Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary - The mother of James and Joses, Matthew 27:56. The mother of our Lord had probably, by this time, been taken home to the house of John. See John 19:26, John 19:27.

Sitting over against the sepulchre - These holy women, filled with that love to their Lord which death cannot destroy, cleaved to him in life, and in death were not divided. They came to the grave to see the end, and overwhelmed with sorrow and anguish, sat down to mourn.

And there was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary,.... The wife of Cleophas, and the mother of James and of Joses:

sitting over against the sepulchre; observing where the body of Christ was put, and how it was laid; for they intended to prepare spices and ointments to anoint it with; and were mourning for the death of Christ: for sitting was a mourning posture, which now they were allowed, the body being taken down from the cross, and interred by leave of the governor; for, for one that died as a malefactor, they might not use the outward signs of mourning: the canon is this (w); for such

"they do not mourn, but they grieve; and there is no grieving but in the heart:

hence these women before stood, John 19:25, but now they sat,

(w) Misn. Sarhedrin, c. 6. sect. 4.

And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.

27:61 The other Mary. The mother of James and Joses (Mr 15:47). These women saw where he was laid and returned there after the Sabbath with spices.

Margin other Mary

Supposed to be Mary the mother of James and Joses.

61. And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary-"the mother of James and Joses," mentioned before (Mt 27:56).

sitting over against the sepulchre-(See on [1383]Mr 16:1).

The Sepulchre Guarded (Mt 27:62-66).

27:57-61 In the burial of Christ was nothing of pomp or solemnity. As Christ had not a house of his own, wherein to lay his head, while he lived, so he had not a grave of his own, wherein to lay his body, when he was dead. Our Lord Jesus, who had no sin of his own, had no grave of his own. The Jews designed that he should have made his grave with the wicked, should have been buried with the thieves with whom he was crucified, but God overruled it, so that he should make it with the rich in his death, Isa 53:9. And although to the eye of man the beholding a funeral may cause terror, yet if we remember how Christ by his burial has changed the nature of the grave to believers, it should make us rejoice. And we are ever to imitate Christ's burial in being continually occupied in the spiritual burial of our sins.