"Those persons who feel grief [over their sins] are blessed because they will receive comfort [from God when they repent].

Then the sign [i.e., signifying the coming] of the Son of man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will be stricken with grief as they see the Son of man coming in the clouds of the sky [See Acts 1:9-11] with power and great splendor.

and placed it in his own newly prepared grave, which he had cut out of [a ledge of] rock. Then he [had] a huge stone rolled across the entrance of the grave and went away.

Mary from Magdala and the other Mary [i.e., probably Jesus' mother. See verse 56], stood near the grave site.

Therefore, give the order to secure the grave site until the third day, so his disciples will not steal his body and then tell the people 'He has risen from the dead.' This last deception would be worse than the first one [i.e., the claim that Jesus rose from the dead would be worse than the claim that he was the Messiah]."

Pilate said to them, "Take [a group of] guards [with you]; go and make the grave site as secure as you can."

So, they went and secured the grave site, placing a [wax] seal on the stone, while the guards watched.

Now as the Sabbath day ended and the first day of the week [i.e., Sunday] approached [Note: See Mark 16:1-2 for the exact timing], Mary from Magdala and the other Mary [i.e., Jesus' mother. See Matt. 27:56] went to look at the grave site.

So, they left the grave site quickly, with fear and great joy, and ran to give the message to His disciples.

And when John's disciples heard [what had happened] they took his body and buried it in a grave.

And He went on ahead a short distance and fell to the ground and prayed for that hour [i.e., that time of terrible grief] to pass away from Him, if it were at all possible.

[Joseph then] brought a linen cloth, and after taking Jesus down from the cross, wrapped the linen cloth around His body and placed it in a grave site that had been cut out of [a ledge of] rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the cave.

And very early on the first day of the week, after sunrise [i.e., on Sunday morning], they went to the grave site.

"It is too bad for you! For you people are like obscure grave sites that people walk over without knowing it."

"It is too bad for you! For your forefathers killed the prophets and you build grave monuments to them [i.e., the prophets].

So, [by doing this] you are witnesses [against yourselves] that you approve of the deeds of your forefathers, for they killed the prophets and you build grave monuments to them.

And when He got up from praying He went to His disciples and found them asleep, exhausted from grief.

A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including some women who wailed [in grief] and mourned over His plight.

[Upon receiving permission] he took it down [from the cross] and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and placed it in a grave site, cut out of [a ledge of] rock, where no one had ever been buried.

The women who had accompanied Jesus from Galilee followed behind [those carrying the body] and saw where the grave site was and how His body was placed in it.

Now at early dawn on the first day of the week [i.e., early Sunday morning], the women [See Mark 16:1] went to Jesus' grave site, taking the spices which they had prepared [for His burial].

But they found the stone [had already been] rolled away from the [opening of the] grave site.

When they returned from the grave site, they told all this to the eleven apostles and to all the rest [of the disciples].

But Peter got up and ran to the grave site. He stooped down [i.e., because of the low opening in the cave-like tomb], looked in and saw the linen cloths [lying there] by themselves. Then he went home, puzzled over what had happened.}}

However, certain women of our group, who went to the grave site early [Sunday morning] amazed us.

Then some of our companions [i.e., Peter and John. See John 20:2-9] went to the grave site and found things just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus [either]."

So, when Jesus arrived, He found out that Lazarus had already been in his grave [i.e., a cave-like tomb] for four days.

So, when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went [out to the edge of town. See verse 30] to meet Him, but Mary [just] sat at home [i.e., probably grief-stricken].

When Martha's Jewish friends, who had been comforting her at her house, saw Mary getting up quickly and leaving, they followed her, thinking she was going to the grave site to mourn.

So, Jesus again felt distressed within Himself [as He] went to the grave site, which was a cave with a stone [slab] across its entrance.

The crowd of people that was with Jesus [and saw Him] when He called Lazarus out of the grave and raised him from the dead, gave testimony [about all this].

And now that I have told you these things, your hearts are full of grief.

So, you men also will experience grief [i.e., over my suffering and death], but I will see you again and your hearts will be glad. And no one will take away your joy.

Now there was an [olive] orchard at the place where Jesus was crucified. And in the orchard there was a new grave site [i.e., a cave-like tomb] where no one had ever been buried.

So, they placed Jesus' body there, for it was the Day of Preparation and that was the closest grave site. [Note: Since this was the day before the Passover Festival, and the next day was also the regular weekly Sabbath, they had to bury the body before sundown to comply with Jewish restrictions against working on a Sabbath day].

So, Peter and the other disciple left [hurriedly] and went to the grave site.

The two of them ran together, but the other disciple outran Peter and arrived at the grave site first.

Finally, the other disciple, who had arrived at the cave-like tomb first, went on into it. And [when] he saw [the grave clothes, but no body], he believed [in Jesus' resurrection].

Brothers, I would like to speak very plainly about the patriarch David [Note: A patriarch was the ruling father of the family]. He died and was buried and his grave can be seen today.

"And [do not ask yourself], 'Who will go down into the deep hole?'" (in order to bring Christ up from the dead). [Note: This "deep hole" probably refers to the unseen place of departed spirits, or possibly the grave. Being made right with God does not require something as difficult as bringing Christ down from heaven or up from the dead (which God had already done), but is within easy reach of everyone].

But if anyone has caused grief, he has not done it to me [only], but to nearly all of you [or, "only partially to all of you"] for I do not want to overstate the case.

So instead, you people should [now] forgive and comfort him, in order that such a person does not become overwhelmed with extreme grief.

(But what does "He ascended" mean if not that He also [first] descended to the lower parts of the earth [i.e., to the earth below]? [Note: Of the three principal interpretations given to this verse: a) Christ descended to earth, b) Christ descended to the grave, c) Christ descended to Mary's womb. The first is to be preferred. See John 3:13; 6:38, 62].

For, loving money is a source of all kinds of evil, [and] some people who crave it have been led astray from the faith, and have stabbed themselves [in the heart] with many sorrows.

For this is [real evidence of] our love for God: [It is] obeying what He commands us to do. And obeying His commands does not cause us any grief [or, unpleasantness].

Cause her as much torment and sorrow as she gave herself honor and luxurious living. For she is saying to herself, 'I sit as a queen; I am not a widow and I will never suffer grief.'

So, all at once her plagues [i.e., judgments] will fall upon her. [They will be] death and grief and famine. And she will be burned up with fire, for the Lord God who judges her, is mighty.