November 24, 2023
An Unknown Man
(Some information may be too graphic for small children)
“After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body.” John 19:38 (NASB)
In most movies you see today they often depict Joseph of Arimathea as a bystander while Jesus was being led to His death. He seems to be depicted as the biggest guy in the crowd and therefore used to help Jesus carry His cross to Golgotha. This is farthest from the truth. In fact, Joseph would have been known to all who were there as Christ carried His cross along the Via Delarosa. It pays to not allow Hollywood to determine what each of us believes when it comes to the Bible’s stories. We should be educated Christians who seek facts, not ones of blind faith.
“After these things Joseph of Arimathea…” I’ll bet there are some interesting things about Joseph of Arimathea you didn’t know: “A wealthy member of the Sanhedrin. He asked Pilate for the body of Jesus, wrapped it in linen, and buried it in a rock-hewn tomb. All four canonical Gospels indicate that Joseph was from Arimathea (Ἁριμαθαία, Harimathaia). Luke adds that Arimathea was a ‘city of the Jews’ (Luke 23:50). Mark (Mark 15:43), followed by Luke (Luke 23:50), identifies Joseph as a “member of the Council” (βουλευτής, bouleutēs), which likely means that he was a member of the Sanhedrin… All the Gospel writers indicate that Joseph asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. The Gospel of Peter, however, claims that Joseph asked even before Jesus’ crucifixion (Gos. Pet. 3). Mark is the only Gospel to state that Joseph had to muster up the courage to ask for the body of Jesus, a detail that is certainly understandable since there could have been an inherent danger in associating with someone who was an enemy of the state. Mark (Mark 15:46) and Luke (Luke 23:56) seem to imply that Joseph took the body of Jesus down off the cross, while Matthew (Matt 27:59) and John (John 19:40) indicate that he merely took the body. Some scholars plausibly argue that Joseph would have made use of servants to carry the body of Jesus, prepare it for burial, and place it in the tomb since Joseph would not want to render himself ritually impure immediately before the Passover celebration (e.g., France, Mark, 668; Köstenberger, John, 555; Lane, Mark, 580). Only Mark mentions that Joseph purchased the linen (Mark 15:46).”[1] Whatever the case, which I believe Scripture alludes to about Joseph we know something true about him. He was “a secret one (disciple) for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus;” Matthew also records that Joseph had become a disciple of Jesus, “When it was evening, 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 ordered it to be given to him” (Matt. 27:57).
We know something now. Joseph was a brave man. Much braver than most disciples, who had scattered. He was brave enough to approach Pilate and ask for Jesus’ body. Yet Scripture records him as a minor figure standing amid turmoil from his association (as a member of the Sanhedrin). He stood to lose everything he had in honoring Jesus. On that day, “he came and took away His body.” Would you risk yourself for Jesus today?
[1] Small, B. C. (2016). In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.