This week marked the 56th anniversary of my mother’s death. My parents had been separated off and on during my growing up years and when my mother died, my father was living out of state. For some reason, no one felt it was a good idea for me as a high schooler to live alone! I didn’t want to move to out-of-town relatives in the latter part of my junior year, but what could be done? Unexpectedly one day my school counselor told me that one of my teachers had volunteered to let me live with her and her family until the end of the school year. I was shocked and grateful! I never would have guessed that the help I needed would come from a teacher. I’m so thankful that God sovereignly arranges people and circumstances for his purposes. He will bring help- and often from unexpected places.

I love Bible stories about help coming from a surprising source. Since Purim was last week, I thought of Hadassa, the orphan Jewess, who became the queen of a powerful pagan king. In God’s providence, she was in this place of prominence and influence so she could foil a sinister plan to exterminate her people.  Then I thought of that darkest of days when the followers of the beloved Rabbi had fled in fear and he had been executed. Only some loyal women and one young man stayed with him. None of them had the clout to request his dead body from the governor. It looked like the humiliation of crucifixion would be compounded by the desecration of the body decomposing as it hung there, or worse be disposed of in the garbage dump. But God had already arranged help from an unexpected place.

Joseph of Arimathea was rich, influential, and a prominent member of a corrupt ruling council that had plotted the death of the Teacher. He was also a member of a legalistic religious sect that had vehemently opposed the Man from Galilee. Not necessarily the man you would expect to give up everything to honor a dead Messiah.  Nicodemus was rich, influential, and a member of a corrupt ruling council that had plotted the death of the Teacher. He was also a member of a legalistic religious sect that had vehemently opposed the Man from Galilee. Probably not who you would expect to risk everything to give a proper burial to a ‘failed’ King.

Surprisingly, they had each come to faith in Jesus. But secretly. They had listened carefully when he had taught publicly in the Temple. Nicodemus, a respected teacher, had a private, nighttime meeting with the great Teacher where he heard the good news that God loved him and sent his Son so that those who believe would be spared God’s punishment and enjoy eternal life. Joseph was a good and upright man who was waiting for God’s kingdom to come so he recognized it when he saw it. But it seemed best to be quiet about their love for Jesus because theirs was an unpopular belief among their colleagues. Their peers scorned the unschooled, non-conformist Rabbi from a poor village far removed from the big city where ‘real’ leaders operated. Most of their associates feared he was stealing the hearts of the people and they, the elite, would lose their influence.

During that fateful week, Joseph and Nicodemus watched the council’s ruthless scheme to get rid of Jesus gain momentum. A traitor had been hired. The trap was laid. They saw the selfish motivation to stay in power at the cost of an innocent life. They shuddered at the hatred for that truly godly Man who was the favorite of the people, and the bane of the powerful. Although opposed, they couldn’t stop the plot.

When it became clear that the council was about to have their way, Nicodemus made preparations for a respectful burial. Seventy-five pounds of myrrh and aloes burial spices were a lavish and expensive gift, but he spent it willingly. Joseph had a new tomb he gladly donated. They would do what they could to make sure there was an honorable burial. The Rabbi deserved the best burial the two could manage.

There was nothing to gain and everything to lose, by identifying with a dead Messiah. But these two men risked their reputations, their power, their status, and everything they had worked for to pay their last respects to a Man who had been vilified, and unlawfully executed. The Teacher who was hated by their colleagues had won their hearts. They could no longer retreat in fear. They were constrained to step forward and make their allegiance known. They boldly demonstrated their loyalty to the Prophet from Nazareth.

The Roman custom was to further humiliate felons and make them a public spectacle by allowing their bodies to remain on the cross for a time while birds or wild animals fed on them, then disposing of them in the garbage dump in the Valley of Hinnom.* The other council members had already petitioned Pilate that dark afternoon to order the victims’ legs broken so they would die quicker and the bodies could be taken down and out of sight for the high holy day- a special Sabbath the following day. (Perhaps getting rid of the evidence of their hateful deed?)  So if Jesus’ body were to be respectfully buried, it would have to be negotiated with the governor quickly before the soldiers disposed of the bodies. But would they be able to persuade Pilate to give them the body? They may have appeared before Pilate at other times since their council had a working relationship with him. (Both parties were eager to scratch each other’s backs so they could keep control in their respective domains.) Joseph, a prominent leader, went to the governor boldly. (Daringly, and courageously are other translations of the Greek word.)

Surprisingly, Pilate proved to be sympathetic to their request once he got the centurion’s report that verified Jesus was indeed dead. Pilate himself had been impressed by the alleged King of the Jews. After an interview with him, he twice declared that he found him not guilty and undeserving of the death sentence. His wife had begged him not to sentence “that innocent man.” So, although unusual for the government to grant permission for the immediate and honorable burial of a criminal, it is believable that Pilate made an exception for a man he knew was innocent.

The two men gained the release of the body from the soldiers and carried it directly to the nearby garden tomb owned by Joseph. The maimed body must have been horrific to behold. Under the tearful watch of the women who had followed Jesus, they worked quickly to wrap the tortured body in pure linen and spices. What a comfort it must have been to those who loved him that his body had been honorably cared for instead of disposed of in the garbage heap by the soldiers!
“you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your holy one see decay.” Psalm 16:10

Their tears would unexpectedly be wiped away.  They didn’t realize that God had a plan.  Even though Jesus foretold his return to life, they weren’t expecting the happiness of the the third day.

I’m so grateful that no matter how dark our problem, God has already put people and circumstances in place ahead of time to bring us help- sometimes from an unexpected source.

*. https://ehrmanblog.org/did-romans-allow-decent-burials-for-crucified-criminals/. [Please note:  the opinions in this blog are anti-Christian, but much of the historical research is helpful .]

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