In this article:
Chapter 13: Joseph of Arimathea
Chapter 14: The Spice-Bearing Women at Dawn
Chapter 15: Mary Magdalene in the Garden
Chapter 13: Joseph of Arimathea
The Quiet Council Member Who Finally Stepped Into the Light
(with Nicodemus, His Midnight Friend)
1. Opening Story: When You Finally Speak Up—Too Late?
Most of us know what it feels like to speak up too late.
You sit through a meeting where a bad decision gets made. You feel that tightness in your chest, the quiet inner protest: This isn’t right. But you keep quiet. You tell yourself it’s not your place, or you’re not ready. Maybe the timing isn’t good. Later, replaying it in your mind, you think, Why didn’t I say something when it mattered?
Or you watch a friend drift in a dangerous direction. You see the warning signs months ahead, and you consider having the hard conversation, but you hesitate. You don’t want to jeopardize the relationship. Time passes. By the time you finally reach out, the damage seems done. Too late you tell yourself. I missed my chance.
Joseph of Arimathea knows that ache.
He is a respected, wealthy member of the Jewish council. He loves God’s law. He is “a good and righteous man” who has been watching Jesus for some time. Somewhere along the way, he becomes a disciple in his heart—but a secret one. He believes quietly while the council debates loudly. He disagrees with their decision to kill Jesus, but his protest is private, and the verdict stands.
Jesus is condemned, flogged, crucified.
By the time Joseph acts, the worst has already happened. The Teacher he admired is dead. The opportunity to defend Him in life is gone. It seems like there is nothing left for him to do.
And yet, on that awful afternoon, when many of Jesus’ public followers are in hiding, Joseph does something astonishingly brave. He goes straight to Pilate and asks for the body of the crucified Christ. Joining him is another quiet believer: Nicodemus, the Pharisee who once came to Jesus by night. Together they perform one last act of love and honor.
It looks, from one angle, like an act that comes too late.
From heaven’s angle, it becomes a crucial turn: the moment when secret disciples finally step into the light—and unknowingly prepare the stage for the empty tomb.
