“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32).
Heavenly Father, Please draw me as close as possible to Your side, and keep me there, so that by constantly beholding the beauty of Your chracter, I may be changed into Your image and likeness. In the blessed name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
Before I continue with the message for today, please accept my sincere apology for the absence of Tuesday’s message, without previously announcing that there would have been no message that day.
Today we are going to be talking about Joseph of Arimathea, one who could be described as a “behind the scenes follower of Jesus.” A silent, but sincere, follower of the Lord, who is mentioned only 4 times in the Bible.
“Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. (Matthew 27:57-60, emphasis provided).
The fact that mention is made of him becoming a disciple of Jesus, gives the impression that he was a recent convert to Christianity. The following quotes from Scripture will shed some light on perhaps why he was not a disciple before.
“Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb” (Mark 15:43-46, emphasis provided).
He was a member of the “Sanhedrin, the highest judicial and ecclesiastical tribunal of the ancient Jewish nation.” It was this group that had promoted the crucifixion of Jesus. Joseph and Nicodemus though members of the Sanhedrin, had no part in the murderous plot.
“After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being 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 the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. 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. So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby” (John 19:38-42, emphasis provided).
At first he was fearful to stand against this powerful governing body of the Jews, but as the Gospel of Mark expressed, He found the courage, to go and ask Pilate for the body of Jesus to give Him a decent burial “with the rich at His death” (Isaiah 53:9b).
“Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man. He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near” (Luke 23:50-54).
Joseph allowed Jesus to be buried in the tomb that he had provided for himself. He would spend the remainder of his life, giving of his best to Jesus. He had seen the Savior “lifted up from the earth,” and remained drawn to Him as long as his life lasted!