Joseph of Arimathea is courageous. He went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus (Mark 15:43). It was no small thing for Joseph to do this. By going to Pilate with his request, he is associating himself with a criminal and he is asking for something that was normally not allowed. Criminals don’t get decent burials; their bodies must rot in the sun for all to see. Joseph is also willing to do something that none of Jesus’ disciples is brave enough to do. It’s interesting that John’s disciples went to bury him when they heard he was killed by Herod (Mark 6:29), but Jesus is buried by someone who appears to be a stranger. Furthermore, Joseph’s reputation in Jerusalem is on the line as he does this. He was a member of the Sanhedrin, the council of elders and scribes who condemned Jesus to death for blasphemy. He’s very publicly showing by his actions that he is a follower of Jesus and more than happy to be counted as such.
The woman are fearful. The three women flee from the tomb, trembling and bewildered because they are afraid (Mark 16:8). That’s certainly a reaction you would expect from anyone. If you discovered that your friend had come back from the dead, that his promises were actually true, it would certainly make you think twice about who he is and whether or not it’s safe to be around him.
40 There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.