallibly the providence viridicatrs the truth of God! (2) See here also an admirable Divine propriety. It was proper that the grave of Jesus should be borrowed, because the grave is the heritage oi sinner,1 (aee Job xxiv.19; Ps. cxlvi. 4). It was proper it should be new-never tainted with corruption, for in no sense should the Holy One see corruption. It was proper that the cavil should be obviated, as if the body of Christ had been resuscitated by touchio.~ the bones of some prophet (see 2 Kings xiii. 20). Christ's burial takes off the terror of the grave, and we may now be buried with him. 4. Christ has disciples who openl1; C()'fl,fess him. (1) The women were at the tomb. There was Mary of Magdala. Sh~ was. a respectable WQIDan, out of whom the Lord bad cast seven devils, whose power over her was probably her afHiction rather than her crime. She is without warrant confounded wit.h the wo.01an who was "a sinner," but whose name is not mentioned. There was" the other Mary," evidently "the mother of ,Tames and Joses," mentioneJ in ver. 56, who. appears to have been a sister of the mother of our Lord. There wa.3 also Salome, unless "the other Mary" and Salome are the so.me, which is doubt kl (see Mark xvi. 1).. Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, appears to have becu there too (see Luke xxiv. 10).. The mother of our Lord had probably at this ti,,,o been .to.ken to the home of John (see John xix. 26, 27). (2) These noble women Laci followed Jesus, some of them at least from Galilee, were ever ready to minister to bis temporal necessities, were present at his crucifixion, and here they are again at his burial. They are.in the posture of mourners, and so testify to his innocency, for the Jews had forbidden to show any external marks of mourning e.t the burial of male- factors. They had heard the Lord speak of bis resurrection, but probably interpreted him in some figurative sense, But though their faith was confused and unsettled, their love was strong. Where love is there is everything ; and it will all come out e.s the ways of Providenc<J unfold. (3) These women were there gratefully to witness and commend the. kindness of Joseph and Nicodemus. And after the men had retired, they went into the city just before the setting in of the sabbath, to purchase spices for the embalming of the body as soon as the sabbe.th should have passed. Their love was constant ( cf. eh. xxvi. 12, 13). . II. TnosE 'MALICIOUSLY ANXIOUS TO DISCREDIT BllL 1. Notice the villainy of the rolers. (1) See it in their guilty fears. The kindness of the friends of Jesus gave him a tomb; the malice of his enemies would keep him in it. Should he rise again his blood will be upon them. They cannot forget the raising of Lazarus. Rtsurrec- tions are terrible things to the wicked, especially of those murdered by them for their testimony to the truth (see Rev. xi. 11). If the disciples of Jesus had lost all hope, his enemies ~d not lost RU fear. 'l'he fears of the wicked should encourage the hopes or the good. (2) See it in their nervous promptitude. They are with l'ilate soon iuter Joseph had left. him. The .. morrow after the~prepe.ration was just after six in the evenlog. .The celerity of hatred is only exceeded by that of lo~e, ~~) See it in their sycophnncy. They were "gathered together unto P1l1\te, sayrng, Sir, we remember that that deceiver so.id." . Pile.te is " Sir," J esua "That deceiver." What e.n outrageous invorsion of propriety I "The malicious slanderers of good men are commonly the mo.st sordid flatterers of great lllflll" (Henry). ( 4) See it iu their unscrupulousness.. They hacl often quarrelled with IJbrist for doing works of mercy on tho sabbl\th, they 682 THE GOSPEL AOOORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [ott. xtvn. 1-68.