Mark 15:42-46 And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the Council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. [1]45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. 46 And Joseph [2] bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. .
J. C Ryle comments:
Jesus has friends of whom little is known. We cannot conceive a more remarkable proof of this than the person who is here mentioned for the first time, Joseph of Arimathaea. We know nothing of this man’s former history. We know not how he had learned to love Christ, and to desire to do Him honor. We know nothing of his subsequent history after our Lord left the world. All we know is the touching collection of facts before us. We are told that he “waited for the kingdom of God,” and that at a time when our Lord’s disciples had all forsaken Him, He “went in boldly unto Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus,” and buried it honorably in his own tomb. Others had honored and confessed our Lord when they saw Him working miracles, but Joseph honored Him and confessed himself a disciple, when he saw Him a cold, blood-sprinkled corpse. Others had shown love to Jesus while He was speaking and living, but Joseph showed love when He was silent and dead.
Let us take comfort in the thought that there are true Christians on earth, of whom we know nothing, and in places where we would not expect to find them. No doubt the faithful are always few. But we must not hastily conclude that there is no grace in a family or in a parish, because our eyes may not see it. We know in part and see only in part, outside the circle in which our own lot is cast. The Lord has many “hidden ones” in the Church, who, unless brought forward by special circumstances will never be known until the last day. The words of God to Elijah should not be forgotten, “Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel” (1 Kings 19:18.)
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