John 19:38 Commentary and Bible Study

Where this event is recorded in greater detail in Mark 15, Mark says he went to Pilate boldly. Of course he did. He had been a secret disciple, a rich man, Joseph of Arimathaea, a very earnest man, he is called pious and earnest elsewhere, a member of the Sanhedrin council, the 71 leaders of the Jews. But it is specifically said elsewhere that he did not agree with the plot to take Christ and murder him or put him on trial. He dissented from that. By doing so he was making trouble for himself, you can be sure. But he was a nervous disciple, a secret disciple. He had so much to lose. He could be thrown off the council. He could be excommunicated from the synagogue. He could be despised and dismissed. He could suffer serious loss if it was openly known he was a disciple of Christ. But now Christ has been crucified, instead of being dismayed and crushed – ‘I am believing in the wrong person as Messiah’ – he is emboldened. He becomes very courageous and he risks all and he applies for the body. And with Nicodemus, another proud self-righteous Pharisee earlier on, who went to Jesus by night (in John 3), together they prepare his burial.They have become full believers, open believers. They have grasped Calvary, even before the other disciples, the central disciples. Now they believe with all their hearts and faith makes them bold. And what a preparation! Joseph of Arimathaea selects a nearby tomb, very close, in a garden. It was destined to be for his own family and it has never been used. It will be a very beautiful tomb, freshly hewn. Well he selects that and he is going to have Christ buried right there. Joseph prepares the linen bandages, buys them, and Nicodemus buys an enormous amount of ointments to interleave with the bandages and prepare the body of Christ for burial. Forty-five kilos of myrrh and aloes – this was going to be a burial beyond anything Nicodemus had ever seen. What a believer he had become! He knows that he has the mighty privilege of being involved in the burial of the eternal Son of God who was atoning for needy sinners. And both of them, once self-righteous Pharisees, are now those who are prepared to suffer the loss of everything if need be to bury the Lord. The dying thief believed in him and understood. The centurion who supervised the execution, the crucifixion, he believed in him. The three Marys, Salome and the apostle John, they were there too, close up, boldly believing in him. These two rich Sanhedrists are also there.