Joseph of Arimathaea is mentioned in all four Gospels. Yet he only appears once to beg for the body of the Lord Jesus and then to provide His tomb. He is never mentioned before or afterwards. The hour produced the man, or rather, God had His man in reserve for this unique service.
Joseph was rich. Although a member of the Sandhedrin, he had not consented to the conviction of Jesus at their fateful meeting. Morally he was good and righteous, and spiritually he yearned for Israel’s expectation of the Messianic kingdom to be fulfilled. He came to see that the long promised kingdom had arrived with Jesus and so he became a disciple, but in secret ‘for fear of the Jews’. The fear of man can hinder us all spiritually.
In stark contrast, Joseph acted boldly on the Lord’s death. Mark emphasises this – Joseph ‘gathered up courage’ to ask Pilate for the body of Jesus. The disciples were skulking in terror. The loyal Galilean women were distraught. Then Joseph emerged from the shadows to confess his commitment to the condemned and crucified Jesus.
What produced this dramatic change? No doubt Joseph did not wish the body of one hanged on a tree to be unburied by sundown, Deut. 21. 22-23. A far deeper motive also stirred him. ‘The death of Jesus which caused others to fear made Joseph bold’ (W KELLY). Had he lingered under the shadow of the cross? Had the Lord’s supreme sacrifice led him to offer his own act of sacrificial love in return? So also should the logic of Calvary move us to wholehearted consecration.
Those crucified for treason were usually left hanging as prey for vultures, the crowning cruelty of their execution. This could be relaxed and the Jewish leaders requested the removal of those hanged on Calvary, no doubt to a common grave. Yet God had predicted that His Servant would be with a rich man in His death, although assigned a grave with the wicked, Isa. 53. 9. Joseph was used to fulfil this prophecy. He had influence to obtain the Lord’s body and wealth to provide His tomb. Are we available to do the work for God which only we can do?
