The Nobility of Joseph And Nicodemus

in
 

John 19:38-42

38 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. 39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventyfive pounds in weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

 
 

Sundown Friday is fast approaching, and because that Saturday was not just a normal Sabbath day, but a “high day” (i.e., Passover—see 19:31), Joseph and Nicodemus have to work quickly to at least get Jesus laid in a tomb before the holiday begins. Fortunately, Joseph owns a tomb very close by the site of the crucifixion, and so they rush to get Jesus’s body laid there. (The reason the women come back so early on Sunday morning is to finish the job of properly preparing the corpse for burial.)

This is the first mention John makes of Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus has been mentioned twice previously. The amount of spices Nicodemus brings is astounding—100 lbs.!—and the expense must have been immense.

It is important that the tomb is a brand new, empty tomb, so that no one can claim that somehow there was a mix-up with the body.

QUESTION OF THE DAY
Nicodemus and Joseph are both fearful of the Jews, and yet they do something brave and noble anyway. I wonder how often a brave action, done in spite of fear, is much more important than we can possibly know at the time?