interpretation of Mark's statement. Matthew drops any mention of Joseph's being part of the ruling Sanhedrin, thus also avoiding the issues the other gospel writers have with reports that the Sanhedrin universally condemned Jesus. No information is given on how Joseph became a disciple. The identity of Arimathea is no longer known, but Joseph's ownership of a tomb makes clear he is from the Jerusalem area. unambiguously states that Arimathea was a "city in Judea." Matthew, as well as Mark and Luke, make no mention of Jesus preaching outside of Galilee before this final week, and imply that this was Jesus' first attempt to minister in Jerusalem. To France this is evidence for the synoptics having a simplified narrative of Jesus' ministry. The Gospel of John does mention an earlier trip to the south, that could explain converts in this region. Davies and Allison mention that being buried by a disciple may be a link to John the Baptist, who was also buried by his disciples at Matthew 14:12. Matthew is the only gospel writer to describe Joseph as a "rich man" a depiction that has become central to Joseph's depictions in later art and culture. Owning such a tomb outside of the city would have been a luxury item in this era, and Harrington speculates that the author of Matthew extrapolates Joseph's wealth from that fact. Considering the many Old Testament references in Matthew, the mention of wealth could also be a reference to Isaiah 53:9, which describes the messiah's grave as being "with a rich man." Davies and Allison not that Isaiah also mentions that "they made his grave with the wicked," which is not connected to Matthew's narrative. This reduces the chance that this verse is a reference to Isaiah, though Matthew's Old Testament references are often very loose. Gundry notes that modern scholars today doubt that "rich man" was in the original version of Isaiah 53:9, but it would have been in the version the author of Matthew was using so that does not affect this verse. France also notes that the mention of Joseph's wealth can serve to counter the strong condemnation of the wealthy in Matthew 19. References 27:57 27:57