Take our text from the book of John chapter number 19. John chapter 19, there's two verses we want to read there that caught our attention. But really there's going to be four texts that we're going to use, four verses for text. And they all speak about the same thing. One's in the book of John, then the book of Luke, the book of Mark, and then in the book of Matthew. We're gonna speak on the subject, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Here are two men, both Jews. We'll speak about Joseph of Arimathea first, and then Nicodemus, he only appears in the book of John, in this case. John 19, verse number 38, and verse number 39 says this, And after this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, and then the Bible says this about him. But secretly for fear of the Jews. He was a disciple of Christ, but secretly for fear of the Jews. Here's the way it is. Besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate gave him leave. He came, therefore, and took the body of Jesus. There came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night. That s in John 3. and brought a mixture of myrrh and alloy, being about a hundred pound weight. Verse number 40, Then took they the body of Jesus, wound it in linen clothes, with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Let's go, Lord, in a word of prayer, if you would, as we begin. Our precious Father, I thank you, Lord, that you're able, Lord, to have us preach again. Thank you for it. Lord, I pray that the message will not be Just a bladdering of words. I'd rather, Lord, that it might mean something to us. Lord, I pray that you might help us understand what you're teaching us out of your Holy Word. I pray you just watch over us now. God, Lord, bless us as only you know how. Forgive us for our sins. For it's in Jesus' name that I pray. Amen. Here in the book of John, this is the only gospel that speaks of both Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. It's the only one. Now let's read again in the book of Luke chapter number 23. Luke chapter 23 and verse number 50. Luke 23 beginning in verse number 50. talking about when Jesus Christ was dead. And behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counselor, and he was a good man and a just. The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them. He was of Armathea, a city of the Jews, who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a scepter that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. The same day was the preparation, and the Sabbath grew on. Luke doesn't say anything about Nicodemus. Third, let's look in the book of Mark chapter 15. Mark chapter 15, verse number 42. Mark 15, 42. Now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable counselor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. And Pilate marveled if he were already dead. And calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. And he took fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre, which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone upon the door of the sepulchre. Verse 47, Mary Magdalene married the mother of Joseph, beheld where he was laid. Nothing is said there about Nicodemus either. Number four, in the book of Matthew chapter 27, Matthew 27, verse number 57, Matthew 27, verse 57, And when the evening was come, There came a rich man of Armathea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple. He went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus, and Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock. And he rolled the great stone to the door of the sepulchre and departed. Verse 61 says, There was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary sitting over against the sepulchre. You know, when you read all four of these texts together, and put them all together, in your mind at least, you can understand that there is much said about the simple burying of Jesus. There is much said about it. You can't just take one scripture and get the whole picture at all. Sometimes I think we try to do that, but if we just take the whole scripture together and find out all those places where the subject is talked about and read about those things, we can have a great more understanding about what's really being said. I think it's a good thing to do just to keep us from I don't know how to say it. From being stale, I guess, is the right way, or doing something wrong. Just put it all together. But we discover here that the four Gospels, all four of these, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, show that Joseph of Arimathea was instrumental in burying the body of Jesus, and only in one Gospel, John, That shows that Nicodemus took part of the burial. But who is Joseph of Arimathea? Who is this guy? Notice what the Bible says in the book of Luke 23. Luke 23. This tells us who he was. Luke 23, verse number 50. The Bible said there was a man named Joseph, a counselor. A counselor? Today, that's someone that gives advice, that gives, try to help someone. But in that day, a counselor was much more than just someone that gave advice. counselor is a member of the Sanhedrin. You remember what the Sanhedrin is? That's that group of 70 Jews that give their counsel or their advice to all the Jews. It's a religious body. So Joseph is a member of the Sanhedrin just like Nicodemus is a member of the Sanhedrin. The Bible goes on further with this, and it says that in verse 50, and he was a good man, so he was a very good man, the Bible says, meaning that he was a man who lived as he believed, or he He was an honest man, an upright man, and a man that you could listen to. The only thing, the Bible says in verse 51, he was a just man, verse number 50 says he was a just man, a righteous man. But in verse number 51, the Bible says, the same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them. Now here is Nicodemus, understand that Nicodemus was a man who did not agree with him at all either, but Joseph was another one that didn't. It's amazing when you think about it. Joseph, when it came time to take care of