54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son1 of God!”
55 There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard2 of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.
Section Overview
The death of Jesus elicits a series of responses. The inanimate world answers first, as the earth shakes, tombs open, and the temple veil is torn. Humans are next: three groups act faithfully, while one is unfaithful. The faithful responses are varied. Most surprisingly, a centurion confesses that Jesus is the Son of God. A group of faithful women silently witness everything. And Joseph of Arimathea, previously unknown in Matthew, takes a risk by claiming and burying the body, thereby identifying himself as a disciple. Meanwhile, Jewish leaders continue their hostility.
Section Outline
IX. Death, and Resurrection (26:1–28:20) . . .
N. The Death of Jesus and Its Results (27:45–56) . . .
3. Responses of the Centurion and the Women (27:54–56)
O. The Burial of Jesus (27:57–61)
P. The Guard for Jesus’ Tomb (27:62–66)
Matthew 27–28 is a unified narrative, so that all divisions of the text are somewhat arbitrary. It can be difficult to identify breaks in the text. Is the centurion’s confession the last of four consequences of Jesus’ death (27:51–54) or the first of several human responses to it (27:54–66)? On a larger scale, the narrative threads lead to several plausible outlines. For example, if the burial of Jesus in 27:55–61 is a result of his death, then it affirms that Jesus truly dies and that his resurrection is a genuine miracle. But if one links the burial to Jesus’ death, then the securing of the tomb (27:62–66) joins the resurrection narrative. That in turn leads to a dark A-B-A' framing device for the resurrection:
(A) In 27:62–66 Jewish leaders persuade Pilate to secure the tomb in order to prevent false reports of Jesus’ resurrection.
(B) In 28:1–10 Jesus rises and angels truly report the resurrection to faithful women.
(A') In 28:11–15 priests and soldiers join Pilate to prevent the spread of the true report of the resurrection.
This outline highlights the obstinacy of Jewish leaders and the cowardice of Pilate, in contrast to the courage of Jesus.
The high points of the crucifixion-resurrection narrative are manifest. In 27:50 Jesus dies; in 27:54 the centurion confesses, “This was the Son of God”; in 28:6 the angels announce, “He is not here”; and in 28:19 Jesus commands the Twelve to disciple the nations. An outline that does justice to the high points sees a different A-B-A' structure:
(A) A string of events lead to the crucifixion: the crowd calls for Jesus’ to be crucified (27:23), Pilate delivers Jesus to be crucified (27:26), and the soldiers lead Jesus to be crucified (27:31).
(B) Jesus endures the crucifixion. This begins with mockery (27:32–44) and ends with his suffering and death (27:45–50).
(A') Just as a series of events lead to the crucifixion, so a series leads from it. The temple, the grave, and the earth itself respond to Jesus’ death (27:51–53). Then humans respond: a centurion confesses his deity (27:54), loyal women watch from afar (27:55–56), and Joseph of Arimathea buries Jesus’ body (27:57–61). Roman and Jewish leaders then stand in contrast to the faithful witnesses (27:62–66).
Both outlines do justice to Matthew.
Response
The comment section already mentioned the responses Matthew elicits. The central truth is that Jesus’ crucifixion, far from discrediting Jesus, demonstrates that he is Messiah and Son of David. Even as the reader anticipates the resurrection narrative, Matthew establishes that the story is true. The women go to the right tomb. More importantly, no human power can resist God, as Matthew soon reveals.
The diverse reactions to the crucifixion read like prototypes of the ways people have reacted to Jesus across the years. The centurion shows that the crucifixion leads men to see the deity of Christ. Further, the change in the soldiers demonstrates that repentance and faith are possible for anyone. The women manifest the beauty of faithfulness, and Joseph of Arimathea, unlike Pilate, shows that the rich and powerful can and should risk that wealth and power for Jesus. By contrast, Pilate, the priests, and the Pharisees illustrate the ways in which cynicism, love of power, and misguided self-assurance move people to act in the interest of self-preservation and to prevent repentance and faith.