Joseph of Arimathea

Joseph of Arimathea was "an honourable counsellor" — a respected member of the Sanhedrin — and a rich man who was secretly a disciple of Jesus "for fear of the Jews" (Mark 15:43; John 19:38). He had not consented to the council's decision to condemn Jesus (Luke 23:50–51).

A bold request

After the crucifixion, Joseph "went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus" (Mark 15:43) — a courageous, public act for a secret disciple. With Nicodemus, who brought spices, he took the body down, wrapped it in clean linen, and laid it in his own new tomb hewn in the rock, where no one had yet been laid (Matthew 27:59–60; John 19:39–42).

Fulfilling prophecy

In burying Jesus in his own rich man's tomb, Joseph unknowingly fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy that the suffering Servant would be "with the rich in his death" (Isaiah 53:9). His care for the body of Christ, when the apostles had scattered, marks him as a quiet hero of the passion.