the physical remains of Jesus, he had to do something. The Bible says he was a secret disciple, you might say. The same had not consented unto the counsel and deed of them. It makes me wonder. Sometimes what people really think makes me really wonder what the secret thoughts of a person really is. You can't ever tell by looking at them sometimes, and sometimes you cannot ever really tell exactly what they're thinking. You might think you know what they're thinking, But sometimes you can't tell at all. And sometimes the things that you're thinking is different at all together. The Bible said that in Luke 23 and verse number 51, that he had not consented to the counsel and deed of them. And so here, Joseph had, Because he was a member of the Sanhedrin, Joseph would be wary of all the deeds that was going on. He would know what they were thinking. But think about the time when Nicodemus himself in John chapter 7 when he Mentioned that doesn't man judge. We don't judge anybody before we know what he's doing what he's saying We got to understand him more But he was rebuked by that but Joseph didn't say anything at all if he was there, I don't know But the Bible says that In verse 51, he was of Armathea, a city of the Jews, who himself waited for the kingdom of God. That's a wonderful thing. He's waiting on the kingdom of God, and yet he is a Jew, a member of the Sanhedrin, Do you think that Joseph knew any of the Jews that betrayed Christ? Do you think that he knew any of them by name? It's obvious that he did. I mean, we're not limited to just knowing the names of people that we're acquainted with. But we know a lot of lost people. We know a lot of saved people. There's a lot of different things that we know. And so, it was the same way in that day. With Joseph, he understood a lot of different things. But the Bible says that He was also afraid of the Jews, or fear of the Jews. But when it came to the burial of Christ, Joseph cast it all aside. You might say it's a little bit too late. I'll tell you this. Where did we read about Joseph of Arimathea? We read about this man in four different Gospels. The Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. All four of them talked about Joseph of Arimathea. And all of the places that we read, there was never a place at all that degraded him, or that looked down upon him, or that said, you should have stood up earlier than that. Not a one. There was also not a place where the Bible records that anybody looked down upon Nicodemus as well. Perhaps Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea should have stood up more, I don't know. But I know that the only thing we can do is what we can do. I mean, I know that. That's all we can do. But look here in verse number 52 of Luke 23. The Bible says that this man went up on the pilot and bagged the body of Jesus. The Bible says about this as well in the book of Mark chapter 15. Let's read this one. Mark chapter 15. And verse number 42. Mark 15, 42. And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is the day before the Sabbath. That is the day before the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable counselor. Look what the Bible talks about here. He's an honorable man. He had honor bestowed upon him. He was a follower of Christ. A secret disciple, the Bible says in the book of Matthew, John, but he is still a believer. Verse number 43, Mark 15, 43, Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable counselor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. So here, the Bible said this man went in boldly, went in openly, he was not afraid now, this man had made up his mind, that he'd gone far enough. And there comes a time in there where everybody has to, there's a deadline. You may not know where it is, but there's a point that you will not go over. Every one of us have that. Whatever it is, or wherever it is, we all have that point that we will not pass over that point. That's a good thing to do. It's an excellent thing when you know what the truth is and you're gonna stand for it. And this man knew the truth. His point was not the same place as the apostles. Their point was further down the line, up the line, you might say. But now, Joseph's point is later on. But you can't fault him for that. But when it came time to bury Jesus Christ, he was the one that went in boldly unto Pilate and asked for the body of Christ because he knew that he was dead already. Now, no sis, that Joseph of Arimathea knew about the death of Jesus Christ before Pilate did. He knew about the death of Jesus before Pilate did. He was well aware of what was going on. He was well, it was fixed in his mind. That this is wrong. I don't know, I don't know this at all. But I know that Jesus Christ had a cruel, illegal trial at night. I know that. At least that's what the Bible says. I wonder if Joseph was able to sleep at all. I don't know. If he was able to rest that night knowing that his Savior was being tried. I don't know. Maybe he just woke up the next morning and found it all out. But remember that he was a member of the Sanhedrin, the 70 elders that ruled the religious aspects of the nation of Israel. He was a part of that. It seems to me that Joseph came to the place of knowing that it was time to stand up. It was time to stand up for the truth. And this is what he did. He would stand up and be counted. Today, there's probably a lot of people in this world that are a lot like Joseph of Arimathea. Where the people think well of them, but they won't stand up. Until you think it's too late. Until you think that you can't do anything else. But when it came time to really stand up, Joseph of Arimathea, he did stand. And he was one that approached Pilate to get the body of Jesus in order to bury him. Today, it is important that we stand up for the cause of Christ. It's important. That we don't just sit around on the seat of do nothing and do nothing. It's important that we stand up for whatever God wants us to do and be true unto Him. Turn to the book of John chapter number 19. John chapter 19. The Bible said