Last time we witnessed, along with the Apostle John, the crucifixion of Jesus. We were with Him to the end when He proclaimed, “It is finished.” He showed no fear as He gave His life that we might live. Through Jesus’ death, He conquered the fear of death. Jesus’ death conquers fear for the genuine believer. In tonight’s passage, we are going to see how Jesus’ death conquered fear in a secret disciple, in a cowardly disciple, and how His death stirred open and unashamed commitment.
READ 38. In this verse we are told some things about Joseph of Arimathea. First, he was a secret disciple. Second, he feared the Jews. And third, it was he who was brave enough to ask for Jesus’ body.
Scripture tells us some things about Joseph of Arimathea. He was a counselor, a senator, a member of the Sanhedrin, which was the ruling body of Israel. He was apparently highly educated, highly esteemed, well liked, very responsible, and capable of leadership. He was a just and good man—a man of good quality, high morals, a man of feelings, of compassion, of truth, and of law.
He was a man looking for the Messiah and the Kingdom of God. He was, however, a man who was afraid to stand up for Jesus. John reports here in verse 38 that Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. Joseph probably had met Jesus and arranged meetings with Him when the Lord had visited Jerusalem, but he feared making a public profession.
His position and prestige were at stake. After all, his peers, the other rulers, opposed Jesus. He believed in Jesus, but out of fear he kept his discipleship a secret. We need to note that when the vote was taken to put Jesus to death, Joseph did abstain from voting, but he didn’t stand up for Christ. He didn’t participate; he simply remained silent.
How many people of today are just like Joseph? They are good and just people. They are believers. But they are afraid of what their friends and fellow workers will say. They fear for their position, prestige, promotions, acceptance, popularity, friends, job, or income. But we should remember that Jesus said, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (Lk. 9:26)
Joseph was a man changed by the death of Jesus. We see this in two facts stated in verse 38. First, Joseph actually asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. This was a great act of courage. The Romans either dumped the bodies of crucified criminals in the trash heaps or left the bodies hanging on the cross for the vultures and animals to consume.
The latter served as an example of criminal punishment to the public. Joseph also braved the threat of Pilate’s reaction. Pilate was fed up with the JESUS MATTER. Jesus had proven to be very bothersome to him. He could have reacted severely against Joseph.
Secondly, Joseph risked the disfavor and discipline of the Sanhedrin. They were the ruling body who had condemned Jesus, and Joseph was a member of the council. There was no question; he would face some harsh reaction from some of his fellow Sanhedrin members and from some of his closest friends.
What made Joseph turn from being a secret disciple to a bold disciple? It seems to be the phenomenal events surrounding the cross. He witnessed the behavior and words of Jesus. Then there was the darkness when the sun refused to shine. He felt the earthquake. He saw the torn veil. When Joseph witnessed all this, his mind connected the claims of Jesus with the OT prophecies of the Messiah. Apparently, Joseph saw the prophecies fulfilled in Jesus so he stepped forward braving all the risks and taking his stand for Jesus. A remarkable courage stirred by the death of Jesus.
Every secret believer of Christ can gain strength and courage simply by looking and studying the cross of Christ. It will turn them into a bold witness for Christ. Joseph asked to take care of the physical body of Christ. Today, the body of Christ is the church. There are times within the church when special needs demand that we be courageous and step forward to show care. In those times a fresh look at the cross will be helpful and can be used of God to stir us.
Joseph was a man who cared deeply for Jesus. The words and acts of Joseph in this passage express care and tenderness and love and affection as well as courage and boldness. Joseph took the body down from the cross. He wrapped the body in linen. He laid the body in a tomb in which no one had ever been laid. He acted quickly, before the Sabbath began. Jesus died at 3 PM Friday afternoon. Friday was the day of preparation for the Sabbath. Work was forbidden on the Sabbath, so if anything was to be done with Jesus’ body, it had to be done immediately. Only 3 hours remained for work.
This act alone would leave no doubt about the effect of the cross on Joseph. The cross changed his life. He was no longer a secret believer; he now demonstrated a public stand for Jesus.
READ 39. Nicodemus was a cowardly disciple. But Jesus’ death conquered fear in him as well. Nicodemus was the leader who came to Jesus by night. He was probably the Master teacher, the leading teacher of all Israel. Holding such a high position in the nation, he feared the leaders of Israel who opposed Jesus. The same fear that was in Joseph was in him.
But the cross apparently changed Nicodemus just as it had changed Joseph. Being the Master Teacher, Nicodemus, above everyone else, knew the prophetic Scripture. It looks like the events of the cross stirred him to begin making connections between the prophecies and Jesus’ death. He had already been making connections between the prophecies and the words and works of Jesus. He didn’t fully understand, but the thoughts that were connecting Jesus and the prophecies wouldn’t leave his mind.
At some point Nicodemus knew that Jesus was the Messiah. Nicodemus had failed the Lord when He was alive. He wouldn’t fail Him in His death. So, he boldly and courageously stepped forward to proclaim that He now believed and wanted all to know it.
He walked into the stores that sold spices and bought huge amounts, the poundage fit for a king. The spices weighed about 70 lbs., an amount that only royalty could afford and use. Nicodemus wanted to give the honor to his Lord which he should have given when his Lord was alive. He had been a proud man, but now he was a broken man. He had been a worldly man, a man who had chosen the world over the Lord, but no more. Broken in heart over his Lord’s death, he would now step forth in faith and love to do what he could.
READ 40-42. We can see how Jesus’ death stirred open and unashamed commitment. Both Joseph and Nicodemus had hesitated in trusting Jesus Christ as their Savior. Out of fear they had acted cowardly, keeping their thoughts about Jesus to themselves. But now they showed a courage and a boldness unmatched by all others. They demonstrated an open, unashamed commitment to Jesus, and they did it when the apostles themselves deserted Jesus.
1. They openly took the body of Jesus from the cross. In doing so, they risked the disfavor of the Sanhedrin who had condemned Jesus. Both Joseph and Nicodemus were opposing their fellow members of the council. There was no question that they would face some harsh reaction from some of their fellow Sanhedrin members and from some of their closest friends.
2. They openly cared for Jesus’ body. They wound it in strips of linen with the spices.
3. They openly gave Jesus the best. They gave Him a tomb never before used. Apparently it was in a cemetery on Mount Calvary, the mountain where Jesus was crucified. The tomb had been bought by Joseph for his own use. This act alone would leave no question about the two men’s taking their stand for Jesus.
4. They openly buried Jesus just before the Sabbath. This eliminated them from taking part in the great Passover Feast, and this was never done, even for the most serious reason. By handling Jesus’ body, they were considered defiled for 7 days for having come in contact with a corpse. Once defiled, Jewish law forbade a person from taking part in Jewish ceremonies.
Simply stated, Joseph and Nicodemus, who had been secret disciples, now stepped forward making an unashamed commitment to Jesus. Everyone would know that they stepped forward and took care of Jesus’ body. Joseph gave his own tomb to Jesus. They were risking their positions, esteem, wealth, and even their lives by making such a pronounced commitment to the affairs of Jesus.
Note the strength of their commitment: no one from Jesus’ family or from among His own disciples had stepped forward to claim the Lord’s body—but these two men did.
I close by saying, the courage demonstrated by Joseph and Nicodemus is desperately needed by all—the courage to make an unashamed commitment to Christ, the courage to risk all for Christ, even if it does cost us our position, esteem, wealth, and life—the courage to unashamedly care for the body of Christ, His church and its affairs, and the courage to be an unashamed witness for Christ, no matter the cost.
