Skip to content Joseph of Arimathea - Part A Sep 1 · 26 min ...more
Joseph of Arimathea - Part A
September 1, 2026 · 26 min
Pastor Skip explains why following Jesus sometimes begins with one courageous step—and how a secret disciple found the courage to stand publicly for Christ.
Series Connect with Skip Heitzig Podcast September 1, 2026 · 26 min · Connect with Skip Heitzig Podcast
Pastor Skip explains why following Jesus sometimes begins with one courageous step—and how a secret disciple found the courage to stand publicly for Christ. ...more Show the full description Show less Pastor Skip explains why following Jesus sometimes begins with one courageous step—and how a secret disciple found the courage to stand publicly for Christ.
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Skip Heitzig ministers to over 15,000 people as senior pastor of Calvary Church in Albuquerque. He reaches out to thousands across the nation and throughout the
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0:01 Welcome to connect with Skip Heitzig. We're so glad you've tuned in today. Our mission is to help people know God more deeply through clear verse by verse bible teaching that brings biblical truth into everyday0:12 life. 1 of the best ways to stay connected is by signing up for pastor Skip's free weekly devotional. You'll receive biblical encouragement, ministry updates, and exclusive ministry content0:24 delivered straight to your inbox. It's completely free and only takes a moment to sign up. Visit connect with skip dot com today. That's connect with skip dot com. Now stay tuned to0:36 hear about a brand new resource that's coming next month and how you can preorder your copy today.0:42 The bible is 1 unified story of God's love and redemption. But sometimes it can be difficult to see how all the pieces fit together. In Soaring Above It All, pastor Skip Heitzig takes0:54 you on a 1 year devotional journey through the entire Bible, highlighting the key people, events, themes, and truths of scripture in a way that's approachable, encouraging, and easy to follow. Preorder1:06 your copy of Soaring Above It All today, wherever you buy books.1:10 Now here's today's message from pastor Skip Heitzig.1:14 Turn in your Bibles, to the gospel of Matthew. Matthew chapter 27. 6 years ago, I was walking in my garage, not really watching where I was1:26 going. My bicycle was stored on its wheels on the ceiling, and so the top tube was about eye level. I'm walking through with my eyes focused on the1:38 floor at a pretty good pace, and I smacked my head into the top tube of my bicycle. Well, I didn't know that you actually could see1:49 stars. I thought that was in the cartoons only. And so I went into the house. Said, Lane, you would never believe what happened. I hit my head, I saw stars. I didn't think much2:01 about it. But as days, weeks went by, I found myself with a headache, and I found myself lethargic. And I finally went to the doctor who said, the reason you're feeling this2:13 way is you have a subdural hematoma. And that just means you have blood on your brain. It's an easy fix. I just have to drill 2 holes in your head, and we'll drain it out.2:25 Easy for him to say. They did that twice, and I was in the hospital. And while I was in the hospital for like a week, I was bombarded2:37 with love. I had texts and I had emails and people even sent me flowers. Not that that's something that I went wow over, but just2:49 the sentiment from so many people here, different parts of the country. I got something by people reach out from Guam, South America, India. I felt absolutely3:01 bombarded by love. Once a year on Valentine's Day weekend, we like to have the love bomb to bombard children impacted by terrorism with the love of God,3:13 something tangible that with it can have a message attached to it of God's love. We do it on Valentine's Day weekend because we want to hijack the holiday for God's purpose and3:25 for His glory. By the way, you might think a lot of people think Valentine's Day, that's Hallmark must have come up with that holiday to sell cards.3:36 Actually, there was a Valentine. There was a Valentinus of Rome, 3rd century. He was a clergyman. His theology was suspect, but he was a clergyman who3:48 helped free Christians from Roman prisons. So I like the idea that we are celebrating somebody who set the captives free. And Reload Love is about4:00 helping set those captives free. So thank you for your involvement in that. I've had you turn to Matthew 27. I want to look at somebody named Joseph of Arimathea.4:11 Joseph of Arimathea. Now let me set the scene for you. Jesus has just been crucified. He was put on the cross at 9 in the morning, 3rd hour4:23 of the day according to Jewish reckoning. He was on the cross for 6 hours. He died at 3 in the afternoon, the 9th hour according to4:34 Jewish reckoning. 