Luke 23:54Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

An old tradition holds that the Jews buried the cross of Jesus in an unknown location, later uncovered through the diligence of Helen, the mother of Constantine the Great. With the approach of the Sabbath evening, Jesus' friends promptly took His sinless body down from the cross and began preparing for the burial, balancing urgency with respect and care for the one they laid to rest. Firstly, a suitable burial site needed to be located. Joseph owned a garden near Golgotha, which, like much of the area, featured stone cliffs. Jewish custom dictated that a burial cave be hewn from one of these cliffs, and since no one had yet been interred there, Joseph likely intended it for himself and his kin (John 19:41). Although the site was not particularly pleasant due to proximity to Golgotha, it was advantageous for Joseph and Jesus' companions, allowing them to inter the Divine Body swiftly and visit the tomb to grieve without obstruction. Hence, the Lord's pure body was taken to Joseph's garden. Divine providence revealed its careful oversight in this matter. Had the cave been the final resting place for others, Jesus’ enemies could have claimed that He had not risen, or that His resurrection was not by His own power but by touching the remains of a righteous person, as had occurred in the reigns of the Israelite kings. Despite the absurdity of such fabrications, they could still mislead the naive.

Funeral arrangements commenced without delay. The Jewish people regarded burial as a significant obligation, even viewing it as an act of virtue (Tob. 1:20). They valued burial adornments, such as precious fragrances. Thus, the interment of Jesus Christ, carried out by two notable and wealthy men who sought to restore His honor, was as splendid as circumstances allowed. Joseph provided burial cloths of the finest quality, typically sourced from Egypt, renowned for these materials. Nicodemus contributed a significant quantity of aromatic substances suitable even for a high priest's burial. This mixture included myrrh (a fragrant resin from a tree native to Arabia) and aloes (a fragrant plant, with the more prized varieties coming from India but some also found in Palestine); both were used in burials, sometimes as powders and sometimes as mastic. Although the Evangelist does not provide an exact measurement of the perfumes (around one hundred liters), it suggests a substantial supply was brought. Some of these fragrances likely adorned the tomb, while others were likely burnt at the conclusion of the burial, as part of Jewish funeral customs. Once preparations were finalized, the Lord’s body was customarily washed with pure water (John 19:40), sprinkled with incense, and then wrapped in a broad, quadrangular cloth. A narrow cloth covered His head and face (sudarium), and both wrappings were secured with ties. Thus, Jesus Christ was laid in the tomb in a manner reminiscent of how He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:44). However, unlike Lazarus, who still faced decay despite the fragrances, Jesus, the Source of incorruption, demonstrated that these aromas were merely indicative of the limitations in the faith of His followers. Though they honored Him, as Saint Chrysostom noted, they did not comprehend that they were laying to rest the Lord of life and death. Due to time constraints, not all customary burial rites could be observed; they hoped to compensate for this after the Sabbath when the Old Covenant's laws would no longer impede their devotion to the New Covenant Lawgiver. The entrance to the cave where Jesus' body lay was sealed with a large stone (Matthew 27:60-61), a measure necessary in Judea amid the presence of predatory animals and birds, yet unnecessary for Him who remained the sovereign of heaven and earth even in death.

The close location of Joseph's burial site to Golgotha was beneficial for the friends of Jesus, as the approaching Sabbath required the faithful Israelites to hasten with the burial. The cave was situated just 108 paces from the location of the Saviour's crucifixion.

However, if no such men were available, the soldiers would have swiftly carried the bodies to a nearby tomb and left them to be scavenged by wild animals. Yet, concerning the one who perished on the cross beside the wrongdoers, divine Providence ordained that he would be laid to rest with the wealthy, as prophesied in Isaiah 53:9. Joseph of Arimathea, presumably among those who had been present with the Lord Jesus Christ at a distance from the cross on Golgotha, was a man of means and a notable member of the Sanhedrin, secretly following the Lord, as noted in John 19:38. Unable to stop the unlawful actions of that fateful night, Joseph's sole course of action was to refrain from participating in this ungodly ‘council and business,’ as mentioned in Luke 23:51.