Matthew 27:55 says, And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:   Many of the woman who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were still there, though not close.  We are not told how they ministered to Jesus really, but we are told that they did.  Not everything done for Jesus will be noted by the world.  Verse fifty-six states,  Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.  We are told who some of the women were.  Mary Magdalene, who had been forgiven for so much was there, as was Mary the mother of Jesus, who had been told that He would be the Messiah.  The mother of James and John was also mentioned.  She had high expectations for her sons in the kingdom of Christ.  Though we cannot say for sure how much faith they had left, they had not totally abandoned Jesus.  Even if circumstances in our life seem to be more than we can bear, we can never abandon our faith in Jesus, and we need to get closer to Him and not farther away.  Verse fifty-seven states, When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple:  Among other things, this proves that it is not impossible for a rich man to follow Jesus.  This rich man, Joseph of Arimathaea, was a follower of Jesus.  Verse fifty-eight says, He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.  This man, Joseph, went to Pilate and begged for the body of Jesus.   We are not told where the closest disciples of Jesus were, but not everyone let the fear of being identified as a follower of Jesus keep them from going to the authorities about Him.  We cannot allow anyone or anything to keep us from identifying ourselves as followers of Jesus.  Pilate delivered the body to Joseph.  Verse fifty-nine says, And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,  Joseph wrapped the body in a clean linen cloth.  He may have felt that this would be his last act of service to Jesus, but whatever he was feeling, he still acted in the best interest of Jesus, and so must we also.  Verse sixty states, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.  The body of Jesus was placed in a new tomb and a a great stone was rolled in front of the door.  This would have seemed to be the end of Jesus, but we know that it was only a brief pause in His ministry.  Of course, from then on, the ministry of Jesus has been totally spiritual.  Verse sixty-one says,  And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.  The two Marys were there by the tomb.  We are not told where the mother of James and John was, but the two Marys were still there.  Verse sixty-two states, Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,  The next day, the religious leaders came to Pilate, not to show support for Jesus, but to attempt to make sure that He would not escape the grave.  They would not be successful.  Verse sixty-three says, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.  They told Pilate that they remembered Jesus' statement that He would rise again in three days.  Though they had Jesus crucified for His declaration being a lie, they hoped to make sure it didn't happen.  People who refuse to believe the gospel of Christ will always do everything possible to disprove it, even if it is only in their own rationale.  Verse sixty-four says, Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.  The religious leaders asked Pilate to secure the tomb so that the body of Jesus could not be stolen.  They said that if the body of Jesus disappeared, this would be an even greater problem than Jesus claiming He was the Son of God, so they wanted the tomb guarded.  There is no way that people will ever be able to seal in the truth of God.  All the religious, and government, officials really did was insure that the only way Jesus could escape the tomb was by the power of God.  Verse sixty-five declares, Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.  Pilate told them to go and watch and make the tomb as secure as they could.  Verse sixty-six then states, So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.  The stone covering the tomb was sealed and the guards were set to watch it.  The religious leaders had Jesus killed and now they had His body sealed in the tomb and guarded.  They likely felt that they were victorious, but they would soon see how wrong they were.  Anyone who feels victorious over the gospel of Christ today will one day see how wrong they are, if not in this world, then in the coming one when Christ returns.