Holy Bible - Obsidian Study Guide

Joseph of Arimathea

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Joseph of Arimathea

Overview

  • Testament: New
  • Role: Wealthy member of the Sanhedrin; secret disciple of Jesus Christ; provided his own new tomb for Christ’s burial
  • Family: Not named in Scripture
  • Key Books: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John

Biography

Joseph of Arimathea appears only at the moment of Jesus Christ’s death, yet his brief appearance in all four Gospels marks him as one of the most providentially significant figures in the passion narrative. He was a prominent man: Matthew calls him “a rich man” (Matthew 27:57), Mark identifies him as “an honourable counsellor” (Mark 15:43), and Luke confirms he was a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling Jewish council that had condemned Jesus Christ. Yet Joseph had “not consented to the counsel and deed of them” (Luke 23:51) — a quiet dissenter in a body that had unanimously called for death.

What drove Joseph to act was both his standing and his secret faith. John records that he was “a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews” (John 19:38). His discipleship had cost him nothing while Christ lived, but at the cross it cost him everything in terms of public reputation and religious standing. He “went in boldly unto Pilate” — Mark’s word tolmasas, meaning he summoned his courage — “and craved the body of Jesus” (Mark 15:43). For a member of the Sanhedrin to align himself publicly with a man the council had condemned as a blasphemer was to invite lasting disgrace. Yet Joseph went.

Pilate, once he confirmed through the centurion that Jesus Christ was indeed dead, granted the body to Joseph (Mark 15:44-45). Joseph then purchased fine linen, took the body down from the cross, wrapped it, and laid it “in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock” (Matthew 27:60). The tomb was near the place of crucifixion (John 19:41-42), and haste was necessary because the Sabbath was approaching at sundown. Nicodemus, who had come to Jesus Christ by night (John 3), now came openly and brought “a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight” (John 19:39) for the burial. Together these two secret disciples gave Jesus the burial of a wealthy and honored man, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy that the Servant would be “with the rich in his death” (Isaiah 53:9).

Luke summarizes his character with a phrase of quiet dignity: Joseph was “a good man, and a just: (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) and he waited for the kingdom of God” (Luke 23:50-51). He looked for what Jesus Christ had preached — and on the far side of grief, he provided the tomb from which that kingdom’s King would rise.

Key Events

Key Verses

“And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just: (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) and he waited for the kingdom of God.” — Luke 23:50-51 (KJV)

“And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.” — John 19:38 (KJV)

“And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.” — Matthew 27:60 (KJV)

Cross-References

  • Jesus Christ — the one whose body Joseph claimed and buried
  • Nicodemus — fellow secret disciple who assisted with the burial, providing burial spices (John 19:39)
  • Crucifixion — the event that drew Joseph into public action
  • Resurrection — the empty tomb Joseph provided became the site of the resurrection
  • Pilate — the Roman governor from whom Joseph requested the body
  • Matthew — records Joseph as a “rich man” and “disciple of Jesus” (Matthew 27:57)

Notes

  • The fourfold witness (all four Gospels) to Joseph’s act is remarkable and signals its theological weight in the passion narrative
  • His courage in going to Pilate publicly dissolved his former secrecy — the cross transformed a hidden disciple into an open confessor
  • His provision of a tomb fulfilled Isaiah 53:9 (“with the rich in his death”), one of the most specific messianic prophecies in the Old Testament
  • The phrase “waited for the kingdom of God” (Luke 23:51) aligns him with the faithful remnant of Israel who anticipated God’s redemptive action
  • Some traditions record later missionary activity, including legends connecting him to Glastonbury, England, but these are post-biblical and legendary

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