The Burial of Jesus Part 1

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The Burial of Jesus Part 1

Matthew 27:57-66

April 14, 2024 • Richard Caldwell Jr. • Matthew 27:57–66

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Introduction:

“God spoke to me,” “I thought I heard God saying to me,” — you often hear people talk like that.

But how does God speak to people (characteristically) and how does He speak to us in our day?

The Bible tells us that He has spoken at many different times and in many different ways, but that His preeminent communication of truth has come in His Son.

ESV Hebrews 1:1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

WHERE DO YOU FIND THAT MESSAGE? WHERE DO YOU FIND THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST?

WE FIND THAT MESSAGE — THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST — IN SCRIPTURE.

This is how God has preserved it, and chosen to communicate it, for the rest of time.

The desire that many professing Christians have for communication from God that comes from outside the Scriptures, reveals a very real ignorance OF the Scriptures.

Why do I say this? Because even when the Son of God was on the earth, He constantly pointed people to the Scriptures to understand who He was.

And when THE FATHER testified to His Son at the cross, He did so, by providence and by supernatural activity, in WAYS THAT FULFILLED THE SCRIPTURES.

The testimony of Christ pointed to the Scriptures.

The testimony of His Father pointed to the Scriptures.

The Holy Spirit of God is the AUTHOR OF THE SCRIPTURES.

ESV 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

ESV Acts 1:16 "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.

Even before the closing of the canon, new revelation was authenticated by its relationship to previous revelation.

GOD HAS NEVER HAD A COMMUNICATION PROBLEM.

GOD’S ONLY LIMITATIONS, WHEN IT COMES TO THE MEANS BY WHICH HE CHOOSES TO COMMUNICATE, ARE SELF-IMPOSED. HE COULD COMMUNICATE ANY WAY HE WANTS.

So that, we must ask why God bothered giving the Scriptures? It is because this is how He has chosen to speak to us.

THIS ANSWERS QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT GOD HAS SAID IN THE SCRIPTURES ABOUT THE SCRIPTURES.

Why has God ascribed such honor to the Scriptures?

ESV Psalm 138:1 Of David. I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; 2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word

ESV Isaiah 42:21 The LORD was pleased, for his righteousness' sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious.

Why does He emphasize the TREASURED NATURE of the Scriptures?

ESV Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.

Why does He emphasize the SUFFICIENCY of the Scriptures?

ESV Luke 16:24 And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.' 25 But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.' 27 And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house-- 28 for I have five brothers-- so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.' 29 But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' 30 And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31 He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'"

Why does He commend our SANCTIFICATION to the Scriptures?

ESV John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

IT IS BECAUSE GOD HAS CHOSEN TO SPEAK TO US THROUGH THE SCRIPTURES.

I bring this up because we see this once more as we come to the burial of Jesus.

We saw this at the cross. God working through providence, and God working through miracles, but everything related back to the Word of God.

Now we see the same when we come to the burial and resurrection of Jesus. We will see God working in amazing ways through providence, and we will see miracles on display in His resurrection, and through it all, God’s Word is being fulfilled.

In the case of Christ’s burial, God’s providence is especially on display again.

But there is something else on display in the burial of Christ. There is a clear contrast between the disciples of Christ and the enemies of Christ.

I. THE PEOPLE OF GOD AND THE BURIAL OF CHRIST (vs.57-60)

In the Jewish accounting of time, each day ended and began at sundown. The new day would begin AFTER THE EVENING. The evening time continued until about 6:00 pm around that time of year.

Jesus died at 3:00 pm, and something had to be done with His body.

It was unlawful to leave a corpse on a tree overnight.

ESV Deuteronomy 21:22 "And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance.

That was true on ANY day, but it would have especially been concerning on THAT day, because the Sabbath was approach. And it wasn’t just any Sabbath, it was also the Passover. That meant it was a “high day.”

You’ll remember that this is why the Jews asked for the legs of the victims, including Jesus, to be broken — to hasten their deaths.

