DEATH AND RESURRECTION
Day Three: He asked boldly for Jesus’ body
Mark 15:42-47
42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.
Pastoral Sharing
Who will prepare the burial for the Lord Jesus? The gospels recorded that it was the two disciples who had been secretly following Jesus: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.
As the sun set on Friday late afternoon, the Sabbath began. The Jews rested from all work on the Sabbath, including preparing for burials. Thus, Joseph and Nicodemus were in a hurry to place Jesus in the tomb before the sun set. They had about two hours and both of them acted in parallel: Joseph went to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body, while Nicodemus prepared a mixture of myrrh and aloes (John 19:39). Though they had only a little time, everything was done with utmost reverence for Jesus. This also explained why the women brought spices and perfumes at dawn on the day after the Sabbath to anoint the body of Jesus.
Joseph of Arimathea was a member of the Council, a devout man respected by the Jews and waiting for the kingdom of God. He was good and upright and had not consented to the Sanhedrin’s decision and action against Jesus (Luke 23:50, 51). John 19:38 reveals that they were Jesus’ followers, but did not disclose their honourable identity.
On taking the initiative to attend to the burial of Jesus, this was Joseph’s first public display of his faith!
The dead body of criminals were usually disposed of hastily in public tombs. They were going to bury Jesus along with the wicked, but unexpectedly Joseph offered a new tomb for Jesus. Though God had forsaken Jesus on the cross, after Jesus had fully paid the price for our sins, God looked upon Jesus again and did not subject his body to further humiliation:
"He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth. "
- Isaiah 53:9
Joseph had to ask Pilate for Jesus’ body, this meant that his secret identity would be divulged. Furthermore, everyone would come to know that the body of Jesus the criminal was laid in the new tomb of the Council member Joseph. What followed would likely be a persecution by the Sanhedrin, just like what they did to all of Jesus’ other disciples.
“He went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body.”
As Joseph went ahead “boldly”, it was apparent that he knew full well the sacrifices and price that came with the decision. Just like you and me, he would have been fearful of the authority of the Council. But Joseph did not allow himself to be bounded by fear such that he abandoned his duty of righteousness or ignored the moving of the Holy Spirit, out of selfish consideration for his own safety. Instead, he went ahead boldly, and the Lord fulfilled his devotion by using him in the burial of the Lord Jesus.
Are you fearful when you are threatened in the face of death? Do you feel suffocated by the hostility of those in authority? Are you worried about the impending storms that are about to unleash in your life? When you fix your eyes on the Lord and not on the difficulty, you will be able to overcome your fears. Joseph was willing to make such a big sacrifice for the Lord when he was dead, how much more for us to do so for the Lord who is now alive!
Joseph did something he had always been afraid to do: to openly confess his faith. I believe there was not a hint of regret, but that his heart was filled with peace, especially after Jesus was resurrected. Perhaps his only regret was that he did not publicly proclaim his faith when Jesus was still alive.
Would you openly confess that Christ is your Saviour? Give thanks to God with rejoicing for your declaration!
PERSONAL REFLECTION
CONFESSION AND DEDICATION