Joseph of Arimathea

Today the church remembers Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy man (by Matthew’s account) and a secret follower of Jesus for fear of the Jewish leaders (according to John) and himself a member of the Sanhedrin though not in accord with the decision to convict Jesus (says Luke). Mark and Luke also say that Joseph was “waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God” (Mark 15:43; Luke 23:51). It’s fair to say that Joseph risked a great deal by going to Pilate to request permission to take down Jesus’ body from the cross. This request is, of course, granted and Joseph puts Jesus in his own garden tomb. John’s account says that Nicodemus helped him bury Jesus and perform the ritualistic anointing of aloes and spices and wrapping the body in linens. Joseph and Nicodemus both bring some dignity to Jesus’ death. Even though he died a criminal, he is buried like a prince.

What moved Joseph to do this? Surely there was some risk in his request to Pilate. The following passages in Matthew show the Pharisees and chief priest requesting Pilate for guards at the tomb, so they know where Jesus is buried and possibly whose tomb it is. Is it too much teasing of the text to suggest that Joseph risked his status to give Christ the status he deserved? That this poor carpenter born in squalor should be buried in grandeur? Only after Christ died was Joseph willing or daring enough to put his faith out into the open. Christ’s death moved Joseph to give up his future burial place; he invited Christ to take his place in the grave. Surely this is not too much of a stretch theologically.

All four Gospel writers mention Joseph of Arimathea’s actions. This must be significant. It must mean more than just an answer to the question, “How did Jesus get from the cross to the tomb?” One reason is that his actions were a sign of his attempt to keep the Law, which stated that criminals were to be buried the same day of their execution. The Romans would’ve left the body there for scavengers to consume. There ought not be such a fate for the body of our Lord. The significance of this is that it is one more example of Jesus’ Judaism. Even in his burial, Jewish customs are enacted.

Perhaps a key to the significance of Joseph’s actions is found in the descriptive phrase, “he was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God.” By burying Jesus, Joseph was still moving forward. Surely he had no idea of the coming Resurrection, but he must have had notions of the promises of God. I am reminded of the story, I forget where I first heard it, of a group of Jews in a concentration camp during the Holocaust. There were some lawyers in the group, and in their misery they decided to put God on trial to see if he had abandoned them. The set up a mock court room, presented evidence for and against God, and rendered their verdict: God had indeed abandoned them. Just then, they noticed that the sun was setting. It was now Friday evening: it was time for Shabbat. The ended their trial and began their worship.

In my sheltered, comfortable world, I am daily shielded from the death, famine, decay, and injustice that most of the world experiences regularly. When I do come in contact with it, my first impulse is to hide from it, to ignore it, or to look beyond it. I have never been at a point in my life where things were so bad—from all angles—that I felt like God had abandoned me completely. Usually, when I feel like God has abandoned me, I think it’s probably because I did something to make him turn away. It doesn’t take much for me to slack off on spiritual disciplines.

What must it be like to have so much evil around you, to be acutely aware of it, to see its ugly face, to feel its claws pressing into your raw flesh? If I abandon God when I experience a minor personal setback, do I have the faith to remain with God when something really bad happens?

This is perhaps too tangential to the story of Joseph of Arimathea. The overall point, though, is that God’s promises are true. God’s promises are the bedrock of our faith, embodied in the Incarnation of Jesus and the Spirit-filled church. In all things, let us worship and live expectantly.