September 6
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SECRET DISCIPLES OF JESUS
38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. 39 Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. – John 19:38-42
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When Jesus died, there were some secret disciples that came out from hiding. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as the synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in a similar sequence and in similar or sometimes identical wording. They stand in contrast to John, whose content is largely distinct. The Sanhedrin was the supreme religious body in Israel during the time of the Holy Temple. There were also smaller religious Sanhedrins in every town in Israel From the Synoptics we learn that Joseph was a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin who was looking for the coming of the kingdom and who didn’t approve of the Sanhedrin’s condemnation of Jesus. Nicodemus, who is not mentioned in the Synoptics, was also a member of the Sanhedrin (Jn 3:1) and, presumably, was wealthy, given the amount of spice he provides for Jesus’ burial (v. 39). In any case, these are both men of power, privilege and wealth. It is ironic that these two men come out of hiding and clearly associate themselves with Jesus at his death, since they would have thought his movement had come to an end. According to some accounts of the dating (see comment on 18:28; 19:14), this means they would miss the Passover itself, in which case Christ has replaced the Passover for them in keeping with John’s focus on Jesus as the Lamb of God and the fulfillment of the Jewish feasts in general.
What took the death of Jesus for these half-hearted believers to stand up for Jesus? Some Christians have a lukewarm faith and I would say that these two were such. They probably realized in the end that all the Scriptures were fulfilled in Jesus, thus they believed.
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REFLECTION
• Why do some believers hide their faith just like these two secret disciples?