And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just:
The verse presents Joseph of Arimathaea as a member of the Sanhedrin who was good and just and an honorable, true disciple of Jesus. He was a rich man of wealth and influence who believed in Jesus and waited for the kingdom of God, yet for fear of the Jews he kept his attachment secret lest he be cast out of the council. He stayed in the council to use his influence to aid Jesus and protest His condemnation, and with Nicodemus he withheld consent so that the council could not reach the unanimous decision it required. When Jesus died and His acknowledged followers were too disheartened and without influence to act, Joseph openly went boldly to Pilate to ask for the body and received it by official order. He with Nicodemus then gave Jesus an honorable burial instead of a dishonored grave with criminals, laying Him in Joseph's own new rock-hewn tomb near Calvary in fulfillment of prophecy.
Joseph's Standing and Faith
Luke 23:50 identifies Joseph of Arimathea as a counsellor, a member of the Sanhedrin and Sanhedrim, who was good and just and an honorable, true disciple of Jesus. He waited for the kingdom of God. The events concerning Jesus and Joseph are connected with the fulfillment of Scripture's prophecies.
He was a rich man of wealth and influence, a wealthy honored ruler acquainted with Pilate, and this gave him influence and standing with the governor. His wealth, honor, and influential position were greatly needed because he could do for the slain Saviour what the poorer disciples could not do, and his standing largely protected him from censure and remonstrance as he acted his noble part.
He believed on Jesus while He lived but for fear of the Jews had not openly attached himself to Him or identified himself with Him, lest declaring faith bring exclusion from the Sanhedrin through the prejudice of the priests and elders toward Jesus. He remained in the council on purpose because exclusion would cut him off from all power to aid and protect Jesus by influence in the council. From that position he used his influence to show the fallacy of the grounds of condemnation and to protest the arrest.
Opposition Within the Council
Joseph had not consented to the counsel and deed of the Jews against Jesus. Together with Nicodemus he opposed condemnation, showing the fallacy of the grounds brought for condemnation and protesting His arrest. Since the unanimous consent of the Sanhedrin was required for condemnation, their opposition kept the council from reaching a decision, so it broke up without accomplishing its purpose.
Because of the influence Joseph and Nicodemus wielded, the priests obtained their object by calling a later secret council to plan Jesus' death to which those two were not summoned. They therefore had no part in condemning Him. They were present at His crucifixion but could not change or lessen His sentence.
Bold and Honorable Burial
After Jesus died the acknowledged disciples were too disheartened and intimidated to show themselves openly as His followers, and being poor they had no favor with the Jewish authorities and no influence with Pilate. In that emergency Joseph with Nicodemus, the other rich and honored believing councilor and member of the Sanhedrin, came boldly forth to the front to the aid of the disciples. His wealth, honor, and influential position as one acquainted with Pilate were greatly needed, for he could do for the slain Saviour what the poorer disciples could not do, and his standing largely protected him from censure and remonstrance and helped shield them from the rulers' malice as he acted his noble part.
Joseph stopped concealing his attachment and went boldly to Pilate to beg and ask for the body of Jesus. He was a rich man and this gave him influence with the governor, and Pilate granted the request with an official order and commission that the body should be given to him. While John was anxious and troubled about the sacred remains of his Master and could obtain no favor from the Jewish authorities and little hope from Pilate, fearing the body would be handled by rough, unfeeling soldiers, Nicodemus anticipated the result of Joseph's interview with Pilate and joined him. He brought a costly mixture of myrrh and aloes of about one hundred pounds' weight, so that Jesus was shown as much respect in death as the most honored in all Jerusalem.
Joseph and Nicodemus were determined that the body of Jesus, which the disciples counted very precious and longed to honor, should have an honorable burial rather than being handled by unfeeling soldiers and placed in a dishonored grave with the thieves in the burial-ground for criminals condemned for treason against Rome. Had he delayed, the Saviour's body would have been so dishonored. For this burial Joseph gave the new tomb he owned and was reserving for himself, hewn from stone near Calvary, in which no man had ever lain.
With his own hands and with those with him, with fast-falling tears, he gently and reverently removed the bruised and lacerated body from the cross and instrument of torture, bathed and cleansed it from blood, and wrapped it with the spices in a linen sheet. He bore it to the sepulcher, straightened the mangled limbs and folded the bruised hands upon the breast, and left Him at rest after the heavy stone was rolled against the entrance, while the Galilean women stayed and watched until the body was placed there and the entrance sealed. Angels watched over the tomb, awaiting the command to release Jesus from the grave, and these events concerning Jesus and Joseph belong with the fulfillment of Scripture's prophecies. While Jesus thus lay in state in Joseph's tomb after being executed as a criminal during the Passover, the multitudes who had brought afflicted relatives and friends to the feast expecting Him to heal and save them were left in indignation, grief, and mourning, with the sick dying for want of His healing touch, with no physician's skill like His.
