Joseph of Arimathea:
Joseph of Arimathea is one of the quiet giants of the crucifixion account. He does not preach a sermon. He does not write an epistle. But in the most dangerous hour of Jesus’ ministry, he steps forward publicly when others stepped back privately.
All four Gospels mention him. That alone should get your attention.
Matthew 27:57 calls him a rich man and a disciple of Jesus.
Mark 15:43 says he was an honorable counselor who was waiting for the kingdom of God and that he wen... moreJoseph of Arimathea:
Joseph of Arimathea is one of the quiet giants of the crucifixion account. He does not preach a sermon. He does not write an epistle. But in the most dangerous hour of Jesus’ ministry, he steps forward publicly when others stepped back privately.
All four Gospels mention him. That alone should get your attention.
Matthew 27:57 calls him a rich man and a disciple of Jesus.
Mark 15:43 says he was an honorable counselor who was waiting for the kingdom of God and that he went in boldly unto Pilate.
Luke 23:50–51 tells us he was a good and just man who had not consented to the council’s decision.
John 19:38 reveals something critical. He was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews.
Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin, the very council that condemned Jesus. He had position. Influence. Reputation. Everything to lose. And for a season, he followed Christ quietly.
But when Jesus died, secrecy died with Him.
Mark says Joseph went in boldly to Pilate and asked for the body. Rome did not casually hand over crucified bodies. Crucifixion victims were often left exposed as public warnings, thrown into common graves, or cast into refuse sites like the Valley of Hinnom. A condemned man did not receive an honorable burial. He was erased.
If Joseph had not acted, Jesus would likely have been buried in one of two common places for executed criminals. Either a shared criminal grave outside the city, or a dishonorable dumping ground reserved for the condemned. No individual tomb. No linen wrapping. No spices. No dignity.
Deuteronomy 21:23 required that a body not remain overnight on a tree. The religious leaders wanted the crosses cleared before Sabbath. But clearing crosses and honoring a body were two very different things. Without Joseph, the Messiah’s body could have been discarded.
Instead, Joseph stepped forward.
By requesting the body, he publicly aligned himself with a condemned Messiah. That was a career-ending move. Possibly worse.
He wrapped Jesus in clean linen and laid Him in his own new tomb, one he had hewn out of rock. Isaiah 53:9 declares the suffering servant would be with the rich in His death. Joseph unknowingly fulfilled prophecy with his courage.
The man who once followed in secret now honors Jesus in public at the most humiliating moment imaginable.
And here is the weight of it.
If Joseph had remained silent, Jesus would have been treated like every other criminal Rome executed. But because one disciple chose boldness, the burial became honorable, prophetic, and verifiable. A known tomb. A sealed stone. Identifiable location. That is critical for the resurrection narrative. You cannot have an empty tomb unless you first have a known tomb.
God used the courage of one formerly secret disciple to protect the integrity of the resurrection account.
Joseph gave Jesus his tomb. Three days later, he got it back.
You cannot out-give God.
And his name is forever written into the resurrection story.
There are people who believe quietly. They follow in private. They fear the cost of stepping forward. Joseph’s story proves this: you may begin as a secret disciple, but you do not have to remain one.
✠ Sir John Scivoletti ✠
✠ Turco Joan of Arc Priory ✠
✠✠Act and God will Act (Actus et Deus Act)✠✠
CAA Alan Burcham
Priory of the Calvary Cross
Militia Christi