They Risked it All to Bury their Lord Jesus Christ
38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. 39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
Comment: Joseph of Arimathea appears in all the gospels and only concerning the burial of Jesus Christ. We are told that he was a secret disciple of Jesus Christ, a member of the Jewish council who did not consent to the decision and action of the council regarding Jesus, he was a righteous man and was looking for the Kingdom of God. Although in John 12:42-43, John rebukes secret discipleship, here John paints a picture of Joseph who is a man of courage who took a huge risk to go and ask Pilate for Jesus’s body so that he can bury Him. This would have exposed him to great suffering at the hands of the Jewish council. Pilate agreed that Joseph can have the body. Nicodemus whom we hear of in John 3, also came in with spices and a linen cloth according to custom. Both these men were looking for the kingdom of God and risked their lives and livelihood and standing in the Jewish council to bury their Lord. There was a new tomb nearby and because of the day of preparation and the closeness of the tomb, they decided to bury Jesus in this tomb.
Message: Just like Jesus indicated in Luke 9:23 and Luke 14:26, these men were willing to lose it all for and suffer greatly for their Lord Jesus.