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.
Mark 15:43
Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away.
John 19:38
As we approach Good Friday and Easter Sunday, two objects take center stage in the Christian consciousness: the cross and the empty tomb. The cross belonged to Rome; the tomb to Joseph of Arimathea.
Mark's gospel reveals to us that Joseph was a “prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God.” That means that Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin… the very body of religious leaders who had Jesus crucified! But Joseph didn’t agree to their decision. In fact, John’s gospel tells us that Joseph “was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders.”(John 19:38)
So, understand this… Joseph believed that Jesus was the Messiah, but up until this time he had been unwilling to openly associate with Jesus for fear of what it would cost him. He was a man of high rank, wealth and privilege. Joseph knew how much he stood to lose by associating with Jesus. That's why he had kept his faith a secret... until now.
Good Friday, the day Jesus died, was the day that Joseph of Arimathea stopped being a secret disciple. Mark says he “went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body.” Joseph wasn’t related to Jesus. He wasn’t asking to bury a family member. He was a member of the very ruling body that had accused Jesus of treason against Rome. And now Joseph approaches Rome and asks if he can give Jesus a proper burial?! This was a highly unusual request that was sure to draw attention.
More than that, Joseph likely had to publicly go up to Jesus’ cross and take His body down. Surely, word would get back to the Sanhedrin that he had done this. And then how could Joseph deny what he had done when Jesus was buried in his own tomb?! He couldn’t. Joseph’s actions “amounted to an open confession of personal loyalty to the crucified Jesus... He was a secret disciple no longer.”*
What about you? Are you a secret disciple of Jesus? You believe but you don’t tell your family or the people you work with or your friends because you are afraid of what it will cost you. If you're keeping your faith a secret, then why not follow Joseph’s example this Easter and openly follow Jesus no matter the cost. Go public with your faith. It’s time for Christians to stop being secret disciples.
* John D. Grassmick, “Mark,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 191.
