Joseph Of Arimathea Series

Many false stories and legends have arisen regarding Joseph. Some purport that Joseph of Arimathea was the uncle of Jesus' mother, Mary. However, the Bible makes no such connection, so the claim is unsubstantiated. In addition, Joseph supposedly made many trips to Britain for trade and is said to have eventually brought the gospel to that country. Again, though, the Bible is silent about Joseph after Jesus' burial, so we cannot know for sure what path he took later in life. We do know what we find in the Scriptures: Joseph of Arimathea was a rich man and part of the Sanhedrin, and he procured Jesus' body and laid it in his own tomb—from which Jesus would rise again in power three days later.

Joseph of Arimathea was a secret follower of Jesus because he feared the Jewish leaders. He is probably best known for asking Pilate for Jesus' body and then placing it in his tomb.

Joseph of Arimathea appears in the four Gospels (Matthew 27:57-61, Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:50-54, and John 19:38-42), explicitly around the time of Jesus' crucifixion and burial. These short verses in the Gospels reveal a surprising amount of information relating to Joseph of Arimathea and his characteristics which we will explore below.

Joseph of Arimathea

Luke states that Joseph of Arimathea was a "good and just man" who did not consent to the Sanhedrin's "decision or deed" to crucify Jesus. (See Luke 23:50, 51.) He was a prominent member of the Jewish Council (Mark 15:43) and yet was "waiting for the kingdom of God" (Luke 23:51). Joseph of Arimathea secretly followed Christ and yet found the courage to ask Pilate for the body of Jesus. (See Mark 15:43.)

1. He stood for what was right

In Luke 23:51, Joseph of Arimathea is said to have not "consented to their decision and deed" regarding the Jewish Council's crucifixion of Jesus. Imagine how hard it would have been to hear your fellow council members verbally attack Jesus and then finally see the culmination of their hatred towards Jesus at the cross.

2. He was from Arimathea

Matthew 27:57 explains that Joseph was from Arimathea. The Greek word for Arimathea (???µa?a?a), transliterated "Arimathaea," means "heights." Arimathea is of Hebrew origin and is transliterated as "Ramah," meaning "hill." There appear to be four places in Palestine with the name Ramah, one of which is the birthplace of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:1, 19), the priest who served during the time of Saul and a portion of David's reign.

The Thayer's Greek Lexicon states that Joseph of Aramathea was likely from Mt Ephraim, the same place where Samuel was born.

3. He was a secret follower of Jesus

The Bible says in John 19:38 that Joseph of Arimathea secretly followed Christ because he feared the Jews. Like Nicodemus, it was not until after Jesus' death that he openly showed his allegiance to Jesus. At Jesus' death, Joseph of Arimathea no longer cared what those around him thought, and he took Jesus down from the cross.