What does Luke 23:55 mean?
Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for Jesus' body. After confirming Jesus is dead, Pilate consents (Mark 15:42–45). Joseph meets up with Nicodemus who brings about seventy-five pounds of aloe and myrrh—aromatics used to mask the smell of decaying bodies. They wrap Jesus in linen cloths, tucking the spices in the layers (John 19:39–40). They work quickly. At sundown, the Sabbath begins. They need to make sure their own families have what they need for the coming day of rest.Several women from Galilee who follow and support Jesus have stayed near during His crucifixion. His mother, Mary; Salome, Mary's sister and Zebedee's wife; Mary the wife of Clopas; and Mary Magdalene stood beneath the cross (John 19:25). Later, it seems, Jesus' mother left, but the others just moved off to keep watch from a distance (Matthew 27:55–56; Mark 15:40–41).
Mary Magdalene and Mary the wife of Clopas and mother of James and Joseph follow Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (Matthew 27:61; Mark 15:40; John 19:25). They watch the men wrap Jesus, lay His body in the tomb, and roll a large stone over the entrance (Luke 23:53; Matthew 27:60; Mark 15:46; John 19:39–42).
After the men leave, the women return to where they are staying. Instead of spending the last moments before sundown setting up for the Sabbath, they gather spices and ointments to further anoint Jesus' dead body (Luke 23:56; Mark 16:1). The preparations the men gave Jesus were honorable, but the women want to do more. They just need to figure out how to roll that stone back (Luke 23:56; Mark 16:1–3).