"After this, Joseph of Arimathea being 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." John 19:38 NKJV
At this time, many people were interested in Jesus and followed Him everywhere. However, they were more interested in the signs that He performed, rather than in Jesus Himself. Thus, they were not identifying themselves with Him and Jesus knew this and didn't give Himself fully to them, because He knew what was in men John 2:23-25. These people were not yet ready for what Jesus had for them. There is a lot of of truth in that for most people today because they seek what Jesus can do for them instead of seeking Him for who He is.
There were two prominent men who were secret disciples. One was Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. We will look at Nicodemus tomorrow so let's concentrate on Joseph. He was a rich. powerful and prominent man in society, a member of the Sanhedrin and yet, he had been a disciple for quite a while. However, with his position in society and being a member of the Sanhedrin, who had been plotting Jesus' death, he kept himself to himself. Perhaps when the Sanhedrin had been debating about what to do about Jesus, he had remained quiet, letting the other's speak. However, when Jesus had been crucified, something happened to him. He decided that he would no longer hide away under the shield of his status and went to Pilate and requested that he be allowed to take Jesus' body away for burial to a tomb that was prepared for Him. Pilate allowed this. This was a dangerous thing for Joseph to do because burying a crucified man would mean that this 'criminal' had dramatically changed his life.
One can say, that Joseph was frightened of being recognised as a follower of Jesus; and this is true. Many people today are scared to admit that they are a Christian because of the reprisals that they may suffer, therefore, they live in a cloak of secrecy. We should never be this way and Joseph finally realised this, otherwise he would never have became so public that he went to claim Jesus' body from Pilate. He must have felt that it was time to 'fly the flag'. And it is time for us to do the same. Jesus knows our hearts; He knows who is willing to live the life no matter what the cost. It is all about standing up for Jesus. We do this for our football teams, or for protests about this and that. Isn't it about time that we make that stand for Jesus and stop living a life of secrecy?
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.
Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
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