Joseph of Arimathea and the Kingdom

Mark 15:42 and onward.

“Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Counsel, who was waiting for the Kingdom of God.” This man’s hope drove him – a hope that the Kingdom of God would appear on earth. That desire was so intense that it drove him to do something that took more courage that I can imagine. That is, after a criminal died by crucifixion or any other means, the body, if not to be thrown on to a pile, is to be handed over to the family. Jesus has no family there – just Mary, and she was from Galilee. What could she do, in any case?
Whether Mary hoped to do something or not we do not know. What we do know is that a man named Joseph, a notable Jewish Councilman of Judea, stepped out and did a most amazing Kingdom-like thing. Before his fellow hateful Councilmen and before all Jerusalem, he determined to be the one to receive the lifeless body of the supposed terrorist, Jesus, and dispose of the body in some way or other. He had to obtain permission from the Roman official, Pilate. He did so without hesitation. I wonder what Pilate thought. He may have had some sympathy with Joseph because he could see no evil in Jesus.

Then he bought some linen cloth, and (it is hard to believe) “he took down the body” from the accursed cross. What a scene. This is something quite extraordinary. Joseph took the body of Jesus. If Joseph had hoped that Jesus would set up his Kingdom, what hope did he now have, because Jesus is dead! Evidently the compelling hope that the Kingdom of God would appear could not be squelched in Joseph – even though all the evidence before him should have shattered that hope. Jesus is dead!

Was Joseph burying a broken dream – an unfulfilled promise? We know not what prompted him to do all this.

As for us, we know that Jesus’ death was not the end of the Kingdom dream, but was absolutely necessary to bring about that Kingdom. We stand amazed at what this man did – in face of popular hate and vilification. Joseph actually embraced and identified with this suffering, dead Jew.

If Joseph did this driven by hope, then I should do so driven by the knowledge that the Kingdom is come, it is here, because of the finished work of eternal atonement wrought by Jesus Christ.