6 hours is an extremely short time for somebody to be killed according to crucifixion. Crucifixion was invented by the4:46 Persians, but perfected by the Romans. And it was used as a method of punishment to deliberately delay death so that the person4:58 could experience the maximum torture. Usually, people lasted for several hours or days before they finally died of5:09 exhaustion, loss of blood, and asphyxiation. When Jesus died, Pontius Pilate was amazed that he was dead already.5:21 Now our scene begins, and it begins in verse 57 of Matthew 27. Matthew 27, verse 57. Now when evening5:33 had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man5:44 went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. And then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it5:56 in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his new tomb, which had been hewn out of the rock. And he rolled a large stone against the door of6:08 the tomb and departed. And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary sitting opposite the tomb. Now, the text we just read6:20 is largely an overlooked text. It's an overlooked individual, certainly. These verses aren't verses that we would6:32 typically commit to memory. Nobody that I know has taken a life verse from any of the verses we just read. You rarely hear a sermon, if ever, on Joseph of6:43 Arimathea. He is the man who buries Jesus. We don't even know much about him. But did you know that there was a6:54 prophecy in the Old Testament that included him? In fact, the classic Messianic prophecy anybody know what that7:06 is? Isaiah 53. Remember that classic prophecy about the suffering of Messiah, that He is a man of sorrows acquainted with grief? Surely He has borne7:18 our sorrows, carried our griefs. He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of His peace was upon Him,7:31 etcetera, etcetera. But if you keep following that chapter down to verse 9, listen to what it says. This is Isaiah 53 verse 9.7:42 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, yet with the rich in his death. Sort of an7:54 enigmatic prediction, difficult to understand until you arrive at the burial scene of Jesus. And we see how God uses Joseph8:06 of Arimathea to fulfill that prediction. Because typically, a crucified victim would have been thrown into a mass grave. That's how Romans did it.8:17 Crucifixion was reserved for the worst criminals, not a Roman citizen. Romans couldn't be crucified. Slaves were crucified. Murderers, insurrectionists, armed robbers, those were crucified8:29 victims. Afterwards, they would take those criminals and put them either in the Valley of Hinnom or in a mass pit where the dogs and birds would pick at their flesh8:41 or they would be burned. That's typically how a crucified victim would be treated. But the prophecy said, though he would be assigned with the wicked, he'd be8:53 buried with the rich. How could that ever happen? Now we come to verse 57. And it says, when evening had come, there came a, what,9:05 rich man from Arimathea. Now that's noteworthy because there's a lot of things you could say about Joseph of Arimathea. In fact,9:17 in Mark's account, the Gospel of Mark calls him a prominent council member, a prominent council member. That is, Joseph was 1 of the 70 ruling9:29 elders in a group known as the Sanhedrin. There were 71, including the high priest. The high priest plus 70 others. Joseph of Arimathea9:40 was 1 of them, a prominent council member. In Luke's account, he calls Joseph of Arimathea a good and a just man. And though9:52 he is good, and though he is just, and though he is a prominent council member, it's also important that you know that he was a rich man because of Isaiah chapter 53 verse10:04 9. So what we're going to do in the brief time we have together is notice 3 notable features of this rich man who10:16 gave his tomb for Jesus' body. Of course, Jesus only needed it for the weekend because of the Resurrection. But let me give you 3 notable features. 1st10:27 of all, he was a genuine disciple. We're told that in verse 57. When evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who himself10:39 had also become a disciple of Jesus. 1st, a few words about Joseph of Arimathea. He is mentioned in all 4 gospels.10:51 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all have the account, and he is only mentioned in the burial account of Jesus. 2nd, Arimathea. Where is that from? We don't exactly know11:03 where Arimathea is. Most scholars believe it's a town called Ramah. You would only know about that if you know that Samuel the prophet came from Ramah. It's a few miles11:15 outside of Jerusalem. I'm guessing Joseph was born there and then moved to Jerusalem where he would be working as a council member for the Sanhedrin.11:27 Though he is a council member, though he is 1 of the upper echelon Jewish leaders, Luke's account says that he did not consent to their11:39 decision and their deed. He did not agree with how they were treating Jesus. They came up with false charges, right, to bring to Pontius Pilate to say that he said11:51 this and did that, all that was false. Joseph didn't agree with it. So he did not consent to their decision and their deed.11:59 This is Connect with Skip Heitzig. Your support helps reach people every day with biblical truth that brings hope, encouragement, and direction for real life. If you've ever wondered how to stay grounded12:11 when