From Secret to Courageous Follower

Today is Good Friday. As I’ve been thinking about the Lord’s death, Joseph of Arimathea stirs my imagination.

TRUTH TALK Insight: John 19:38

Joseph, the Secret Follower

John, one of the Lord’s disciples, tells us,

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 (John 6:38 NIV, emphasis mine).

Joseph was a biblical figure mentioned in all four gospels. While little is known about him, we do know that he was part of the Sanhedrin (Luke 23:50), the group that called for Christ’s crucifixion.

Joseph did not consent to the Jewish Council’s decision and action against Jesus (Luke 23:51). He wanted to know more about God’s Kingdom and secretly followed Jesus.

As a young woman, I remember being greatly convicted that I was a secret follower, or as an evangelist described it, a “Secret Service Christian.” I was afraid to identify too closely with Jesus.

That changed later as I fully realized how He identified with me on the cross—exchanging my sin and condemnation for His righteousness and salvation (2 Corinthians 5:21). How could I do less than give Him my all after all He did for me?

Joseph, the Courageous Follower

Joseph was a wealthy, good, and upright man. He was no doubt courageous in keeping the law as a good member of the Sanhedrin. But he is best known to Christians as the man who risked everything to request the crucified body of Jesus from Pilate. This was significant because many criminals’ bodies were left on crosses for weeks to deter other criminals.

An interesting sidenote, but not unimportant: Nicodemus—the Pharisee who came to Jesus with questions (John 3:1-21) and later defended Him before the Sanhedrin (John 7:50-51)—accompanied Joseph to prepare the Lord’s body for burial. Perhaps they’d been discussing Nicodemus’ encounter with Jesus because they were both searching for the truth about Him. I like to think they were beginning to understand Jesus was their promised, long-awaited Messiah.

The Lord’s burial was unlike the way others deemed as criminals were treated in Rome. Romans discarded criminals in empty tombs (often mass graves), buried them under a rock pile, or tossed them into pits with trash. Yet Jesus was buried in a private tomb.

Nicodemus brought an expensive mix of spices for the Lord’s burial, and, because it was the Day of Preparation before the Sabbath, Joseph and Nicodemus quickly placed Jesus’ body in wealthy Joseph’s new tomb (John 19:38-40). This fulfilled an Old Testament prophecy:

He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death (Isaiah 53:9).

John 19:41-42 explains that “no one had yet been laid” in Joseph’s tomb. This conformed to Jewish customs of a dishonorable burial, and most Jewish leaders believed Jesus was a condemned criminal.

God Uses the Fearful and Courageous

The Lord’s trusted disciples had fled and were undoubtedly grieving, so they were not likely part of this scenario. How sad that they did not come together in that moment to care for His battered body. But God had a plan. God always has a plan!

God had been working in two Pharisees’ hearts, and they stepped forward courageously in this moment. In Truth Talk for Hurting Hearts, I wrote that after Christ’s death, Joseph “did the next logical thing” in asking for the Lord’s body, and His simple act of compassion was part of enabling the disciples and followers to move forward after the Lord’s resurrection.

I’m curious whether the disciples later expressed gratitude to these two men. I’m grateful that this secret follower, Joseph, became a courageous believer. I’m grateful Nicodemus helped Joseph that day. Someday, I want to meet them in heaven and say, “Thank you!”

These Bible verses remind me that God uses all kinds of people, and they often get transformed in the process. They also remind me never to look down on anyone because we’re all created in His image. They remind me to see people the way God does and consider how He might use them for His glory.

Are you a secret follower of Jesus? Where can you step up in courage to do the next logical thing to obey Him, showing the world how much you love Him?

Dawn Wilson, the founder and director of Heart Choices Today, is the creator of Truth Talk with Dawn. She is a regular columnist at Crosswalk and Arise Daily. Dawn’s co-authored book is Truth Talk for Hurting Hearts: Discover Peace and Comfort Through God’s Perspective. She and her husband live in sunny Southern California. They have two grown, married sons and three granddaughters she affectionately calls her “kiddles.”

Graphic from the LUMO Project, FreeBibleImages.org, on the Barnabus Today website.