SECRET FOLLOWERS Joseph of Arimathea

Joseph of Arimathea… Anyone know anything about him?

Here is my Top Ten list:

1. Prominent member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the nation of Israel.
2. Good and upright
3. Did not consent to Jesus’ death.
4. Waiting for the Kingdom of God
5. Rich
6. Boldly asked Pilate for Jesus’ body
7. Put body in his new garden tomb with the help of Nicodemus. Made sure stone closed the tomb.
8. Provided the linen cloth and 75 pounds of costly spices.
9. Feared the Jews.
10. A Secret Follower of Jesus. Is that an oxymoron?

I marvel how a Secret Follower can suddenly come out of the shadows and is still talked about to this day. Theologically he did something very strategic. Our faith is built on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:1-4). The cross and empty tomb get all the attention, but the burial is often overlooked. We are not going to do that today.

It is always easy to assume dead bodies were buried somewhere. No way. Crucified criminals were normally taken off crosses and thrown into the garbage dump to be eaten by scavenging animals and vultures. No Joseph, No Body to resurrect. No empty tomb. Without Joseph of Arimathea there would have been no fulfillment of the messianic promise of the Messiah being buried in a rich man’s tomb (Is. 53:9). Thank you, Joseph!

Joseph is also a good example of how it is never too late to step out and never too late to make a big difference. He had no idea he was merely loaning the tomb. Did you ever think about how much Jesus loves to use borrowed stuff? He used a borrowed feeding trough. He used a borrowed boat…. coin… boat… lunchbox… donkey… garden… upper room and he used a borrowed tomb for three days. Do you have anything you can let Jesus borrow today?

Think of Joseph physically removing Jesus from the cross. Think of how gruesome the scene was while lowering the scourged, bloodied, beaten and crucified body. What was it like to loosen the nails? Did he cry or hold the body in a stunned silence?

Joseph may have been a Secret Disciple for a while but when crunch time came the well-known disciples were hiding while he was making Kingdom history. The old saying goes, “Christians are like teabags, you don’t truly know what is in them until they are put in hot water.” Who am I to blast a Secret Disciple if God did not? You never know when someone is moving from fear to faith… cowardly to courageous.

Thank you again to the Secret Follower no more.

Dr. Michael Sprague serves as Louisiana State Chaplain with the Capitol Commission and President of Grace Adventures. He ministers in a non-partisan pastoral role at the Baton Rouge Capitol, offering Bible studies, prayer, and spiritual care to leaders. A former senior pastor, he holds degrees from the University of Maryland, Capital Bible Seminary, and Dallas Theological Seminary. He helped launch Touch Global Crisis Response after Hurricane Katrina and authored two books. Michael does life in Mandeville, LA with his wife Donna. His motto is “Bet the Farm on God,” reflecting his passion to help others know Jesus. You can find more information about Michael here.  

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