NOTE: THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF THE JEWS PUT THEIR HYPOCRISY ON DISPLAY ONCE AGAIN, BECAUSE THEY HAD NO CONCERN ABOUT DISOBEYING THE WORD OF GOD IN THE WAY THAT THEY SOUGHT THE DEATH OF CHRIST. BUT NOW THEY ARE SUDDENLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE WORD OF GOD WHEN IT COMES TO THE SABBATH.

This is the leaven that Jesus warned about. The leaven of hypocrisy.

It is a soul condemning blindness. You do not see because you are unwilling to see. You are selective in what concerns you — not out of concern for God but based on what serves your purposes.

Well, these men were hypocrites. And they prove it yet again.

ESV John 19:31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness-- his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth-- that you also may believe. 36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken." 37 And again another Scripture says, "They will look on him whom they have pierced." 38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body.

John pointed out that this fulfilled Scripture.

Our Lord’s supernatural death, and the things that took place with those victims, fulfilled the Word of God.

But now something had to be done with Christ’s body.

The bodies of criminals were not usually treated with dignity. The WAY they died was meant to be a deterrent. The way their body was disposed of was sometimes also used as a deterrent.

John MacArthur — “The body of a victim normally would be given only to a family member. Often, however, even that humane consideration was not permitted, because public desecration of the body by throwing it into an open grave or onto a garbage heap was sometimes used as an additional warning about the serious consequences of opposing Rome.”[1]

Craig Blomberg — “… a rich man named Joseph boldly approaches the Roman governor to ask for permission to give Jesus’ body a more decent burial than executed criminals would otherwise have received (vv. 57-58).” [2]

So, it seems clear that there were no prior plans made for the burial of Jesus. All His disciples have fled. There is no one attempting to claim His body.

When STEPPING FORWARD IS A MAN NEVER SPOKEN OF OUTSIDE THIS CONTEXT.

Joseph of Arimathea.

A. A MAN WHO CARED FOR JESUS (vs.57-59)

Who was this man?

1. WHO HE WAS

Matthew tells us a few things about him.

a. HE WAS RICH

He was a wealthy man. Keep that in mind (because we will see in a moment), that his wealth will prove to have biblical significance.

b. HE WAS A JUDEAN

Matthew tells us that he was from Arimathea. No one is certain of exactly where that was, but most scholars believe it was just north of Jerusalem. That would mean that Joseph was not a Galilean. There are other clear indicators that he was from Judea.

He was a member of the Sanhedrin.

ESV Mark 15:43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

His tomb, which we will learn in a moment was the burial place for Jesus, was right there in Jerusalem, and near the place of crucifixion.

ESV John 19:41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

Joseph’s wealth allowed him to own a tomb like that.

c. HE WAS INFLUENTIAL

We will talk more about this in a moment, but even without accessing the other gospel accounts we can see that he was an influential man because he somehow has access to Pilate, the Roman governor.

d. HE WAS A DISCIPLE OF JESUS

But Matthew tells us something else, very important.

HE HAD BECOME A DISCIPLE OF JESUS.

[1]John MacArthur, Matthew 24–28, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1989), 295.

[2]Craig L. Blomberg, Matthew, ed. E. Ray Clendenen and David S. Dockery, vol. 22 of The New American Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 423.

