It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 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. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid. Mark 15:42-47
“Joseph of Arimathea…is a respected “member of the council” and is described as a figure “looking for” the kingdom of God… He must attend to the dead body of Jesus so that the law not be offended. Mark notes that this action calls for courage… The mention of Joseph’s need for courage indicates that he is crossing the line between the governor and those governed. How will he be judged as he asks for the body of someone the Romans have executed under the title, “The King of the Jews.” The actions of Joseph, described above, portray him as a righteous Jew, giving Jesus the burial which he believed was in accordance with the law, even at some personal risk. However, at another level, the reader senses that Joseph is more than a pious Jew. This hitherto unknown character can be contrasted to the frightened and fleeing disciples. Mark portrays Joseph as doing something the disciples had feared to do: he associates himself with the crucified Jesus. But Joseph is not the focus of the passage. He asks Pilate “for the body of Jesus…” The description of the hurried burial follows… Jesus is taken down from the cross, wrapped in a newly bought linen cloth and laid in a tomb.”
Francis J. Moloney in The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2002) 334-35.
On Good Friday, Jesus died on the cross for our sins (as pictured above at Sacred Heart Retreat Center in Sedalia, Colorado, where my wife, Jenni, and I walked the Stations of the Sross with our neighbors, Ken and Carol Sharp, yesterday). This marked the greatest gift in all human history.
On this day we reflect on the courage of Joseph. Moloney rightly notes how the Gospel of Mark contrasts the “frightened and fleeing disciples” with Joseph who, despite the danger, “associates himself with the crucified Jesus.” Joseph displays courage, likely risks his reputation on the council, spends money purchasing the linen cloth, and orchestrates the effort to place the body of Jesus in a tomb.
May all of us courageously risk life, reputation, and money in associating with Jesus, like Joseph of Arimathea. Let us worry not what people think of us or our actions, knowing that God sees everything. We are part of the larger story of making Christ known to the world through our humble obedience.