Josephs – at Birth and Death

Preachers often portray Joseph of the OT as a prefigure of Christ. They both fled sin while tempted, accused wrongly, and punished severely while they endured quietly. Perhaps, Joseph of the OT is also a better prefigure of Josephs (plural) of the Gospels – Jesus’s father and Joseph of Arimathea. Just as Joseph protected his brothers from death during a famine, Jesus’s father protected baby Jesus from Herod, and Joseph of Arimathea protected Jesus’s corpse on the cross from preying animals.

“On Friday evening, the day before Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council who also accepted God’s kingdom, boldly went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’s corpse (ptoma). Pilate was surprised that Jesus had already died. Calling the centurion, he asked if, indeed, Jesus was dead. Finding from the centurion that Jesus was dead, Pilate gave Joseph the corpse (ptoma). After buying an inner garment, he took down Jesus, wrapped him with the inner garment, placed him in a tomb, hewn on a rock, and rolled a stone before the entrance to the tomb.” (Mark 15:42–46).

Joseph’s actions resembled John the baptizer’s disciples’ actions. Hearing John was decapitated, his disciples came, took his corpse (ptoma), and placed it in a tomb (6:29). Joseph of Arimathea repeated the same, publicizing that he was Jesus’s disciple.

Joseph of Arimathea was a boulestes, i.e., a judge (a counselor) in a law court. The Hebrews sometimes called the Sanhedrin a boule (a council). Since Mark added the phrase, “he also accepted God’s kingdom/rule,” implying others in the boule did not, most likely, Joseph was a Sanhedrin member. Even some of the prominent members of the Sanhedrin were convinced of Jesus’s innocence and the coming of God’s rule. Others include Nicodemus, Gamaliel, and Saul.

This is the only time the New Testament refers to Jesus’s body (soma) as a corpse (ptoma), forming a spiritual picture. Isaiah said,

“Keep the Lord holy and fear him. If you trust him, he will sanctify you – you will not be a stumbling block to him or a corpse (ptoma) rock.” (Isa 8:14).

Jesus’s corpse on the cross portrayed the spiritual deadness of the leaders. They weren’t keeping the Lord holy or fearing him. As such, they had become living corpses while Jesus was a dead corpse. But not all were dead; Joseph of Arimathea, although a council member, still believed in God’s rule/kingdom and protected Jesus’s body from the elements.

Pilate’s surprise illustrates how excruciating death on a cross was. Victims took up to six days to die, while birds pecked on their flesh and organs failed one at a time. They couldn’t breathe, chase away flies and birds that annoyed them, were thirsty, cold or hot, and insulted by bystanders. Jesus faced none of that – that’s to God’s mercy that he died quickly, Pilate’s permission to take down the body, and Joseph’s boldness to bury Jesus’s corpse.

It was Friday evening and hours before the Sabbath began. All Joseph could buy was ordinary linen. With that, he wrapped Jesus’s naked body, put it in a tomb hewn on a rock, and rolled a bigger stone at the entrance to protect Jesus’s corpse from further mutilation by wild beasts or grave robbers.

Although a judge in the supreme court, Joseph of Arimathea served Jesus and protected his corpse. History is abundant with women and men in high places unashamed of their love for Jesus. Should God place us in such importance, let’s boldly acknowledge our allegiance to him.