The Living Christ & A Long-Term Plan

April 21, 2024 • Richard Caldwell Jr. • Matthew 28:16–20

The Bible is inspired. Matthew wrote exactly what God ordained for him to write. But if you understand inspiration correctly, then you know that his mind and his desires were at work in what he wrote. And so, I ask myself, “If you are Matthew, how do you end an account of the life of Jesus?” You are an eyewitness of many of the things you write about. You present the eyewitness accounts of others. You are presenting Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God, as the Israel’s King, as the Savior for the world — how do you end your account of His life and work and promises? Matthew ends this account in a very short space. It almost feels abrupt. But he has made his case, and as he ends, he chooses to do so in a way that explains where we are at the present time. This is where Matthew’s emphasis is when he finishes. HE TELLS US WHY WE ARE WHERE WE ARE — WHY WE ARE ABOUT WHAT WE ARE ABOUT. HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THE DISCIPLES HAVE DONE AND ARE DOING SINCE CHRIST’S DEATH AND RESURRECTION? HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THE FAITH OF THESE MEN WHO WOULD GO ON TO GIVE THEIR LIVES FOR THE TRUTHS THAT MATTHEW RECORDS? HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THE CHURCH IS TO BE ABOUT FOR THE REST OF ITS EXISTENCE — UNTIL JESUS RETURNS. The answer is that our Lord’s meeting with His men, following His resurrection, SET THAT COURSE. Matthew ends by giving us the living Christ’s long-term plan for His disciples. It is a vital thing that we remember that genuine Christianity is not inventive, it is submissive. It is vital that we are always clear about the fact that any valid philosophy of ministry has not be created individually, out of the mind of man, but simply reflects the reception of revelation — that is, we have heard and believed what God has set forth in His word, and we are striving to obey it. SUBMISSION TO WHAT GOD HAS REVEALED EXPLAINS MINISTRY THAT PLEASES GOD AND IS POWERFULLY USED BY GOD. And all that goes back as far as the charge that Jesus gave to His disciples when He gathered them together in Galilee after His resurrection. We finish our journey in Matthew this morning by looking at Matthew’s close under two main headings. I. THE MEETING WITH JESUS (vs.16-17) Our Lord had sent news through the women — by the angel and from Himself personally — that His disciples were to meet Him in Galilee. The disciples obeyed. They made their way to Galilee and to a mountain which Jesus had designated. Matthew describes them as the eleven. He reminds us that Jesus chose these men for a special task. There were many followers of Jesus, many disciples of Jesus, but the eleven are now in a special class. They are the Lord’s apostles. It also reminds us that they are no longer “the twelve” because Judas had his good things, and threw his privileged place away for a lie. Matthew begins verse 16 with a mild adversative (de or but) and reminds us that this is the best answer to the lies of the council. THEY SAID HE IS STILL DEAD AND THAT HIS DISCIPLES STOLE HIS BODY, BUT HIS DISCIPLES MADE THEIR WAY TO GALILEE AND MET WITH HIM. The Lord is very much alive. The Lord’s choice to meet them in Galilee is instructive also. D.A. Carson — “Associating the Great Commission (vv. 18–20) with Galilee not only has nuances with Jesus’ humble background and the theme of Gentile mission (see comments at v. 10) but “ensures that the risen Christ and his teaching are not thought of as a substitute for, but as continuous with, Jesus’ ministry and teaching in Galilee” (Hill).#_ftn1 The one whom they meet with, and will spend their lives proclaiming, is the very same one they have been following throughout Galilee, and He does not need Jerusalem’s approval to save His sheep all over the world. I mentioned last week that I fear we become so accustomed to what we read in Scripture that sometimes we become insensitive to the wonder of it. We are so familiar with it that we don’t recognize how SHOCKING it would have been to the people who lived through these events — how shocking it would be to us right now! We have read about the resurrection. We have read about Jesus calling people, like Lazarus, out from death. BUT WE HAVE NEVER SEEN THAT, and we underestimate how DIFFICULT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WITHOUT WHAT WE ARE NOW PRIVILEGED TO HOLD IN OUR HANDS (the Bible). These people didn’t have the gospel accounts, they LIVED what became the gospel accounts. SO THAT MATTHEW HONESTLY COMMUNICATES THE FACT THAT THERE WAS SOME INITIAL DOUBT AMONG THE APOSTLES. MATTHEW TELLS US THREE THINGS. A. THOSE DISCIPLES SAW JESUS What Matthew doesn’t tell us is that the disciples would see Jesus on other occasions. He limits himself to this occasion but makes the point that the idea of Christ resurrected is not “a story that gained traction.” They don’t believe in a resurrection because a body went missing, and the story given to explain it was naively believed. NO, IN CONTRAST TO THAT, THESE MEN WERE EYEWITNESSES OF THE RISEN CHRIST. They saw Jesus alive. B. THOSE DISCIPLES WORSHIPPED JESUS The disciples bow before the Lord Jesus. What Matthew indicates by this is that they not only see Jesus, but they also BELIEVE WHAT THEY ARE SEEING. They worship their Master. C. SOME OF THOSE DISCIPLES STRUGGLED TO BELIEVE IT WAS REAL But then he says, “but some doubted.” The word διστάζω does not indicate settled unbelief. Rather it speaks of hesitation. SEVERAL QUESTIONS EMERGE FROM THIS. #_ftnref1 D. A. Carson, https://ref.ly/logosres/ebcrev09?ref=bible.mt28.16&off=637&ctx=in+26%3a32%3b+28%3a7%2c+10.+~associating+the+grea in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew–Mark (Revised Edition), ed. Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland, vol. 9 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 663.