our culture is constantly pulling you in different directions, pastor Skip's study through Colossians is for you. In expound Colossians, you'll gain a deeper understanding of who Jesus is,12:23 why he is completely sufficient for every season of life, and how God's truth gives you confidence to stand firm in your faith. Your generosity helps extend the reach of connect with Skip12:34 Heitzig, connecting more people around the world to God's word. Request expound colossians when you give 50 dollars or more at connect with skip dot com slash offer or by calling 80912:46 2 2 18 88. Now here's more from Pastor Skip.12:51 But what's noteworthy here in verse 57 is that it calls him a disciple of Jesus. Now, in the original language, in Greek, it's in the verb form and would literally13:03 read, he was discipled by Jesus Christ. So he was a real learner. That's what disciple means. Mathetes, a learner, somebody who learned from Jesus, who13:15 followed Jesus, who believed in him. He was a disciple. Okay. Not only was he a disciple, but Luke's account and I'm not turning to all these13:27 because we're just here rooted in Matthew, so I'm just giving you the parallel accounts. But in Luke chapter 23, it says of him that he was waiting for the kingdom of13:38 God. He was waiting for the kingdom of God. He was messianically predisposed. He was waiting for the Messiah to come. Not much13:50 different than Anna, who was waiting for the consolation of Jerusalem. So he was waiting for the kingdom of God. He's anticipating the Messiah to come. So here you have a prominent14:01 Jewish council member who's a disciple. But though he is a disciple, according to John chapter 19 verse14:13 38, it says, was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly. Secretly. Why? He was a disciple of Jesus, but14:25 secretly for fear of the Jews. What was he afraid of? Well, he was afraid of losing everything, 1st of all.14:36 You may recall that the Sanhedrin had officially threatened to expel from the synagogue anybody who confessed Jesus Christ.14:49 If he's a ruling council member, if they find out, that's going to end his career. He's going to be ostracized. His family's going to be ostracized. He'll lose all connection from15:00 Judaism. So he's a believer in Jesus. But he's keeping it secret. He's keeping it silent. Now, Joseph of15:12 Arimathea has been ridiculed for this. You'd be surprised when you read certain commentaries that say, can you believe it? He didn't even speak up for Jesus. Okay, before you criticize15:24 him, I got a question. Peter, where are you? John, where'd you go? James, how come you're not here?15:37 You know where they were? Locked in an upper room for fear of the Jews. At least, whatever fear Joseph of Arimathea15:49 had, he's now going public. He's now stepping forward. He's growing in his faith. And I think this is an important designation. Discipleship is not16:01 a light switch. When you follow Jesus Christ, you are not instantly mature, but you grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus16:12 Christ, 2 Peter 3 18. So whatever fears he once had, he now musters up enough courage, and it was courage, to go to Pontius Pilate and ask for a proper burial.16:24 In fact, in Mark's account, Mark 15 says, coming and taking courage, he went in to Pontius Pilate. So I'm going say this guy is making16:36 progress because he comes to the Praetorium where Pontius Pilate is. I read 1 time the definition of a friend as somebody who comes in when the rest of the world has gone out.16:48 Nobody shows up, but he shows up. He's a genuine disciple. To go to Pontius Pilate would expose him to danger. Pontius Pilate hated the Sanhedrin, especially17:01 if a Sanhedrin member is asking for the body of a rival king, somebody that Rome could consider a threat. Also, to go17:12 into the praetorium of this Gentile ruler would make him unclean and defiled right before the Sabbath.17:24 So he is willing to risk reputation and status. Though he was a secret disciple here's the thing about being a secret disciple. You really can't stay a secret disciple very long.17:38 I'm going to put up the words of William Barclay, said, Christianity is something which is meant to be seen. There can be no such thing as secret discipleship, for either the secrecy destroys the17:50 discipleship or the discipleship destroys the secrecy. A man's Christianity should be perfectly visible to all men. That's what's happening here. The18:01 discipleship is destroying the secrecy. He's going public. Now, if you are like Joseph, if you18:13 are a secret disciple and some of you just you're that kind of a person. You don't want people around you where you work, they really don't know that you're a follower of Christ. You have not been that overt. I'm going18:25 to let you in on a little secret. I prayed for you this week. I thought specifically of you, and I have committed some time to pray for you that something would happen, not bad,18:37 but that something would ignite in you to make you a little more overt and vocal, to be more public. Especially, I think, in today's culture when18:49 our culture is encouraging people to be proud of who they are no matter who they are. So every person with the most aberrant lifestyle is told to come out of the closet and be proud of who you are. I think there are19:01 closet Christians who need to come out of the closet and be vocal about their faith in Jesus Christ. So he was a genuine disciple, and he's showing that.19:13 2nd thing I'd like you to make a note of, he's a gentle disciple. Just notice what he does here in verse 58. