Matthew 27:57-66
The Burial of Jesus
57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
The Guards at the Tomb on the Next Day
62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”
65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.
On the very first Holy Saturday was a Sabbath and there would be a natural focus on the death of Jesus on the previous day...His death and burial would be grieved and mourned, especially by His Disciples and His followers...The primary focus of the Gospels is the events that lead up to Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter Sunday...Holy Saturday, the day after Good Friday, is the Jewish Sabbath...The Jewish Sabbath is on a Saturday, and it is a day of rest according to Jewish law, the disciples and other followers of Jesus would likely have observed this tradition, while mourning their Master's death...
What we can learn from the Gospels about the First Holy Saturday is that in the Gospel of Matthew, the chief priests and Pharisees approached Pilate to request a guard be placed at Jesus' tomb, fearing the disciples might steal the body...This suggests some activity and lingering anxieties on the part of these religious authorities...There also is a brief mention that the women who had followed Jesus watched as His body was taken down from the cross and was prepared for burial...The women then prepared spices and ointments to anoint Jesus' body after the Sabbath (Saturday) was over...It is written that the women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph of Arimathea and saw the tomb and how His body was laid in it...Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes...But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment...
In early Christian tradition, we now that Holy Saturday, also known as the Easter Vigil, marks a time of waiting, reflection, and anticipation...Christians remember Jesus' time in the tomb and prepare for the celebration of His resurrection on Easter Sunday, as according to the Gospels...
While the Gospels offer minimal details about the first Holy Saturday, it's understood as a day of rest and reflection of following Jesus' crucifixion...The focus within Christianity has shifted to the significance of this sad and grieving waiting period to the anticipation of the joyous celebration of Easter Sunday...He has Risen as our Savior and is now with our Father in Heaven...