50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. 54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.
Luke does not tells us, but Matthew spills the beans, that Joseph was a disciple of Jesus – albeit an incognito one for fear of the Jews as John divulges in his gospel:
57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Matt 27:57 (NIV)
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. John 19:38-39 (NIV)
“Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.” Sir William Osler
Interestingly, we have presented here two secret followers of our Lord bravely stepping up to the plate. No longer would they be able to hide their loyalty to our Savior. Boldly asking Pilate’s permission for Jesus’ body, their desire was to give Him a fitting burial. The disciples, on the other hand, were nowhere to be found.
“Joseph and Nicodemus’ act of love and respect for the body of Jesus was for them dangerous, costly, and without any personal gain. The service of Christians for their living Lord should be equally courageous and sacrificial, for their labor is not in vain.” Bible Knowledge Commentary
Paul tells us in First Corinthians that our labor for the Lord will never be empty, vain, ineffective or useless:
58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Cor 15:58 (NIV)
“Scars are the price which every believer pays for his loyalty to Christ.” William Hendriksen
“There must be a practical outworking of our faith here in this present world, or it will never endure in the world to come. We need fewer words and more charitable works; less palaver and more pity; less repetition of creed and more compassion.” Billy Graham
“Christians shouldn’t be surprised when, in seeking to do God’s will, we find ourselves trapped in painful, frightening, difficult, or impossible situations. Life is hard – especially for Christians.” Robert J. Morgan
Carefully and tenderly Joseph and Nicodemus loving unfastened the “fullness of the Godhead bodily” from the cross. The nails of which we were all responsible for hammering into His hands and feet - painstakingly removed. You can sense the kindness of these men as they wrap our Savior’s body in clean linen. John tells us that Nicodemus brought about seventy-five pounds of a mixture of myrrh and aloes – an extensive amount of spices - of which they placed upon Him securing it with strips of linen:
39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. John 19:39-40 (NIV)
The sweet, tender care they took over Jesus’ body reminded me of a story I once heard where a mother’s child had recently died. In an effort to bring comfort, many were telling her that he was no longer in that body but that he was in heaven with Jesus. While certainly true, the mother responded with the following: “But I loved that body”; “I took care of that body”; “I fed and bathed and nursed and rocked that body”. While we all know that our bodies are wasting away while our spirits live on, I am ministered to by the care of these two men of our Lord’s body. It was indeed an expression of deep sacrificial love.
“...Jesus showed us what God really wants to cleanse and purify—our hearts. Christ’s transforming work on the cross helps us to break free from desires that hold us in bondage. As we submit to God, we become like Christ, no longer wanting to offend God. Out of gratitude we obey Him from the inside out.” Tremper Longman, Reading the Bible with Heart and Mind
"Our Creator is infinitely good, and His will is love: to submit to one who is 'too wise to err, too good to be unkind,' should not be hard." C.H. Spurgeon
6 With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:6-8 (NIV)