Luke 23:55 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid.

NIV: The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it.

NASB: Now the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how His body was laid.

CSB: The women who had come with him from Galilee followed along and observed the tomb and how his body was placed.

NLT: As his body was taken away, the women from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where his body was placed.

KJV: And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.

NKJV: And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid.

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).

In Luke 23:50–56, Jesus has died and His follower from the Sanhedrin, Joseph of Arimathea, takes responsibility to bury His body. The women from Galilee follow and watch so they may add to the aromatics after the Sabbath. Mark 15:42–47 records much of the same information. Matthew 27:57–66 includes how the Sanhedrin asks Pilate to make Jesus' tomb secure. John 19:31–42 goes into more detail about how the soldiers ensure Jesus is dead and adds that Nicodemus helps Joseph. In Luke 24, Jesus rises from the dead and meets with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. At the end, He ascends into heaven.

Luke 23 records the remaining trials, death, and burial of Jesus Christ. He is examined by the Roman governor and the local appointed King, neither of whom are interested in passing a death sentence. Local religious leaders incite the crowd, pressuring the governor, Pilate, to authorize crucifixion. Jesus accepts the faith of another condemned man and dies. Joseph of Arimathea asks for Jesus body and buries it in a tomb cut from rock.

Luke 23 records Jesus' civil trials, crucifixion, and burial. The members of the Sanhedrin have put Jesus through three trials in their attempt to convince Pilate He's a threat (Luke 22:47–71). Their case is weak, but their political influence is powerful enough to force Pilate's hand. Jesus is executed. Three days after Joseph of Arimathea buries Jesus, Jesus reappears on the road to Emmaus where He explains Messianic prophecies in Jewish Scriptures. After spending time with His followers, Jesus ascends into heaven (Luke 24) and the disciples build the church (Acts).

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.