The verse presents Joseph of Arimathaea as a member of the Sanhedrin who was good and just and an honorable, true disciple of Jesus. He was a rich man of wealth and influence who believed in Jesus and waited for the kingdom of God, yet for fear of the Jews he kept his attachment secret lest he be cast out of the council. He stayed in the council to use his influence to aid Jesus and protest His condemnation, and with Nicodemus he withheld consent so that the council could not reach the unanimous decision it required. When Jesus died and His acknowledged followers were too disheartened and without influence to act, Joseph openly went boldly to Pilate to ask for the body and received it by official order. He with Nicodemus then gave Jesus an honorable burial instead of a dishonored grave with criminals, laying Him in Joseph's own new rock-hewn tomb near Calvary in fulfillment of prophecy.
Joseph's Standing and Faith
Luke 23:50 identifies Joseph of Arimathea as a counsellor, a member of the Sanhedrin and Sanhedrim, who was good and just and an honorable, true disciple of Jesus. He waited for the kingdom of God. The events concerning Jesus and Joseph are connected with the fulfillment of Scripture's prophecies.
He was a rich man of wealth and influence, a wealthy honored ruler acquainted with Pilate, and this gave him influence and standing with the governor. His wealth, honor, and influential position were greatly needed because he could do for the slain Saviour what the poorer disciples could not do, and his standing largely protected him from censure and remonstrance as he acted his noble part.
He believed on Jesus while He lived but for fear of the Jews had not openly attached himself to Him or identified himself with Him, lest declaring faith bring exclusion from the Sanhedrin through the prejudice of the priests and elders toward Jesus. He remained in the council on purpose because exclusion would cut him off from all power to aid and protect Jesus by influence in the council. From that position he used his influence to show the fallacy of the grounds of condemnation and to protest the arrest.
Opposition Within the Council
Joseph had not consented to the counsel and deed of the Jews against Jesus. Together with Nicodemus he opposed condemnation, showing the fallacy of the grounds brought for condemnation and protesting His arrest. Since the unanimous consent of the Sanhedrin was required for condemnation, their opposition kept the council from reaching a decision, so it broke up without accomplishing its purpose.
Because of the influence Joseph and Nicodemus wielded, the priests obtained their object by calling a later secret council to plan Jesus' death to which those two were not summoned. They therefore had no part in condemning Him. They were present at His crucifixion but could not change or lessen His sentence.
Bold and Honorable Burial
After Jesus died the acknowledged disciples were too disheartened and intimidated to show themselves openly as His followers, and being poor they had no favor with the Jewish authorities and no influence with Pilate. In that emergency Joseph with Nicodemus, the other rich and honored believing councilor and member of the Sanhedrin, came boldly forth to the front to the aid of the disciples. His wealth, honor, and influential position as one acquainted with Pilate were greatly needed, for he could do for the slain Saviour what the poorer disciples could not do, and his standing largely protected him from censure and remonstrance and helped shield them from the rulers' malice as he acted his noble part.
Joseph stopped concealing his attachment and went boldly to Pilate to beg and ask for the body of Jesus. He was a rich man and this gave him influence with the governor, and Pilate granted the request with an official order and commission that the body should be given to him. While John was anxious and troubled about the sacred remains of his Master and could obtain no favor from the Jewish authorities and little hope from Pilate, fearing the body would be handled by rough, unfeeling soldiers, Nicodemus anticipated the result of Joseph's interview with Pilate and joined him. He brought a costly mixture of myrrh and aloes of about one hundred pounds' weight, so that Jesus was shown as much respect in death as the most honored in all Jerusalem.
Joseph and Nicodemus were determined that the body of Jesus, which the disciples counted very precious and longed to honor, should have an honorable burial rather than being handled by unfeeling soldiers and placed in a dishonored grave with the thieves in the burial-ground for criminals condemned for treason against Rome. Had he delayed, the Saviour's body would have been so dishonored. For this burial Joseph gave the new tomb he owned and was reserving for himself, hewn from stone near Calvary, in which no man had ever lain.
With his own hands and with those with him, with fast-falling tears, he gently and reverently removed the bruised and lacerated body from the cross and instrument of torture, bathed and cleansed it from blood, and wrapped it with the spices in a linen sheet. He bore it to the sepulcher, straightened the mangled limbs and folded the bruised hands upon the breast, and left Him at rest after the heavy stone was rolled against the entrance, while the Galilean women stayed and watched until the body was placed there and the entrance sealed. Angels watched over the tomb, awaiting the command to release Jesus from the grave, and these events concerning Jesus and Joseph belong with the fulfillment of Scripture's prophecies. While Jesus thus lay in state in Joseph's tomb after being executed as a criminal during the Passover, the multitudes who had brought afflicted relatives and friends to the feast expecting Him to heal and save them were left in indignation, grief, and mourning, with the sick dying for want of His healing touch, with no physician's skill like His.