He asked for Jesus’ body

He asked for Jesus’ body

Scripture:

⁵⁷ As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. ⁵⁹ Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. ⁶¹ Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

Observation:

After the Lord’s death, Joseph of Arimathea took the initiative to ask Pilate for Jesus’ body and after wrapping it with clean linen cloth, placed it in his own new tomb he had cut out of the rock. Then he had a big stone rolled in front of the entrance and went away. Mentioned in all the four gospels, Joseph here is described as a rich man, a member of the Sanhedrin, and a secret disciple of Jesus. The reference to Joseph’s wealth could have been Matthew’s intention to link this even to Isaiah 53, where the prophecy speaks of Jesus being assigned a grave with the rich in his death. The tomb was certainly prepared for the rich man Joseph himself, and in those days, only someone rich could arrange to have such a tomb hewn out of the rock for himself. In ensuring Jesus got a proper burial, and even availing his own tomb to Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea showed his reverence and love for the Lord. We also see in this passage, the great faithfulness of Mary Magdalene and the other Mary who sat opposite the tomb grieving for Jesus.

Application:-

In offering his own tomb for Jesus’ burial, Joseph of Arimathea was indicating that he was willing to die in the same place as Jesus. These type of tombs would usually be used by Joseph and his close family members upon their demise. From a spiritual point of view, when we are baptized into Jesus, we are also baptized into his death. We also take our place with Him in the tomb, where our old man remains. At the same time, we are resurrected with Him to new life, symbolized from our emergence from the water. In beholding this incident, we are reminded of Paul’s words, that the new has come and the old has gone.

From another perspective, consider how It was a brand new tomb. Joseph must have been very satisfied when it was finished, sure it would provide the resting place for he and his close family in time to come. However, once the Lord was crucified, Joseph realized that the tomb had to be given up for an even more noble purpose, to be used by the Lord, and He was ready to make that sacrifice. For many of us too, we may have been building up something for years when suddenly we are called to give it up for the Lord, for some noble purpose. We need to be ready to let go, to remember that all that we have belongs to the Lord anyway and be willing to let Him use it for His greater purposes.

One more point has to do with the risk Joseph of Arimathea took. He was a prominent member of the Sanhedrin. His peers would look with disdain at how he took great trouble to provide his tomb for the Lord, treating Him with honor. After all, Jesus had been their number one enemy. It is written that Joseph went boldly to Pilate to request for Jesus’ body. He risked the ill favor of the High Priest and his fellow Council members, but this was the time that he had to do what he had to do. We too, when called, need to be able to stand up and take that risk for the Lord.

Prayer:

Let us remember dear Lord, that when You died and were buried, our old man, our old selves also died and were buried with You. We praise You, too, Lord, that when You rose, we too rise with You to new life. We thank You, Lord, for the example of Joseph of Arimathea, who risked much to honor You in his hour of destiny. He took the step to come forward and honor You by giving up his own brand new tomb he had worked hard to prepare for himself. Help us too be willing to let go and surrender our work to You when You call us to. All things belong to You O Lord. Help us not become attached to the  temporal things in life. Let us not be driven by fear of men, but help us walk in boldness and humility in Your ways. In Jesus name, Amen.