A Jewish man named Joseph

John 19:38-42

All four of the gospels give ink to a man named Joseph of Arimathea a Jewish town in Judea.  There is much we can learn about this man from Arimathea in those gospels: Matthew gives this account; “When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away”.

(Matthew 27:57-60 ESV)  First, we find that his action was done in the evening and that Joseph was a man of wealth, and a disciple of Jesus, and that he took Jesus’ body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, and after he had done this he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.  What Matthew does not tell us is did Joseph do this by himself?

We find more information in the gospel of Mark: this is what Mark had to say about Joseph; “And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 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. Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph.”

(Mark 15:42-45 ESV)  Mark gives one more piece of the puzzle about this Joseph of Arimathea, he is a respected member of the council and because of that he gets an audience with Pilate, who is shocked to find out that Jesus is already dead.  And before turning over the body of Jesus he verifies that Jesus is dead.

What can we learn from the gospel of Luke: Luke’s account is in agreement with the other two but we learn one more piece of the puzzle; “Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.” (Luke 23:50-54 ESV)  Both gospels, Mark and Luke, give the account that Joseph is a member of the council, what council?

“The Sanhedrin was the supreme council of Israel. As long as it stood, it was the Supreme Court and legislative body in all matters of Torah law. As such, the Sanhedrin was entrusted with keeping and interpreting the Oral Torah.  And every member of the Sanhedrin had to be distinguished in Torah knowledge, wisdom, humility, fear of God, indifference to monetary gain, love of truth, love of fellow man, and good reputation. It is thus written, "You shall provide out of all the people, able men, who fear God, men of truth, disdaining unjust gain, and place them over [the people]" (Exodus 18:21). It is likewise written, "Take from each of your tribes, wise men, with understanding and full of knowledge, and I will make them your leaders" (Deut. 1:13).  And the other thing that should be noted is; “He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God.”

And last let us look to the gospel of John: John has more information for the seeker of truth; “     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. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 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.”

(John 19:38-41 ESV)  We find that this powerful man, this leader is fearful of how others will accept him, and if he told them the truth he would have been kicked out of the council.  But we also learn that he had a partner in this action, a guy named Nicodemus who also saw Jesus by night and the gospel of John tells us that he also was a ruler of the Jews, in John 3:1.  So we now know who also was present and helped in not only carrying the body of Jesus to the tomb but also who prepared the body for burial and rolling the large stone over the opening.

Are you one of those spineless undercover Christians, I was for years and it is an easy pattern to fall into, the fear of men, more than the fear of God.  If that’s where you find yourself at the reading of this paper, take heart, first and foremost you are greatly loved by the Father, and it was part of God’s plan to use these two powerful but fearful men in the history of His only Son.  So let me encourage you to look to Jesus, for when Jesus sets you free you are free indeed.  The Father has a plan for you; “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  (Jeremiah 29:11 ESV)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice