The Cross: And What It Means for Lost Humanity:
Joseph of Arimathea - from Passivity to Mission
NOTES PREPARED BY PAUL BARKER
Focus Statement:
He was a secret disciple and member of the Council, but the cross motivated him to action.
Take faith-filled risks—even if it’s not your responsibility.
Take faith-filled risks—even if it’s costly.
Take faith-filled risks—even when it seems too late.
Text:
Mark 15:42–46 (ESV)
And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.
Luke 23:50–51 (ESV)
Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God.
John 19:38 (ESV)
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.
The Text in the Story of Redemption
Though the story of Jesus’ burial by Joseph of Arimathea is short, all four gospel writers include it, underscoring its importance.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each record the details of Jesus’ burial because of its narrative, apologetic, prophetic, and instructional importance.
First, from a storytelling perspective, Jesus’ burial is a crucial step in the narrative, bridging the events of the crucifixion on Friday with the empty tomb on Sunday.
This short account is essential to moving the story toward its climax.
Second, the details of Jesus’ burial provide important historical facts that early Christians used as an apologetic defense against claims that Jesus did not truly die on the cross and, therefore, could not have risen from the dead.
Third, this burial fulfills prophetic scripture, as early interpreters noted.
Jesus’ burial in Joseph’s tomb fulfills the prophecy in Isaiah 53:9, which says, “And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.”
Finally, the story holds instructional significance for all believers.
Joseph of Arimathea, a relatively obscure disciple, exemplifies a journey of faith and discipleship, moving from passivity to bold action in serving Jesus’ mission.
What does Joseph’s story mean for us?
The short answer is this: If we want to move from passivity to mission, as Joseph did, we must be willing to take faith-filled risks.
But before exploring this key idea, let’s first understand Joseph of Arimathea and why he initially acted with passivity and secrecy.
Background on Joseph of Arimathea
The gospels provide several insights into Joseph’s character and position.
1. He was a “respected member of the council” (Mark 15:43).
The council is the Sanhedrin, the first-century Jewish equivalent of the Supreme Court.
Though the Jews were under Roman rule, the Sanhedrin remained the most powerful and prestigious legal body in the Jewish world.
This council tried and condemned Jesus (Matthew 26:57–68), though they needed Pilate’s approval to carry out the death sentence (Matthew 27:1-2, 11–26).
2. He was “a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action” (Luke 23:50–51).
Though the details are unclear, Luke emphasizes that Joseph either protested the council’s decision to condemn Jesus or was absent during the trial.
Despite his prominence in the Sanhedrin, Joseph did not share the guilt of condemning Jesus.
3. He was “looking for the kingdom of God” (Luke 23:51).
He was one of those Jews who had not given up hope that the Messiah would come and deliver his people.
At some point during Jesus’ ministry, Joseph encountered Jesus’ teaching and the claim that he was the Messiah.
While we don’t know the specifics of Joseph’s encounters with Jesus, we know that the good news reached him.
4. He was a “disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews” (John 19:38).
Although the other gospels imply Joseph’s secrecy, John makes it explicit.
This is probably because John is interested that many more believed in Jesus than openly followed him (see John 12:42–43), like Nicodemus (John 3:1), another prominent Jewish leader who was a secret disciple of Jesus.
The Surprising Story of Jesus’ Burial
The story of Jesus’ burial by Joseph is simple but full of surprising elements.
The first surprise is that Joseph, a secret disciple and prominent council member, was the one who asked for Jesus’ body—not a family member or well-known disciple.
The second surprise is that this secret follower of Jesus suddenly took such a significant risk, choosing to associate himself with someone the Romans had just executed.
Third, Joseph made this bold move at a time when Jesus’ messianic mission appeared to have failed.
From Passivity to Mission
These surprises give us the key to understanding how Joseph went from passivity to mission, from fear to boldness.
By asking Pilate for Jesus’ body and taking responsibility for burying him, Joseph took a mission-driven, faith-filled risk that changed everything for him.
Let’s examine what we can learn from this short but powerful story.
1. Take mission-driven, faith-filled risks—even if it’s not your responsibility.
The first thing we can learn from Joseph is to take faith-filled risks—even if it’s not your responsibility.
It should surprise readers from any generation that a completely unknown character in the story shows up after Jesus’ death and takes responsibility to bury Jesus.
Why didn’t his family members or disciples bury Jesus? We don’t know the answer, but we have a few clues.
Jesus’ disciples probably didn’t volunteer to bury Jesus because they were afraid of being associated with him and being executed, too.
However, more fundamentally, Jesus’ family and close followers probably didn’t volunteer to bury Jesus because people the Romans crucified were usually not granted the honor of a proper burial. Usually, birds and dogs ate their bodies. The only exception was for crucified people who had family members or friends with high status.
Enter, Joseph of Arimathea. As a secret disciple, he was not known as a close associate of Jesus; however, his status as a member of the Sanhedrin enabled him to gain an audience with Pilate and make such a request.
