When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.
Matthew 27:57-58 (NASB1995)
Today’s scripture introduces us to Joseph of Arimathea, a man of whom there is little written, but what is written here by Matthew endears him to me.
Joseph’s hometown of Arimathea’s identity is the subject of much conjecture. It has been suggested that it may be Ramathaim-Zophim in the hill-country of Ephraim (1 Samuel 11), which is Ramah, the birthplace and burial-place of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:19; 25:1). (BibleHub). But it is not where Joseph comes from that sets him apart, but rather the risk he was willing to take for Jesus. Joseph was a man of wealth and status in Jerusalem and probably the surrounding districts, but He sacrificed his personal reputation amongst men to love and follow Jesus Christ as his Lord. He had much to lose in worldly terms, but he was not concerned by that.
Dear Reader, let us remember Joseph of Arimathea and the risk he took for Jesus – meditate upon it. What are we willing to risk in this life for Jesus, our Lord and Savior?
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Devotional Treasures
