NOTES for Mar 15:40-47
In the hour of suffering, those who were usually not especially active and were not in view were nearby. These were the silent women who served Christ and the apostles from their possessions; this was Joseph of Arimathea, who had long hidden his discipleship but now cast caution aside. Joseph, who was not afraid to go to Pilate to ask for the Body of the Executed One, also had the chance that day to serve Jesus with his possessions: a piece of cloth and a tomb. First of all, however, all those who buried the Lord served Him with faithfulness and unexpected steadfastness.
At decisive moments, when questions of life and death stand starkly before us, faith is proved not by theories, and problematic arguments recede into the background. What becomes most important are simple deeds filled with quiet courage and wordless love.