That said, it’s still remarkable that he did this because he was incurring the same risks that the other disciples were terrified of—being associated with someone whom the Romans had condemned of treason and executed.
Joseph could have easily assumed that Jesus’ family or twelve disciples would (or at least should) take responsibility for his burial.
No one would have thought this was his responsibility, but Joseph took a faith-filled risk to identify with Jesus and provide a proper burial for him.
Application:
How often do we avoid taking mission-driven, faith-filled risks and remain passive because we assume someone else will take responsibility?
We are usually experts at assigning work and responsibility to others and arguing why other people should be in line ahead of us.
2. Take mission-driven, faith-filled risks—even if it’s costly.
The second thing we can learn from Joseph is to take mission-driven, faith-filled risks—even if they’re costly.
None of the gospel writers record the consequences of Joseph’s decision.
But we can easily imagine the costly risks that Joseph considered before he made the fateful decision to talk to Pilate and ask for Jesus’ body.
First, Joseph knew that burying Jesus could cost him his respected position with the Sanhedrin.
Less than 24 hours earlier, they had condemned Jesus to death, and now he was identifying with the man whom they condemned as a blasphemer.
John notes that some of the religious leaders believed in Jesus, “but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue” (John 12:42).
Joseph knew his decision could cost him his status and respect with his people.
Second, Joseph knew that burying Jesus could cost him his civic freedoms under Roman occupation.
To the Jewish leaders, Jesus was a blasphemer, but to the Romans, Jesus was an insurrectionist, as his death by crucifixion communicated.
For Joseph to ask Pilate, the Roman governor, for Jesus’ body was to identify with a traitor to the Roman Empire.
Minimally, this could mark him as a person of suspicion.
At worst, he could end up with the same fate if Jesus’ movement continued to cause problems for the Romans.
Joseph could have weighed the cost of this risk and decided that it was too risky to bury Jesus.
But he didn’t.
He made a bold decision and took a risk to identify with Jesus.
Application:
How often do we avoid taking mission-driven, faith-filled risks and remain passive because we think the cost is too high?
3. Take mission-driven, faith-filled risks—even when it seems too late.
The final thing we can learn from Joseph is to take mission-driven, faith-filled risks—even when it seems too late.
Joseph’s stand for Jesus is oddly timed.
If Joseph thought Jesus was the Messiah, he should have made his belief public sooner—perhaps even appealing to the council not to condemn Jesus to death.
Making a public stand for Jesus after his death seems like a bold move made too late.
Did Joseph still think Jesus was the Messiah?
Did he know about Jesus’ predictions of his resurrection?
Or did Joseph feel like Jesus was simply a good man—a would-be Messiah—who was unjustly executed and therefore deserved a proper burial?
We simply don’t know.
However, the fact that Joseph took this radical risk when it seemed too late says something about his faith and his devotion to Jesus.
Furthermore, Joseph’s faith-filled risk was honored when his tomb became the site of the greatest miracle in human history—the resurrection of Jesus.
Application:
How often do we avoid taking faith-filled risks and remain passive because we think we’ve missed our chance?
How often do we assume the window for bold, mission-driven, faith-filled action has closed and stay passive because the timing seems inopportune?
Conclusion:
If we want to move from passivity to mission, we can follow in Joseph’s footsteps and take faith-filled risks:
—even when it’s not our responsibility.
—even when it’s costly.
—even when it seems too late.
These faith-filled risks will not make sense to most people, and sometimes they won’t even make sense to us, but we can take them in faith because we follow a crucified and resurrected Savior.
When we consider the risk that Jesus took for us, no risk we make for Jesus is too costly or too late for him.
Four Questions
1. How is God glorified in the text?
God is glorified in the text because acts of faith-filled risk glorify God.
When disciples take Jesus at his word and do bold things for him, he is glorified in our lives, and we are satisfied, no matter the outcome.
2. How is our heart transformed in the text?
Our hearts are transformed when we know that God can take passive, insignificant disciples and make them integral players in his grand story of redemption.
Knowing that God sees people who are afraid but have just a little faith and that he gives us opportunities to be bold and take risks for him even when it seems too late should fill us with hope and joy.
3. How is the mission accelerated in the text?
The mission is accelerated in this text when we see how seemingly small human participation (burying Jesus) can have exponentially multiplied significance when God demonstrates his power and intervenes in everyday human affairs.
Joseph wanted to do something to honor Jesus, but his actions set the stage for something much more significant than a simple (though risky) act of personal devotion.
4. What is the gospel application of the text?
The gospel application is this—no matter how much it costs us to follow Jesus, we can be assured that it cost him more to redeem us.
And no matter how big of a risk we think we are taking to obey Jesus, we can trust our lives and our decisions to him.
Joseph probably believed that Jesus really “needed” him to give him a proper burial.
Still, Joseph had no idea that God was giving him the honor of participating in a greater story that changed not only Joseph’s life but all of human history.