And after this Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus (John 19:38)
Joseph of Arimathea, though not one of the twelve, was a disciple and follower of Christ. Not much is recorded in Scripture about him, but he is probably most well known for his deed in obtaining the body of Jesus and burying the body in his own tomb (Matthew 27:57-60). He was recorded to be a “rich man” (Matthew 27:57), a good and just man, and a counsellor (or member of the council; Luke 23:50 ESV).
Although Joseph appeared to be a respectable disciple of Jesus, he had apparently done so “secretly for fear of the Jews” (John 19:38). This begs the question: Can Christians today be “secret disciples” like Joseph of Arimathea?
Jesus expects Christians to confess Him publicly
“For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10)
“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33)
Although belief begins from the heart, from the mouth we make confession that leads towards salvation. Salvation is not complete without that confession from the mouth! If we expect Jesus to acknowledge us on the Day of Judgment, we have to publicly acknowledge Him here also. But if, instead, we deny Jesus, He will deny us too. What a scary day that will be!
We may recall Simon Peter who denied Jesus 3 times for fear of being arrested by the Jewish mob (Luke 22:54-62). Jesus, in foretelling Peter’s denial, said that Satan would sift him as wheat (Luke 22:31-34). Peter’s denying Jesus was a work of Satan! Satan wants us to fear and to deny; instead of giving in to Satan, we need to confess Jesus.
Aside from Peter, there were some Pharisees who believed in Jesus, but were too afraid to confess Him, because the rest of the Jewish council were against Jesus (John 12:42-43). Joseph appeared to be a member of the Sanhedrin council too, which may explain his fear. Regarding these Pharisees who did not confess Jesus, it is written that they “loved the praises of men more than the praises of God.” Our fear shows that we love men’s approval more than we love God’s approval. However, at the end of the day, it is only God’s approval that matters!
Confessing Jesus is important also because it is a sign of our faith. As it is written, “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). If we are too scared to confess Jesus, then we need to ask ourselves: do we really have faith? Also, by confessing Jesus, we are helping to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, according to His Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). Hence, confession is a vital aspect of the daily Christian life.
Joseph: From fear to faith
Although Joseph was said to follow Jesus secretly, it is apparent that his faith grew and he became more emboldened in following Jesus. Here are 3 evidences of his courage:
1. He did not consent to Jesus' trial by the Jews (Luke 23:50-51)
Apparently, while the rest of the Jewish council condemned Jesus during their “trials,” Joseph refused to give his consent towards their actions. The exact details of what transpired are not revealed in Scripture. However, we can probably surmise that, by not giving his consent, he would have made his stance clear to all that he was on Jesus’ side. Such a stance may incur the wrath of the other council members, and perhaps lead to his expulsion. Nevertheless, Joseph had courage.
Today, there are many in this world who are against Jesus, and they may even speak lies and falsehoods against Jesus. There may be those who have been misled by these falsehoods. We do not want to consent to nor partake in these lies (2 John 1:9-11). Instead of consenting to these lies, we need to make our belief and stance clear to all. By making our faith in Jesus known to all, we are confessing Jesus Christ.
2. He went boldly before Pilate (Mark 15:43)
Pontius Pilate, as the Roman governor of Judaea, had authority bestowed from Rome. He even had the power to send Jesus to His death. Nevertheless, Joseph was not afraid to go before Pilate to request for Jesus’ body, so that he could give Jesus a decent burial. He may have been a “secret disciple” before, but now we can see his courage on display!
As we go out to evangelize, we also may face fears of rejection and persecution. We ought not allow these fears to stop us from opening our mouths. We want to be bold like Joseph, so that we can overcome our fears and speak the good news of Jesus. In the face of persecution, the apostles prayed to God for boldness to speak (Acts 4:29). We too can make the same prayer for boldness that we may speak the good news everywhere we go.
3. He buried Jesus’ body in his own tomb (Matthew 27:59-60)
After having obtained the body of Jesus, Joseph proceeded to wrap the body in fine linen, with spices, and laid it in a tomb that he had previously purchased for himself. In fact, it was a brand new tomb, in which no one had occupied before (Matthew 27:59-60; Luke 23:52-53; John 19:40). It was truly very generous of Joseph to donate his own tomb for Jesus’ burial, and to prepare all the necessary things to give Jesus a proper burial. This was apparently all done at his personal expense, and it was an expression of his faith and love towards Jesus Christ.
As we confess Jesus in our daily lives, we will be required to sacrifice daily for our Lord Jesus. As Christians, we ought to present our bodies as a “living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1-2). As followers of Jesus, we are called to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily (Luke 9:23). The work of evangelism will certainly require personal sacrifice. We may be called to go the extra mile for a lost soul. Our evangelistic efforts may invite suffering and rejection. Are we willing to pay the cost? Many have paid the cost because of their faith and love in Jesus Christ! Let us, also, publicly confess Jesus at all cost!
Joseph of Arimathea may have started out a secret disciple, but he ended up as a faithful and courageous disciple of Christ. Perhaps we may have started out shy and timid too. However, may we grow in our faith day by day, so that we can confess our Lord without fear, and bring the good news to all the lost souls in this world.
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