Joseph of Arimathea No Fear Again

JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA want make dem bury Jesus well. But to fit collect Jesus body, e go first ask Pontius Pilate. Na Pilate be governor that time and e stubborn well well. Joseph fit dey think sey Pilate no go let am collect the body. But things no happen as e think. Joseph comot fear for mind go meet Pilate. After one of im soldier tell am sey Jesus don die, Pilate give Joseph chance to go carry Jesus body. So, even though sey e no happy as dem kill Jesus, Joseph run go where dem kill am to carry the body.​—Mark 15:42-45.

• Who be this Joseph of Arimathea?

• How e take know Jesus?

• How im story take concern you?

NA MEMBER OF SANHEDRIN

The book of Mark talk sey Joseph na person wey people respect well well for Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin be like high court for Jew people. (Mark 15:1, 43) And, Joseph na one of their leader. Na this position make am fit meet Pilate. Bible still talk sey Joseph na rich man.​—Matt. 27:57.

People for the Sanhedrin hate Jesus and na dem join hand kill am. But Joseph no join dem. Bible call am better person. (Luke 23:50) E no dey live the yeye life wey many of the Sanhedrin members dey live. E no dey play wayo, and e dey try do wetin God law talk. E still dey wait make God Kingdom come. That one fit be the reason why e come be Jesus disciple. (Mark 15:43; Matt. 27:57) E fit be sey because e like truth, and e hate partial, na im make am like wetin Jesus dey teach.

SECRET DISCIPLE

John 19:38 talk sey Joseph na Jesus disciple. But e no want make the Jews know because e dey fear. Why e dey fear? E know sey the Jews no like Jesus. And dem go pursue anybody wey dey follow Jesus, comot from synagogue. (John 7:45-49; 9:22) When dem pursue person comot, dem no dey follow am talk or do anything with am. Na im make Joseph no want make people know sey im be Jesus disciple. If dem know, Joseph no go be member for Sanhedrin again, and nobody go respect am.

John 12:42 help us know sey many rulers for Jesus time believe Jesus. But dem no gree let people know because dem no want make the Pharisee pursue dem comot from synagogue. This one make us know sey no be only Joseph dey fear. Another person wey fear na Nicodemus. Im too na member for Sanhedrin.​—John 3:1-10; 7:50-52.

Even though sey Bible call Joseph Jesus disciple, na secret disciple e be. That one no good at all, na serious problem. Jesus talk sey: ‘Anybody wey tell people sey e know me, me self go tell my Papa for heaven sey I know am. But anybody wey tell people sey e no know me, me self go tell my Papa for heaven sey I no know am.’ (Matt. 10:32, 33) Na true sey Joseph no deny sey e know Jesus, but fear no let am tell people sey im na Jesus disciple. What of you, you get mind to let people know sey you be Jesus disciple?

Bible help us know sey Joseph no support the bad things wey the Sanhedrin plan for Jesus. (Luke 23:51) As some people talk, e fit be sey Joseph no even dey when dem carry Jesus go court. No matter how e be, we know sey Joseph no happy because the people for the Sanhedrin do partial. But Joseph no get power to stop dem.

E NO FEAR AGAIN

After Jesus die, e be like sey Joseph no come dey fear again, e come dey support Jesus disciple. How we take know? Mark 15:43 tell us sey: ‘Joseph no fear to go meet Pilate, and e tell am sey e want collect Jesus body.’

E be like sey Joseph dey around when Jesus die because e first Pilate know sey Jesus don die. Na im make when Joseph want collect the body, Pilate dey wonder if Jesus don really die. (Mark 15:44) If to sey Joseph see as dem take kill Jesus, you think sey na that one touch im mind? Or na im make am let people know sey im be Jesus disciple? E fit be. But wetin we know be sey, Joseph no fear again. E no want continue to be secret disciple.

JOSEPH BURY JESUS

For the law wey Jehovah give Israel people, e sey when dem hang person, make dem bury the dead body that day before night come. (Deut. 21:22, 23) But Rome people no dey follow this law. Dem ready to leave the dead body there until e rotten or dem fit just trowey the body for grave wey dem bury many people. But Joseph no want make dem do Jesus body like that. Joseph get one new grave for near the place wey dem kill Jesus. The grave dey inside rock and dem never bury anybody there before. Since dem never bury person for this grave before, e mean sey e never tey wey Joseph comot from Arimatheaa come Jerusalem. E fit still be sey e want use the place as im family grave yard. (Luke 23:53; John 19:41) Joseph really get better mind because e bury Jesus for where im family suppose bury am when e die. This one match wetin Bible don talk tey tey sey dem go bury Jesus with rich people.​—Isa. 53:5, 8, 9.

For book of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, dem write sey after Joseph comot Jesus body from the pole, e use fine cloth cover am, come put am for im own grave. (Matt. 27:59-61; Mark 15:46, 47; Luke 23:53, 55; John 19:38-40) The only person wey Bible talk sey help Joseph na Nicodemus. Nicodemus bring things wey dem rob for Jesus body. Because Joseph and Nicodemus na big people for Sanhedrin, e fit be sey no be dem carry the body by theirself. Dem fit don use people wey dey work for dem carry the body and bury am. But whether dem use people or dem no use, the point be sey no be small work dem do. Their law talk sey anybody wey touch dead body, go use seven days clean imself. And anything wey e touch, no go clean. (Num. 19:11; Hag. 2:13) This one mean sey dem no go join other people do Passover. And dem go miss other things wey dem dey do around that time. (Num. 9:6) People for Sanhedrin fit dey laugh Joseph, because e want bury Jesus. But, Joseph no let anything stop am. E don ready imself for anything wey go happen. Wetin dey im mind na make e bury Jesus well and to let people know sey im na Jesus disciple.

THE END OF JOSEPH STORY

After dem bury Jesus, Bible no talk anything again about Joseph of Arimathea. That one fit make person ask sey: ‘Wetin come happen to am?’ The truth be sey, we no know. But from wetin we don see, Joseph go don let people know sey im na Christian. How we take know? We don see how e take show im faith and sey e no fear to bury Jesus.

We don learn better thing from Joseph story. Make we ask ourself: E get anything at all for this life wey I value pass to serve Jehovah, whether na position, work, property, family or even my life? E good to think about this matter well well.