Enemies of The Resurrected Christ

April 21, 2024 • Richard Caldwell Jr. • Matthew 28:1–10

Introduction: Matthew tells us of two disciples, two women, who met with the wonder of the resurrection through an encounter with an angel and then met with the resurrected Christ Himself. These women were characterized by devotion, amazement, worship, joy, and an immediate desire to obey the instruction they were given and to report the good news to the Lord’s disciples. But, as we have seen with the crucifixion of Jesus, and the burial of Jesus, we now meet with response of Christ’s enemies to the resurrection of Jesus. What do we see in the enemies of Christ as they respond to the reality that He has been raised from the dead? Tonight, we see four characteristics of these enemies of Christ as they respond to His resurrection. I. UNWILLING RECIPIENTS OF MERCY (vs.11) After all the ways that the chief priests, along with the other religious leaders of the Jews, had sinned — blasphemy, lying, manipulation, mockery, cruelty, MURDER — they are now receiving a report. The guards who had been charged with securing the tomb, now made their way to the chief priests to tell them about everything that had happened. These men now knew, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that everything Jesus promised about His death and resurrection was true. REMEMBER, they claimed that if Jesus was delivered from death, they would believe in Him. ESV Matthew 27:42 "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" Yes, they were talking about Him coming down from the cross, but what they heard about now was even greater. HE WAS DELIVERED BY GOD AFTER DYING. THEY ALSO MADE CLEAR THAT THEY KNEW THAT JESUS CLAIMED THAT THIS WOULD HAPPEN. They called that DECEPTION. They said that He was a deceiver. ESV Matthew 27:63 and said, "Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise.' 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last fraud will be worse than the first." WELL, NOW THEY KNEW THAT HE WASN’T A DECEIVER. THEY RECEIVED NEWS FROM THE GUARDS: They heard about the earthquake. They heard about the angel and his dazzling appearance. They heard about the empty tomb. IT WAS A TREMENDOUS MERCY THAT THESE RELIGIOUS LEADERS WERE STILL ALIVE TO HEAR ABOUT THESE THINGS. God could have justly struck them dead for what they had done with His Son. But here they are given another opportunity. Here was their opportunity for repentance. Here was their opportunity to fall on their faces and admit their sinful foolishness and their need for forgiveness, and the truth — Jesus is the Messiah. II. BRAZEN OPPONENTS OF THE TRUTH (vs.12-13) What do they do instead? They prove themselves to be BRAZEN. Bold, without shame, when they should have been full of shame. The chief priests gather with the elders, and they decide to SPREAD A LIE. NOTE: THIS RESPONSE PROVES THAT IT WAS NEVER REALLY ABOUT EVIDENCE. This is one of the most amazing things the world has ever seen. A man is questioned about signs that would prove He is the Messiah. He answers that the sign will be His resurrection. They take steps to kill Him. He is then raised from the dead. You hear this from eyewitnesses who are not motivated to lie about this. YET YOU DON’T STOP YOUR OPPOSITION? IT PROVES THAT WHAT THE JEWISH LEADERS DID, THEY DID DESPITE EVIDENCE, NOT FOR LACK OF IT. This has never changed. People claim that they don’t believe because they don’t have enough evidence when the evidence that they have is already overwhelming to any honest mind. NOTE: NEVER THINK THAT PEOPLE ENTER THE KINGDOM BY INTELLECTUAL PERSUASION. THEY ENTER THE KINGDOM WHEN THEY ARE BORN AGAIN. What you see in these religious leaders is the fruit of their sinful natures. This is SINFUL UNBELIEF. This is STUBBORN UNBELIEF. This is DISHONEST, WILLFUL, UNBELIEF. And so, they choose to construct a lie and convince the guards to disseminate their lie. HOW DO THEY INCENTIVIZE THESE GUARDS TO SPREAD THEIR LIE? MONEY. AND IT WAS NO SMALL SUM OF MONEY. Whatever it took to get the guards to do it, they paid them. NOTE, ONCE AGAIN, THE INCREDIBLE BLINDNESS THAT SIN PRODUCES. WHAT AMOUNT OF MONEY IS WORTH YOUR SOUL? YOU JUST WITNESSED AN ANGEL. WHAT AMOUNT OF MONEY COULD EVER WORTH DENYING WHAT YOU JUST SAW? But mankind, in the blindness of his sin is willing to throw away FOREVER in order to have riches RIGHT NOW. THE LIE WAS LUDICROUS. “The guards are asleep, and the disciples came and stole him away.” “YOU MEAN THEY QUIETLY ROLLED THAT STONE AWAY FROM THE ENTRANCE OF THE TOMB?” “YOU MEAN YOU SLEPT THROUGH IT ALL?” THE LIE, FROM THEIR VANTAGEPOINT, ONLY HAD TO BE CONVINCING TO THE PEOPLE FOR WHOM IT MATTERED.

