After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body.
The crucifixion ends with a man stepping out of the shadows. A member of the council that condemned Jesus now asks Pilate for His body. Why does a frightened disciple turn brave at the very moment fear makes most sense?
Who Joseph was
The other Gospel writers fill in what John leaves out about this man's standing and his conduct in the council.
Who was this Joseph of Arimathea? A wealthy man of the Jews and a secret disciple of the Lord Jesus. He was an honourable councillor and a member of the Sanhedrin. He too was waiting for the kingdom of God (Mark 15:43). He was a good man and just. The Sanhedrin came together to condemn the Holy One, but Joseph of Arimathea had not agreed to their plan and deed (Luke 23:51)... He went straight to Pilate. This man had the authority to dispose of the bodies of the crucified. Usually they ended up in the criminals' graves, once every dishonour had been done to them. He begged for the body of Jesus, and Pilate agreed readily and gave his permission.
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Why his rank made it harder
Joseph had every worldly reason to stay quiet.
William KellyGod uses a dangerous time to call out His own hidden ones. Joseph of Arimathea can be a secret disciple no longer. He was a rich man (Matt. 27) and an honourable councillor (Mark 15). But wealth and position make confessing Christ only harder. Fear of the Jews had prevailed until now. The death of Jesus, which made others afraid, made Joseph bold.
Joseph acts at the point where the whole cause looks finished.
J. T. MawsonIf he had thought about his reputation among his fellows, he would have stayed at home that day... Suppose the Lord had come down from the cross when the priests challenged Him. Joseph might then have been bold and said, "I knew all along who He was." But He hangs dead, to all appearances completely defeated. Peter and the other disciples have deserted Him and fled. That is the moment when this nobleman comes forward boldly and asks for His body.
"Secretly" — and yet boldly
John says he was a disciple secretly; Mark says he went in boldly to Pilate. Writers hold the two together rather than choosing between them.
C. E. StuartWe learn something of the strength of the current still flowing against the Lord, since Joseph went secretly for fear of the Jews, though he went in boldly to Pilate (Mark 15:43). An honourable man and a councillor — how should he care for the body of the crucified One? He was a disciple of Jesus, writes our Evangelist. The ten apostles were scattered.
Claiming a crucified body
The act itself was a public statement. Nobody chose to stand beside an executed criminal.
J. T. MawsonIt was a great and noble act. The timid and secret disciple came out as bold as a lion. In the face of a hostile world, he took his stand by the cross of his crucified Lord. It was an unheard-of thing. Whoever before had set any value on the body of a crucified criminal? That a ruler of the Jews should do it must have caused a sensation... It was as though he said, "Jews, you have rejected Him, but I embrace Him. World, you have despised and crucified Him, but I love Him. Christ for me. I share in His shame and will bear His reproach. You are on that side; I am on this." This is the stand Paul took in later years. He said, "Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
God's answer to an old prophecy
Behind Joseph's courage lies a plan far older than that day.
A. J. PollockLong centuries before, Isaiah had prophesied about our Lord's body. It would not be buried with the thieves who were crucified with Him, thrown into a common dishonoured grave. He would lie with the rich in His death (Isa. 53:9). How was this to be fulfilled? ... Two men are raised up by God to fulfil this prophecy. Two secret believers come to the front.
Pilate's permission was more than an official's favour.
Samuel RidoutThat precious body was not allowed to be treated as a criminal's. A legal decision handed it over to those who loved Him. They wrapped it in fragrant, costly perfume and laid it in a new grave cut out of the rock... The same unyielding judgment that had dealt with Him on the cross now demanded the fullest honour for Him. This was legal testimony that His sacrifice was accepted.
The decision the verse asks of the reader
Joseph already believed. What changed that day was something else.
Norman AndersonThe moment of decision had arrived for him. It was not a decision to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, for he had already done that. It was a decision to take his place as a follower of the crucified Christ.
Summary
- Secret. Joseph believed, but fear of the Jews kept it hidden. His rank and wealth made open confession harder, not easier.
- Reserved. God called out His hidden one at the dangerous hour. The death that frightened everyone else made Joseph bold.
- Bold. He went straight to Pilate, who had authority over the bodies of the crucified, and asked for a body no one else would claim.
- Fulfilled. Isaiah had said He would lie with the rich in His death, not in a dishonoured grave. God raised up two secret believers to see it done.
- Decided. Joseph's step was not a decision to believe. It was a decision to stand openly with a rejected Christ — the choice every hidden disciple still faces.