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Joseph of Arimathea – The Secret Disciple Who Changed

Mark 15:42-46 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. And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.

Reflect – What do we know about Joseph? Do you think he was a real believer?

Here are some facts about Joseph taken from the four gospels.

A. He was a disciple of Jesus (Matthew 27:57)
B. He was wealthy enough to own his own tomb (Matthew 27:59)
C. He was a prominent member of the Sanhedrin (Luke 23:50, Mark 15:43)
D. He was good and righteous (Luke 23:50)
E. He did not agree to the plan to crucify Jesus (Luke 23:51)
F. He was a secret disciple because he feared the Jews (John 19:38)
G. He was from Arimathea (Mark 15:43)

What were his weaknesses?

A. Joseph was a secret disciple of Jesus.

He had faith in Jesus. The fact that he was called a disciple of Jesus shows that this faith was real and sincere. But at the same time, he had not publicly identified with Christ. This is clearly very important if one wants to truly follow Jesus.

Luke 9:26 – For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

It is likely that the peer pressure of his peers in the Sanhedrin was too much for Joseph to stand up to. If they knew, he would have been mocked. Beyond that, he could have jeopardized his position on the council. As a rich man, he had a lot to lose. This is why Jesus said it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter heaven.

While he should have boldly taken a public stand for Jesus, instead, he opted for the easier way to follow Christ secretly while standing aloof in public.

B. Joseph was fearful of the Jews (John 19:38).

This fear prevented him from speaking out as a disciple of Jesus.

Luke 23:50-51 – 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.

Joseph did not agree to the plan against Jesus. But we do not see that he publicly defended Jesus. He should have loudly insisted that Jesus go free. He should have been doing this at both the Jewish trials and the Roman trials. But in those stories, he is nowhere to be seen. Why?

We don’t know for sure. He could have conveniently missed the meetings to escape making a public decision. He could have just watched on in silence. Whatever the reason was, his fear prevented him from taking the appropriate action.

There are many verses which remind us to be bold, including: Isaiah 41:10, 1 John 4:18, Psalms 56:3-4.

2 Timothy 1:7-8 – For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.

Application – Consider if fear or intimidation is keeping you from identifying with or serving Christ in some area of your life. What is God calling you to do?

What were Joseph’s strengths?

A. Joseph took initiative.

No one gave Joseph the assignment to take Jesus’ body. There was no meeting in which the disciples divided up various responsibilities. Joseph saw what needed to be done and he found a way to get it done. This is likely one of the reasons he was well off and a member of the Sanhedrin. His leadership skills are clear. Taking initiative and being a person of action is a major key to success.

Reflect – Do you observe when something needs to be done or never notice it at all? If you notice it, do you take action to do it or wait around for someone else to do something?

B. Joseph had compassion.

Jesus was hanging on the cross for all to see. This was a shameful event. If Joseph did nothing, Jesus probably would have been buried by the Romans in a common grave. If that had happened, some of the strongest evidence for Jesus’ resurrection would not exist. Almost every Christian apologist talks about the empty tomb as one of the core arguments for His resurrection.

Jesus was anything but a common criminal and Joseph could not stand to see Him hanging there on that cross any longer. His compassion drove him to take action.

Reflect – Do you exhibit compassion for others and does it drive you to take action?

C. Joseph exhibited wisdom.

He knew the right channels to go through to accomplish what he wanted to get done. If he had gone to the Jews, he would have reached a dead end. But Joseph was wise enough to notice that Pilate was sympathetic toward Jesus and would likely grant his request before the Jews could raise any objection.

D. Joseph had a mind of his own.

He did not blindly follow the rest of the Jewish leaders. While he should have gone even further and spoken out against what they were doing, at least he didn’t just follow groupthink.

E. Joseph was generous.

Joseph donated his own grave to Jesus. Tombs like his were not cheap. This grave was hewed out of a stone. That takes a lot of manual labor and manual labor costs money. Joseph could have quickly bought a cheap grave for Jesus. But instead, he gave the one that he had bought for himself. This is what true generosity is. Generosity is not giving our leftovers to others. It is giving the best that we have and doing it with a good attitude.

Proverbs 11:24-25 – One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.

