He Claimed Jesus When No One Else Would: Joseph of Arimathea

I came to know Jesus at a very early age. It was not a difficult or costly decision: as a matter of fact, my decision was celebrated by all around me, peers and family alike. It was not a challenging decision because, all my life, Jesus has been considered by most people to be some sort of superhero or rockstar. As a matter of fact, when I was a child there was even a popular musical entitled, Jesus Christ Superstar. I have visited glorious cathedrals like the one in Milan, Italy, built in His honor. I have joined the millions who have toured through the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica. I’ve stood in line in Bethlehem to pass through the Church of the Annunciation marking the place where Jesus was born. I’ve passed through sets of doubled doors, where the outside air was vacuumed away, before entering a room where I might gaze upon Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. I’ve attended sold-out Christian concerts. I’ve bought and proudly worn Christian apparel. I’ve attended Christian camps. I have, at least in part, been educated in Christian schools, surrounded by Christian friends, and Christian professors. I’ve watched the whole world celebrate His birth at Christmas and mourn his loss, in bright new clothes, at Easter. Claiming Jesus has never been much of a risk to me. That was not true for Joseph of Arimathea.

Claiming Jesus

Joseph of Arimathea has only one scene in the Bible, but all four of the gospels record the event, and what an amazing event it was. The gospels state that after Jesus had died on the cross that a “secret” disciple named Joseph went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Now this Joseph was no ordinary man. The text reveals that he was a member of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was the 71 member Supreme Court of the Jewish world. Actually, the text states that he was not just a member of the Sanhedrin but a “prominent” member of the Sanhedrin.

Can you begin to grasp the full depth of what Joseph did that day? John might have called him a secret disciple, but this might have been one of the boldest affirmations of Jesus in all of the Bible. Let me explain with an illustration. We live in a “protest-ready society.” Turn on your news almost any night and you are likely to watch news coverage of the protest du jour. Everybody has their preprinted signs all ready to go. Maybe so, but not on that day in Jerusalem. I can find no evidence of throngs of people who had signs that read, “I’m with Jesus.” As a matter of fact, the night before His crucifixion, Jesus’ closest follower, Peter, denied that he had ever met Jesus — three times. And when he was crucified none of his disciples showed up to claim Him. If Joseph had wanted to remain in the shadows he could have just said — done, nothing. Could

we blame him? Jesus was dead. The disciples thought the gig was up. The women were preparing spices that were meant for a corpse. It was pretty clear to all who had watched that day, that the story of Jesus was over, so it appeared. Yet Joseph, a high ranking political figure, went and asked for the body of a heretic. On a day when it would have been unpopular and perhaps dangerous to do so, Joseph claimed Jesus. On a day when others deserted him, Joseph claimed Jesus. On a day when no crowds were clamoring to be near him, Joseph claimed Jesus. On a day when no one wanted Him, Joseph claimed Jesus.

A Question

As the cultural norms in our society change, it is becoming increasingly “less popular” to be recognized as a Christ follower. This trend will likely grow. Intellectual centers will become places where Christians feel less and less welcomed and respected. It may become more difficult to “claim Jesus.” When it becomes unpopular, when you might face ridicule, when no one else will claim Him, will you claim Jesus?

“Though none go with me, I still will follow.”

Claiming Jesus,