Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. (John 19:38-39)
When you read the gospel accounts, you get the impression that all the Jewish religious leaders were opposed to Jesus. However, this was not the case. At least two of them were “secret disciples” of Jesus–Joseph of Arimathea (on the Jewish Sanhedrin) and Nicodemus (the Pharisee who visited Jesus at night in John 3).
We do not know a lot about either man. Neither one is mentioned in the book of Acts or Paul’s epistles, which either means that they continued to be “secret disciples” of Jesus or that they were simply part of the “large number of priests” who followed Jesus but were not named (Acts 6:7). Here is what we do know….
Joseph of Arimathea was wealthy (Matt 27:57) and a prominent member of the Jewish Sanhedrin (Mark 15:43) who did not agree with their decision to condemn Jesus (Luke 23:51). He was a good and upright man (Luke 23:50), waiting for the kingdom of God (Luke 23:51). He had become a follower of Jesus…though secretly for fear of his fellow comrades (John 19:38).
Nicodemus found himself in a similar situation. He was a Pharisee and probably also a part of the Sanhedrin (John 3:1). He visited Jesus at night early in Jesus’ ministry, presumably to avoid notice from his fellow Pharisees. He tried to stand up for Jesus in John 7:50 but was quickly shot down and apparently kept his allegiance to Jesus pretty quiet after that.
These two guys encourage me. They remind me that Jesus’ disciples are not always bold and fearless. Sometimes your love for Jesus is there but it is hard to express. You want to stand up but something holds you back. You feel like a failure and you kick yourself for your lack of faith. And you wonder how much God could love a fearful disciple.
Fear is such a frustrating thing. You know it is there, you know it is not valid, you know it shouldn’t control you…but often it does. You love Jesus but sometimes fear dominates you and you find yourself drifting into the background, staying quiet, keeping your relationship with Jesus a secret…just like Joseph and Nicodemus.
What encourages me is that God still used Joseph and Nicodemus…despite their fear. They were “secret disciples” yet all the world knows about them for their one simple act of faith. They stepped forward when all the other disciples of Jesus ran away and they asked for the body of Jesus in order to give Him the proper burial. I like what Mark’s gospel says, “Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body” (Mark 15:43). The man afraid to stand up for Jesus among his peers “boldly” went to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body. He had courage…just not all the time and not among certain groups of people.
I’m sure if you interviewed Joseph during his lifetime, he would probably see himself as somewhat of a failure as a disciple of Jesus. After all, during the three years of Jesus’ ministry, he apparently failed to let anyone on the Sanhedrin know of his devotion to Christ. He also never appears in Acts or the epistles as a prominent preacher or evangelist or church leader. For all we know, he drifted back into the background. Yet on this one occasion he stood up for Jesus when no one else was around. And God chose to focus on this one act of faith rather than on all the acts of fear in his life.
That’s the beauty of grace. We tend to focus on our failures. God chooses to focus on our small acts of faith. They may not be much in the world’s eyes. They may not even be much in our own eyes. But God sees those times when we act out of love and act in faith (no matter how inconsistent) as precious in His eyes.
I am reminded of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 4:5, Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
Ultimately God will judge us not on how much we did or how great our acts were or how many people we witnessed to but on the motives of our hearts. Did we love Him? Did we act out of love toward others? And He will find those times in our lives when we acted out of love–those times that we have probably forgotten–and highlight them and praise us for them. That is grace. That is what it means to be in Christ…to be free from condemnation, to be free from shame, to be free to live for Christ without guilt, without a sense of failure…and without fear.
Lord, thank You for Your grace!