in verse number 38, John 19, 38. After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of Jews. How did he do this? How did he do this? How was he a secret disciple? and yet had a fear of letting anybody know. The Bible says that in verse 38, he was a disciple of Jesus. That's what the record states. But secretly, for fear of the Jews, he would not stand up and be counted at all Because of fear. I think in verse 38, that's talking about the days before the death of Christ. But when he understood, really, that Jesus Christ had given his life for the cause of Christ, for the cause of holiness in God, that he just cast all that aside. And those people that he knew. I don't think I'm thinking that he was acquainted with the other man that was innocent here. I'm thinking it had to be a part of that group. But he finally just came to the place and said, I'm just I'm just done. I'm done with this. I cannot do this anymore. I CANNOT HANDLE IT ANYMORE! I'M THROUGH! And then he came and he saw Pilate that he would release the body unto him. And by the way, I'll say it again, that Pilate found out from Joseph that Jesus had died already. That's how he found out. The Bible said in John 19 and verse number 38, that he besought Pilate. That means he requested Pilate, or he asked, or he bagged the body of Jesus. And Pilate gave him leave. But look in the book of Mark. In the book of Mark, chapter number 15. Mark chapter 15 and verse number 43, the Bible here said Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable counselor which also waited for the kingdom of God came and went in boldly unto Pilate and craved the body of Jesus. The word BOLI means that he acted, he asked in such a way that Pilate understood that he was not afraid of the consequences of his actions at all. There is no doubt in my mind at all about this, that Joseph had probably spent the past night in much anguish because he knew the outcome before it ever happened. He knew what the Jews had on their mind. He knew that they were the Sanhedrin especially was going to kill Christ. He knew that. He knew also that he was innocent of what they accused him of. He had inside information, inside information about what would happen. He knew this, that the Jews were not interested in finding out the truth. They wanted to kill Christ. He knew that. They were only interested in shutting up the truth. That's all they wanted to do. They would not see themselves as sinners at all. Rather, they would see themselves as honorable. They would see themselves as what they were doing was right, good for the Jewish people. They would justify their own actions, even if they had to kill Jesus, whom the common people loved. They did not understand the future, just as we do not understand the future at all. We don't have a clue about it at all. We can, you say, I can read the signs. We don't know how it's going to turn out. We don't know. In just a few years, if my calculations are anywhere near right, in about 30 years, 35 years, from the date of Jesus' birth, the date of Jesus' crucifixion. It'd be about that long when Rome would come in and wipe Israel off the map and take the people and scatter them throughout the world. Just a few years, that's gonna happen. But the Jews that killed Christ, they were interested in retaining their nation. They would lose it all. But look at Mark 15 and verse number 44. This is why I said twice already that Joseph knew before Pilate knew that Jesus had died. Mark 15 verse 44, and Pilate marveled if he were already dead, When I can think about the conversation that Joseph had coming up there and saying, I want the body of Jesus, because He's already dead. And Pilate would say, What? He's dead already? Are you sure? Look what the Bible said here, and in verse number 44, And calling unto him the centurion, this is the soldier that was over that, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. Remember that? Because The soldiers came to kill the people, the three people that's on the crosses, because of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It was not because of the Feast of the Passover, I wasn't even thinking about that. But that's what Jesus Christ, He paid the price for them on the Passover day. But they were more interested in serving the Feast of Unleavened Bread than they were the Passover, altogether more interested in that. And when the centurion told him, he said, he's dead already. He hadn't been on the cross very long. Sometimes a person stayed on the cross for three days, dying slowly. But they sent soldiers to kill them quickly, to break their legs. When they came to Christ though, and they saw he was dead already, Then they took that spear, put that spear into his heart and blood came out in water. And so the Bible says that when that was all said and done, it's amazing to me that Pilate did not know that Christ was dead already, but Joseph knew it. He was keeping up with it. And Pilate was not so keeping up with it at all. In verse number 45 of Mark chapter 15, And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. And Joseph then, in verse number 46, He brought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulcher which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone upon the door of the sepulcher. Amazing story that it tells here. Pilate marveled that Jesus Christ was already dead. The word marvel means he was totally amazed that Christ had already died. Then, the Bible said, when Joseph took the body, he took fine linen. It wasn't just old, ordinary linen. Rather, it was fine linen that he wrapped Jesus in. It was not old, it was not used. Rather, I think this, this is my opinion. It was linen suitable for Himself. You know why I think that? Because the Bible says that He placed Him in His own tomb. Verse number 46 says that He wrapped him in linen and laid him in a sepulcher which was hewn out of a rock and rolled a stone upon the door of the sepulcher. Here's an amazing thing. The Rock of Ages was buried in a rock. It's an amazing thing. And a rock was rolled upon the opening