Church Fathers Commentary Luke 23:50-56

"And behold, a man named Joseph, who was a councillor, a good and righteous man (he had not consented to their counsel and deed), [a man] of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews, who was looking for the kingdom of God: this man went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb that was hewn in stone, where never man had yet lain. And it was the day of the Preparation, and the sabbath drew on. And the women, who had come with him out of Galilee, followed after, and beheld the tomb, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. And on the sabbath they rested according to the commandment." — Luke 23:50-56 (ASV)

Greek Expositors: Joseph had once been a secret disciple of Christ, but finally bursting through the bonds of fear and becoming very zealous, he took down the body of our Lord, which was hanging shamefully on the cross. He thus gained a precious Jewel through the meekness of His words. Therefore, the text says, And, behold, there was a man, named Joseph, a counselor.

The Venerable Bede: A counselor, or decurio, is called this because he belongs to the order of the curia, or council, and administers its duties. He is also usually called a curialis, due to his management of civil responsibilities. Joseph, then, is said to have been of high rank in the world, but of even higher esteem before God, as the Scripture continues: A good man, and a just, of Arimathea, a city of the Jews, etc. Arimathea is the same as Ramatha, the city of Helkanah and Samuel.

St. Augustine of Hippo: John says that Joseph was a disciple of Jesus. This is why it is also added here, Who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. But it is naturally surprising that a man who was a secret disciple out of fear would have dared to ask for our Lord’s body—something that none of His open followers dared to do. For it is written, This man went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. We must understand, then, that he did this with the confidence of his rank, which would have allowed him familiar access to Pilate. In performing this final funeral rite, however, he seems to have cared less for the Jews, even though it was his custom to avoid their hostility when listening to our Lord.

The Venerable Bede: Therefore, because he was fitted by his righteous works to bury our Lord's body, he was also worthy by his secular dignity to obtain it. Thus, it is written, And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen. Our Lord's simple burial condemns the pride of the rich, who cannot be without their wealth even in their graves.

St. Athanasius of Alexandria: Those who embalm the bodies of their dead and do not bury them also act absurdly, even if the deceased are considered holy. For what can be more holy or greater than our Lord’s body? And yet His body was placed in a tomb until it rose again on the third day. For the Scripture says, And he laid it in a hewn sepulcher.

The Venerable Bede: The tomb was hewn out of a rock so that if it had been built of many stones, no one could claim after the resurrection that the tomb's foundations were dug up and the body stolen. It was also laid in a new tomb, wherein never man before was laid, so that when the other bodies remained after the resurrection, no one could suspect that some other person had risen instead.

Because humanity was created on the sixth day, our Lord, by being crucified on the sixth day, rightly fulfilled the mystery of our restoration. The Scripture continues, And it was the day of the Preparation, the name they gave to the sixth day because on it they prepared what was necessary for the Sabbath. And just as the Creator rested from His work on the seventh day, so the Lord rested in the grave on the Sabbath. Therefore, it is written, And the Sabbath was dawning.

Now, we noted above that all His acquaintance stood at a distance, and the women who followed Him. After His body was taken down, His acquaintances returned to their homes. But the women, who loved Him more tenderly, followed His funeral procession, desiring to see the place where He was laid. For the Scripture says, And the women also, who came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulcher, and how his body was laid, so that they could truly make the offerings of their devotion at the proper time.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For they did not yet have sufficient faith, but prepared spices and ointments as if for a mere man, following the custom of the Jews who performed such duties for their dead. Therefore, it is written, And they returned, and prepared spices. After our Lord was buried, they were busy preparing ointments for as long as it was lawful to work (that is, until sunset). But it was commanded to be still on the Sabbath, that is, to rest from one evening to the next. For the Scripture says, And rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Mystically, it is the just man who buries the body of Christ, for Christ's burial is one that has no guile or wickedness in it. Matthew rightly called the man rich, for by carrying Him who was rich, he did not know the poverty of faith. The just man covers the body of Christ with linen. You also must clothe the body of Christ with His own glory, so that you yourself may be just. And even if you believe His body to be dead, still cover it with the fullness of His own divinity. The Church, too, is clothed with the grace of innocence.

The Venerable Bede: He who has received Jesus with a pure mind is the one who wraps Him in clean linen.

St. Ambrose of Milan: It is not without meaning that one Evangelist speaks of a new tomb, while another speaks of Joseph's tomb. A grave is prepared for those who are under the law of death; the Conqueror of death has no grave of His own. For what fellowship does God have with the grave? He alone is enclosed in this tomb because the death of Christ, while common according to the nature of the body, was unique with respect to its power.

Christ is rightly buried in the tomb of the just, so that He may rest in the dwelling place of justice. The just man hews out this monument with the piercing word in hearts hardened like those of the Gentiles, so that the power of Christ might extend over the nations. And it is very right that a stone is rolled against the tomb, for whoever has truly buried Christ in himself must guard Him diligently, lest he lose Him or allow an entrance for unbelief.

The Venerable Bede: The fact that the Lord is crucified on the sixth day and rests on the seventh signifies that in the sixth age of the world we must necessarily suffer for Christ and be, as it were, crucified to the world. But in the seventh age—that is, after death—our bodies will indeed rest in their tombs, while our souls will rest with the Lord.

Even now, holy women (that is, humble souls), fervent in love, diligently attend to the Passion of Christ. Hoping to imitate Him, they carefully ponder each step by which this Passion was fulfilled. After reading, hearing, and recalling all these things, they then apply themselves to preparing the works of virtue by which Christ may be pleased. They do this so that, having finished the preparation of this present life, they may enter a blessed rest and, at the time of the resurrection, meet Christ with the frankincense of their spiritual actions.