John 19:38-20:9
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
20:1Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) [1]
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What struck me in this passage today was the courage of Joseph and Nicodemus. Until this point their connection with Jesus was secret. But now they come out in the open in a rather profound way. I’m sure it was the hope of the Chief Priests and Sanhedrin that Jesus’ body would be disposed of in a nondescript common grave for criminals. As a condemned blasphemer, this is only kind of burial they would believe he deserved. I’m sure that was the ending they had hoped for to the whole messy Jesus situation.
But Joseph and Nicodemus upset those plans. By taking charge of the body of Jesus and giving it a decent and proper burial, they were letting the world know that they did not agree with the condemnation and execution of Jesus. No doubt this was part of the topic of conversation around Jerusalem as the members of the Sanhedrin and the chief priests retired to their homes to observe the Sabbath. No doubt the word spread throughout the synagogues of the city on that Sabbath day.
Why did they do this? I doubt they understood the resurrection since apparently none of the disciples did. Jesus’ movement had ultimately been a failure in the eyes of the world. Why come out in support of Him at the moment of His defeat? Why risk the social and political fallout that was sure to come?
Scripture doesn’t give us a glimpse into the minds of Joseph and Nicodemus so we don’t know what all they were thinking. I can only surmise that they did what they did because it was the right thing to do. They believe who Jesus claimed to be, and belated though it was, wanted to express their loyalty to him. The trial had been an injustice. And this was their way of saying no to the judgment of the Sanhedrin, and yes to the teachings of Jesus.
So what strikes me is the courage to do the right thing because it is the right thing. To act as a disciple of Jesus no matter the future cost. To express my loyalty and devotion to Jesus no matter how difficult and unpopular.
My prayer today is for such courage as a disciple. No I’m not facing the opposition that kept Nicodemus and Joseph quiet for so long. But there are many ways in which courage is called for in living as a disciples, and following Jesus in everyday life. My prayer is for that courage today.
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
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[1] The New International Version. 2011 (Jn 19:38–20:9). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