God providentially blessed Joseph so that he would be able to do this for Jesus. God gives the gift of generosity to some people and it seems that because those people are so willing to give, He entrusts them with more so that they can give even more. This is not a promise that 100% of the time you are generous to others, God will give you more. Neither is it the prosperity gospel. It is a reminder that God blesses us so that we can give and if we prove to be good stewards, He may entrust more things for us to steward.

Joseph’s generosity also served to fulfill a major prophecy about the Messiah.

Isaiah 53:9 – And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Jesus was executed among criminals (the wicked) and buried in a rich man’s tomb, just as was prophesied.

F. Joseph had a servant’s heart.

Burying Jesus was not a pleasant task. Jesus’ body was mangled after the brutal torture and execution. It was prophesied that He would be almost unrecognizable.

Isaiah 52:14 – As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind

After his flogging, Pilate told the crowds, “Behold, the man” (John 19:5), likely partly because He was so severely beaten and hard to recognize.

It was in this state that Joseph took Jesus down (Mark 15:46). He may have had help, but nonetheless, this was a messy job. No one was around to thank or pay him for it. He didn’t do it for the recognition. He did it out of love for Christ. This love drove him to action and that is what real love is.

Application – Like Joseph, we should serve to please God, not to receive the accolades of men. Those who serve in the background are vital for a healthy church. Prayer warriors, set up team, tech team, cleaning crew, and many more serve behind the scenes. Are you willing to serve in the background?

G. Joseph persevered.

He didn’t wimp out in the middle of this and say that it was too difficult. He finished it through to the very end of rolling a very heavy stone against the entrance of the tomb.

H. Joseph was courageous.

Why do I say he was courageous? Well, where are the rest of the disciples now? Who else was coming to bury Jesus? No one. They are not there. While others were still fleeing and hiding, Joseph finally gathered up the courage to act.

What lessons can we learn from Joseph?

A. People can change –

Prior to this day, Joseph had been a secret disciple of Jesus, afraid to speak out his belief in public. Was he a secret disciple anymore? No. Mark tells us that “he gathered up courage” and went to Pilate. No longer was his life characterized by fear. It was instead characterized by courage.

It wouldn’t be long before the Jewish leaders knew what Joseph had done and guessed that he was a disciple of Jesus. His silence or lack of support at the trials, combined with his burial of Jesus, would show them clearly that Joseph was not in their camp.

This was not an easy thing for Joseph to do. In fact, it is likely the signature moment of his walk with the Lord. Certainly, it was a turning point for him. He was at an intersection. His conscience burned within him. Doing what was right required going public. Or he could ignore his conscience and remain silent.

It was not an easy decision. The term “gathered up courage” seems to indicate this decision was not made in an instant. It is like the person who is getting ready to dive into a pool for the first time, they walk to the edge and look at the pool for a while and think about it. Finally, the person has to make a choice, either dive in or walk away. Joseph decided to dive in.

Application – You can change. Jesus came to transform us. We are not born into the faith as mature adults. Just like with babies, there is a growth process. Reflect on one area you have grown in after coming to Christ. Spend some time and thank God for that. Now reflect on an area that still needs growth. Ask God for the courage to change. He came to set the captives free.

B. Joseph illustrates God’s grace –

It would be easy for us to accuse Joseph. Why wasn’t he braver? Why didn’t he speak out?

Joseph was flesh-and-blood like we are. He had strengths and weaknesses. Because his faith was real, he was transformed by God’s grace. That did not happen in a day, but it did happen.

His biggest challenge was fear. Finally, because of God’s grace, he was able to defeat this fear and demonstrate courage. That is what God does in our lives. He changes us. He patiently gives us time to grow. He doesn’t cast us out when we first commit a mistake or show weakness. Instead, he wants to turn our weaknesses into strengths. If Joseph was not a real believer, he never would have been able to summon up the courage to do this.

God uses weak and flawed people like Joseph, you, and I. He molds us.

Application – Press on. You are not there yet. But by His grace, you can come closer each day.

Philippians 1:6 – And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

C. God is sovereign –

If Jesus were buried in a grave with common criminals, there would have been little or no evidence for the crucifixion.

Application – Do not be in a hurry to pass judgment on others. God is patient with us and we should be patient too. Instead of looking down on weaker brothers and sisters (and we are sometimes the weaker ones ourselves), we should help them grow.

1 Thessalonians 5:14 – And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.