Christ Disciples & His Resurrection

April 21, 2024 • Richard Caldwell Jr. • Matthew 28:1–10

Introduction: God is giving testimony to His Son. He does so at the cross. He does so at His burial. He does so through the means of providence. He does so through the means of miracles. In every case He is fulfilling His Word. His testimony to His Son a testimony of fulfilled Scripture. In each case, we are presented with two responses. We are told how the disciples of Jesus are responding, and we are told how the enemies of Jesus are responding. Now we arrive at the greatest sign of all. Was Jesus of Nazareth the Son of God? Was Jesus the King of Israel? Was Jesus the Savior, the Lamb of God who takes away sins? IS THERE A WAY FOR ALL OF OUR SINS TO BE FORGIVEN? IS THERE A WAY FOR US TO BE RECONCILED TO OUR CREATOR? IS THERE A WAY TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE — TO LIVE WITH SALVATION’S LIFE FOREVER? GOD’S ANSWER IS YES, AND THE PREEMINENT WAY THAT HE SAYS “YES” IS BY RAISING HIS SON FROM THE DEAD. You will remember that Jesus made reference to the prophet Jonah in the belly of the fish, and compared that to His resurrection, and HE CALLED IT A SIGN. The sign of the prophet Jonah. ESV Matthew 12:39 But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Today we look at THAT SIGN — the resurrection of Jesus — and as we do, we will once again see two responses. This morning, we look at the response of disciples; tonight, we will look at the response of His enemies. We look at verses 1-10 under three headings. I. HEAVENLY WONDERS WITH GREAT FEAR (vs.1-4) The Sabbath day was over. The first day of the week (Sunday), which began with sundown the previous day, had reached the time when the sun dawns. Matthew tells us about two women. Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph (27:56). John tells us that these two women came when it was still dark (20:1). Mark (16:1-8) and Luke (24) told us the sun was just coming up. Morning is breaking and a new day is dawning in every sense of the word. These two women were not alone. Mark tells us that Salome was with them, Luke mentions Joanna, and other women (Luke 24:10), but Matthew focuses on these two Mary’s. Why were they coming? They were bringing spices to anoint the body of Jesus (Mark 16:1). WHY? WHEN NICODEMUS BROUGHT SPICES FOR CHRIST’S BURIAL? Perhaps these two women had watched that preparation and recognized that it was rushed, due to time, and wanted to do it more carefully. Or, maybe they simply wanted to demonstrate their own love for Jesus, honoring Him this way as well. BUT WHEN THEY ARRIVE AT THE TOMB, IT IS NOT AS THEY EXPECTED. Now, let me say that when you look at the four gospel accounts and the details concerning what these women met with at the tomb, it can be a bit confusing. And EVERYONE trying to put a timeline together of the events, can put one together that makes sense of the differences, but NO ONE can know for certain if they have reconstructed things exactly. You have four different accounts, reflecting eyewitness testimony, that you can be sure is inerrant (it is God’s Word), but differing due to the differing roles and circumstances of the people involved. So, instead of doing a harmony of these events, I simply want to focus on what Matthew emphasized in his account. A. BEFORE THE WOMEN ARRIVED