of the tomb. It's an amazing thing. You would think this would be a long and tedious effort to build this tomb out of a rock. How would you go about doing that? Well, it would take a long time. But how would you, before the days of pneumatic tools, like hammer and chisels, chip it out? Not a little place, rather the tomb was rather large. I think it was big enough, the rock itself was big enough to contain the outstretched body of Jesus plus there was enough room on either end for an angel to sit. Because that's what Mary saw when she went in there. Amazing that this tomb was hewn out of a rock. So that would take him a long time to do that. Maybe or maybe he had servants. But look at this. In the book of Matthew chapter 27. In the book of Matthew 27. And verse number 46. Verse number 57. Matthew 27 verse number 57. The Bible said, when the even was come, there came a rich man of Amorthea, a man named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus disciples. So he was rich. He had the wherewithal to pay someone to hew out a place in a stone, in a big rock, which is, I would think would take a while, big enough to place the body of Jesus in it, to lay it down, and then an angel on either end, that's what Mary saw. So, I think it's a pretty good sized place, and then, to hew another stone to roll over it, and that stone was very good, was very good. I think that Joseph was a wealthy man. He gave the best he could. This is why that in the book of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, that the disciples that wrote these books were not led of God to write down that he should have stood up at a different time. Where were the disciples when all this was going on? Where were they? Why didn't they do it? According to John 19, the disciples on the resurrection day in John 20 and verse number 19. The same day at evening, being the first day of the week. So on the first day of the week, what day of the week is that? What day, what do you call that first day of the week? We call it Sunday. The Bible says, When the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews. Where were the disciples? They were afraid. John, I think, was the only disciple that was there at the foot of the cross with the women. He was there for a purpose. Because Jesus told John, you take care of mother. You take care of mother. And I think he did. I think he did. He took care of everything that needed to be taken care of. I think one other thing I want to mention before we close. I don't find any passages in the Bible at all. There may be some, but I don't find them. Where Joseph received any ill will from any of the unbelieving Jews. I don't find he had any repercussions whatsoever. It might have been that he had to change jobs. I don't know. I don't know. But there's no doubt that the unbelieving Jews had enough on their mind because they had to guard the gravesite for three days because they was afraid somebody would steal the body of Jesus. didn't claim to have been resurrected. They had enough to do. They had enough to worry about. The women on the way to the tomb are the next morning on Sunday morning. They wondered and spoke among themselves about how they would get the stone rolled away from the entrance of the tomb. When they got there, the stone was already gone. But this tonight has just been a short study about Joseph of Arimathea. But let's read back in the book of John chapter number 19. And we'll see here that Nicodemus also played a part in this. Nicodemus, the Bible said that Joseph supplied the garment that Jesus was buried in. He supplied many of the other instruments that was necessary to be used, probably the people to do all that with. But in verse number 39 of John chapter 19, and there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night and brought a mixture of myrrh and oil, about a hundred pound weight. And they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen clothes with the spices, so that as a matter of the Jews is to bury." So Joseph had a major part in this, but in the book of John, it's the only place that mentions Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a true man. There's no doubt that Joseph was too. No doubt. I don't find any record at all where either one of these men are spoken against in the scripture. I don't find any record at all. So here's the thing. People may not do as we think they ought to do. But if God has led a certain thing on our heart to do, we need to be careful to do it. we care to do it. After all, we're going to be judged individually, not collectively. We'll stand before God as an individual person. And we'll give an account to God. And so it's our responsibility to do what God wants us to do. And not to do as somebody else wants us to do. And we should not compel anybody else to do what we do. Because I'm compelled to do this. So that's why I'm doing it. I'm your pastor, because I'm compelled to be. I'm compelled to be. I love being compelled. I love it. I'm glad that God has called me to preach. I'm glad that God has called me into the ministry. I'm glad that God wants me to use my life for him. I wish I could do it. I really wish I could do it the way He wants me to do it. That's the lesson for tonight. If you're lost tonight, we pray for you that the Lord would bless you. We trust that the Lord would grant you salvation. I can't save you, but I know Jesus can. But Jesus won't if you don't come to Him, if you don't ask Him. I pray that you would. Let's go, Lord, in a word of prayer again. Our precious Father, I thank you, Lord, that you let me preach tonight. Lord, I pray that you might cause your words to be effective in order that might be heard, in order that might be listened to. I pray, Lord, for those who are lost, that you might bless them. Help us, Father, to be the kind of people we need to be in your sight. that we might be full of grace and love for you. I pray you just keep us from harm. Bless us, Lord, tonight. Forgive us for our sins. Grant salvation to those who are lost. For it's in Jesus' name that I pray. Amen.