Articles
A Secret Disciple No More
n the deeply meaningful prophecy concerning the suffering Servant, Isaiah links together some disparate ideas. The Servant is of little significance by human standards: “He has no form or comeliness … there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him” (53:2-3). Further, “we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted … He was oppressed and He was afflicted” (53:4, 7).
Such a troubled life of apparent rejection and persecution does not normally fit with Isaiah’s further description: “And they made His grave with the wicked – but with the rich at His death” (53:9). How could Isaiah, writing over 700 years before Jesus was born, possibly envision such a man being associated with the rich at His death? Death usually brings together peers, those who celebrate the life of a like-fellow. What an odd combination of incongruous factors.
Yet sitting on the esteemed Sanhedrin Council is a rich man; not a backbencher, mind you, but a “prominent council member” (Mk 15:43). Joseph was from Arimathea, probably identified with OT Ramah, the city of Samuel. Joseph was apparently a fair-minded man and of independent thought. As he heard the deliberations of his Sanhedrin compatriots, “he had not consented to their counsel and deed” (Lk 23:51). We note the scorn directed at Nicodemus when he dared challenge the Council during its rush to judgment against Jesus (Jn 7:50-52).
There must have been enormous pressure on anyone who would dissent from the standard party line; thus, Joseph is described as “a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews” (Jn 19:38). We would say that Joseph remained “under the radar.” What a tightrope Joseph had to walk. On the one hand Jesus’ teaching on the law and the coming kingdom resonated with him, yet he had to endure the venomous and hateful Council cabal who considered Him a usurping, blasphemous charlatan.
In spite of his silence, Joseph’s affinity for Christ came from a deeply genuine and spiritual place: he was “a good and just man … who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God” (Lk 23:50-51). Such a man can remain silent and hide his light under a basket for only so long.
Was Joseph present during the Sanhedrin’s final plunge over the precipice of justice and decency? Perhaps not, for Mark notes that “they all condemned Him to be worthy of death” and “the elders and scribes and the whole council … bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate” (14:64; 15:1). Surely this means the whole Council that was present, for Joseph could not be described as a man of integrity yet fully participate in the heinous acts of a hate-crazed mob. Wherever Joseph was and whatever he was doing during these final hours of darkness we will never know, but we do know what he does after Jesus is crucified.
He, “coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus” (Mk 15:43). That narrative is easy to skip over without fully appreciating its meaning. Why did it take courage to do this?
First, Pilate had been exasperated and outmaneuvered by the obstinate Jews. He had tried to dismiss the case outright, transfer it to Herod and then release Him as a political favor but the priests and Council frustrated his every move. Humiliated and defeated he finally capitulated to their bloodthirsty clamor and sentenced an innocent man to crucifixion. Why would Pilate grant any concession to another Council member?
Secondly, a previous petition from the Jews had been rejected. When the chief priests had read the inscription over the condemned prisoner – JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS – they were livid. They appealed to Pilate to amend the placard, HE SAID, ”I AM THE KING OF THE JEWS,” but Pilate did not budge: “What I have written, I have written” (Jn 19:19-22). Again, Joseph may have reasoned, “The last person Pilate wants to hear from is a Sanhedrin counselor.”
Third, and perhaps most significant, is that Joseph’s actions will make his true allegiance clear. His life will likely change forever as he, with Nicodemus, takes Jesus’ body from the cross. Time was of the essence as sundown ushered in the Sabbath. When Joseph hurriedly petitioned the governor, “Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time …” (Mk 15: 44). Inadvertently, Joseph’s appeal caused Pilate to make doubly sure that Jesus had in fact expired, thus invalidating the skeptic’s claim that Jesus was merely comatose and later revived.
It is probably hard for us to fully appreciate the risk Joseph was taking, but whatever the consequences he who “had also become a disciple of Jesus” (Mt 27:57) could be a secret disciple no more. He would not be deterred. “And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock …” (Mt 27:59-61). In this courageous, public act Joseph took his stand and confessed his faith in and reverence for Jesus.
Self-protection is innate, instinctive. This is true physically, emotionally and socially. We fear rejection, ostracism and overt harm, so we make concessions and compromises to remain in the good graces of our peers. But this creates cognitive dissonance when our deepest beliefs are challenged by the very group whose approval we crave.
Forces of evil and wickedness will continue to assault our core beliefs, for they are not content as long as any goodness exists. The devil will hound the righteous and eventually compel us to make a choice. Maybe it is a job situation. Perhaps it is a challenge from a hostile family member. It could be the pressure to alter our language to reflect the confused and ungodly psychological states of unbelievers. At some point a clear line will be drawn in front of us.
And the question is: Do I have the courage to stand up, alone if necessary, to the forces of evil? Am I ready to pay any price to defend the truth of God and the honor of my Savior? Peter was a public disciple who, when pressured, went into hiding. Joseph was a secret disciple who, when pressured, boldly stepped out of the shadows. Which kind of disciple are you?