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus, wants to give him a19:25 decent burial. And Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. Notice19:37 the tenderness, the respect. Now, just a quick note. The Jews did not embalm their dead. That was an Egyptian19:48 practice. They did not embalm. They did not cremate. Jews saw that as a pagan practice. That's what the Romans did. They believed in taking the body whole, anointing it with20:00 spices to mitigate against the putrification of the flesh. Just load it up with aromatic spices. Wrap it up and plant it whole in the ground like a seed as a statement of20:12 faith, belief in a future resurrection. So they come in, or he comes and asks for the body. He takes the body down. Now,20:24 a dead body is not easy to manage by yourself. So I'm guessing he had help. In fact, I'm not guessing. I know he had help. And anybody here know the name of the person who helped Joseph of Arimathea?20:37 Nicodemus. In John's account, John chapter 19, it says Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus went. So it would have taken 2 people to manage,20:49 I'm guessing, 150 pound body, take it off the cross, and anoint it for burial. So he is a genuine disciple. But I see here with his clean linen cloth21:01 and handling the body so tenderly, so gently, he was a gentle disciple. And that is also a hallmark of Christianity, gentleness. Now, I21:13 just made a case for being bold. Now I'm making the case for being gentle. You know, you can be both. You can have gentle boldness. You can have bold21:25 gentility. You can have a placid, calm bravery. 2 sides of the same coin. In fact, Jesus said He21:37 was. He said in Matthew 11, take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your21:49 souls. Then Paul wrote to the Philippians and said, let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. So be22:01 bold, but be nice. Be gentle. When Paul wrote that list of the fruit of the spirit, you remember he gave a list of attributes of it. He22:12 said, the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. Here it is, gentleness. Some translations say meekness.22:25 Meekness and gentleness are the same thing, same thing. In fact, the word that is used for both of those in the Greek is this. I'm going to put up on the screen. There22:36 it is. It says, prowse, prowse. We're going to leave that up for a minute. Meek, gentle is the word prowse. The word means strength22:48 under control, power under control, power under authority. It's the choice to be restrained. That's prowess. That's being23:00 gentle. Found out there was a guy named written about 400 BC, a guy who was a soldier and a philosopher named23:11 Xenophon, spelled with an X. Xenophon wrote a book called The Art of Horsemanship. Not that you're going to try to go download it on your Kindle. But23:23 in his book, The Art of Horsemanship, Xenophon describes the selection by the Greek army for their war horses. He said the Greek army would go out to the mountains and23:35 find the wildest horse they could find, take these horses and bring them down, and spend months training them and breaking them, breaking them in. And after23:47 months of training, they would put them into 1 of 4 categories. Category number 1, they were discarded or let go. Category number 2, they were used for simply bearing burdens.23:59 Category number 3, they were used for ordinary duty. Category number 4, reserved for a few choice horses, they were war horses.24:12 And if the horse passed all the necessary requirements to become a war horse, it was given the name praus. That is, it's wild, it's24:23 powerful, it has strength, but it has learned to bring its nature under the control of its rider. It responds to the slightest touch of the rider. It can stand in the face24:35 of cannon fire and not get spooked. It stops at a whisper. Strong, but under control. Gentleness is a24:46 superpower.24:49 We're so glad you joined us today on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before you go, remember that when you give 50 dollars or more this month, we'll send you Expound Colossians as our thanks.25:01 This encouraging verse by verse study will help you discover why Christ is enough, how to stand firm in God's truth, and how to live each day with confidence in him. Your support helps keep this25:13 Bible teaching ministry reaching people around the world with the life changing truth of God's word. Give today at connect with skip dot com slash offer or call 809 2 225:25 18 88. See you next time.25:49 Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God's never changing truth in ever changing times.
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