Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

Mark 15:43

There is so much happening in our worship service today that I thought I would narrow the focus for my sermon, and just look at just one person that we meet in today’s gospel reading: Joseph of Arimathea. 

After Jesus died on the cross, it was he who took Jesus’ body and laid it in a tomb. It took real courage to do this. He opened himself to a possible charge of treason. He put his family at risk, his reputation, everything. But he did it. All four gospels agree on this. Why? And what can we learn from him? 

Who Is Joseph of Arimathea?

First, just who is Joseph of Arimathea? What do we know about him, other than his name? Well, he was “a respected member of the council,” according to Mark. A religious leader. “Waiting expectantly,” Mark tells us, “for the kingdom of God.”

Matthew and John tell us that Joseph of Arimathea was, in fact, a disciple of Jesus. Not one of the twelve apostles, but still a disciple and follower of Jesus. Secretly, though, according to John, for fear of his fellow Jewish leaders. He was a “good and righteous man,” according to Luke. And a rich man, according to Matthew. 

He already owned a tomb, which he intended to one day use for himself. It had been “hewn in a rock,” according to Matthew. Brand new, in a garden, where no one had ever been laid, according to John, near where Jesus had just been crucified. And on that first Good Friday, Joseph decided to use it. He decided to bury Jesus in his unused tomb. Why? 

Motive, Means, and Opportunity

When you think about it, Joseph clearly had the means to do something about this. He was wealthy, and owned an unused tomb right near where Jesus was crucified. And he had the opportunity to do something about this. He was in Jerusalem; he had enough power and influence to be able to approach Pontius Pilate and request Jesus’ body. 

Now, if you have watched many crime shows on television, or read many mystery stories, you know that there are three factors that lead to a crime: Means, opportunity, and motive. These are usually applied to crimes. But it seems to me that these same factors can also be applied to positive things, like acts of faith and courage. That is certainly true of Joseph of Arimathea. 

He had the means to take care of Jesus’ body. He had the opportunity to do something about this. But what was his motive? It would have to be a very strong motive, because of the great risk that would be involved in approaching Pontius Pilate with this request. 

Let me say a little more about that risk. Crucifixion, as I am sure you know, was a terrible way to die. Intentionally so. It was Rome’s way of scaring everyone, to make sure there wouldn’t be an uprising. It was supposed to be humiliating, hanging naked on a cross, slowly and painfully dying. And to make it even worse, most people crucified by Rome were not made available for burial. We know this because excavated tombs from that time period have very few crucifixion victims.

And Joseph had a lot to lose. It would have been much easier, and safer, for him not to do anything. 

But Joseph loved Jesus. He was a disciple, a believer. It must have pierced his soul to see Jesus on that cross. He had to do something about it. It was the very least he could do. Jesus died for him; for us all. Joseph believed that. And this gave him the motive to ask for Jesus’ body. And so, he boldly approached Pontius Pilate. 

And Pilate agreed to his request. He allowed Joseph to take Jesus’ body. So Joseph did. He took Jesus’ body from the cross, prepared it, wrapped it in a linen shroud, and laid it in a tomb – his tomb. He had a great stone rolled against it, and then he probably went home, not having any idea what would come next, just knowing that he did what he had to do. Motive, means, and opportunity. 

What About Us?

Now, obviously none of us could do what Joseph of Arimathea did that day. We weren’t there. We don’t have the opportunity. But what can we do for Jesus? We all have opportunities to serve him. And he has given us all the means to do something for him. We just have to make sure that we have the motive – the desire to do something for Jesus, even if it requires risk, courage, or sacrifice. 

That is what this day is about, isn’t it? It’s not just about waving our palms and celebrating Jesus’ triumphal entry. It is also about remembering what Jesus did for us after he entered Jesusalem. So that we have the motive to act for him with whatever opportunities are given us. It is the least we can do. 

We can’t all do something as great as what Joseph of Arimathea did. But we can all stand ready to do our part in the ministry of the gospel. We can all make sure of our motive, be aware of our means, and look for opportunities to serve our Lord. It may require risk and courage; it may require us to go against the crowd; and we won’t always know all the steps we must take. But we can always take the next step, trusting our Lord to lead us ever onwards. 

Acting in Uncertain Times

One of the things that can stop us from doing this is the uncertainty of knowing what to do. So let’s think about that with Joseph of Arimathea. What did he know?

He knew that his leader, the Messiah, had died. He knew that Jesus had predicted that on the third day, he would rise again. But nobody at the time knew what that meant. We know exactly what it means. But no one there that day knew what Jesus meant. 

Joseph did not know if Pontius Pilate would agree to his request. He didn’t even know if Jesus would approve of this act. 

But he loved Jesus. And he acted out of that love. And that is never wrong. 

I like how the preacher St. Augustine put it:

“Once and for all, I give you this one short command: love, and do what you will. If you hold your peace, hold your peace out of love. If you cry out, cry out in love … Let the root of love be in you: nothing can spring from it but good.”

Love, and do what you will. Because when your actions are rooted in love, nothing can spring from it but good. That is what Joseph of Arimathea did. And that is what he teaches us to do. 

Sometimes, in the midst of uncertainty and confusion, all we can do is the next right thing, the next faithful thing, and do it out of love. Isn’t that what Joseph did? Jesus was dead on his cross, and all of his followers were afraid. But he couldn’t simply be left there. So Joseph did what he could – he got Pilate’s permission and buried Jesus in his tomb. Then he no doubt waited and prayed, wondering what the future would hold. And he teaches all who follow Jesus to do the same. 

When we don’t know what is coming – just do the next right thing, take the next faithful step, act out of love, and trust that God will bless our effort. To quote another great preacher, it is John Wesley who is reputed to have said:

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” 

We all have opportunities to do good in this world. And we all have the means to do something. Today is a reminder of our motive. 

Closing 

If today is about anything, it is about this incredible love that Jesus showed us all, through his death on the cross. And reflecting on that love is all that we need to find the motivation to live out our faith, even when it comes at a cost. 

We can’t all do what Joseph of Arimathea did on that first Good Friday. But we can all do something for Jesus. And anything we do will be but a small way to thank Jesus for his overwhelming gift. 

May we be ever mindful of his love, and always stand ready to serve him. Amen.