Today we are continuing our conversation about sharing our faith with different types of people. Todays post is going to be about sharing your faith with someone who has a different belief structure than you do. Today, we will take a deep dive into Joseph of Arimathea’s life!

Joseph of Arimathea is only mentioned four times in scripture. Each reference takes place after the crucifixion, and there is one reference in each of the gospels. Take a moment to read each of these passages to try and spy the differences. If you don’t notice them, I will make sure to point them out once you read each passage.
Matthew 27:57-60 Mark 15:42-46 Luke 23:50-56 John 19:38-42

Alright, so what can we learn about Joseph? In Matthew, we see the following things…

He is from Arimathea
He is a Rich Man
He was a Disciple
He Prepared the body of Jesus for Burial
Buried Jesus in the Tomb and rolled the stone in front of the grave.

In Mark, we see that Joseph is…

A respected member of the council, also known as the Greater Sanhedrin.
Joseph took courage when approaching Pilate for the body.

In Luke, we see that Joseph…

Disagreed with the Sanhedrin on their handling of Jesus.

But ultimately, we see a significant detail in John’s account.

Joseph was a secret disciple.
And he was joined by Nicodemus in taking care of Jesus’ body.

But who was Nicodemus? Let's go back earlier in John and look at his first appearance…

So Nicodemus is a pharisee and when we look at his second appearance in chapter 7, is likely also a member of the Sanhedrin. It is likely that just as Nicodemus came to Jesus by night to learn more from Jesus, that Joseph was doing something similar. These two men were likely tasked by the Sanhedrin with following Jesus and learning from Jesus.

We see throughout the gospels individuals following after Jesus intentionally asking questions trying to trip Jesus up. Except, Jesus is Jesus and isn’t going to get tripped up. Nicodemus and Joseph were of a different belief structure, but something happened to both of them. And I want to walk through these four ideas and then challenge you to do likewise.

Granted Proximity To The Gospel

Jesus would have had the ability to pick and choose who He taught around. Think about what we are doing right now even. We allow people just to come in and hear preaching each week. We do some things to keep our building safe, but we want everyone to listen to the Gospel. And if this is your first time, or if you have been here for 20 years, you hear the same material. If you have given a million dollars or no money to the church, you hear the same material.

I believe in preaching the Word of God, allowing proximity to The Gospel, and then allowing Holy Spirit to work on the hearts of believers.

Jesus granted the proximity to Nicodemus and Joseph because He knew they needed it. And while they operated under secrecy, there was a moment coming where they would make their faith public.

Allowed To Ask Questions

Questions can be a scary thing. When Annie and I first came, the people of this church asked us anything and everything. One of the intimidating things was a Wednesday night open mic Q/A. Because while I have answers, are they the right answers?

One question I remember being asked was, what version of the Bible do you preach from? That is a legit issue for some people. A make or break issue. It might have also been a question: I am looking for a new Bible, I support you, so what are you going to preach from?

Jesus knew some would misunderstand him, but He invited the questions. Because while some were trying to trap Him, others like Nicodemus and Joseph were learning and growing. Because of those times of allowing questions, the two of them were growing.

And think about this for a moment. Sometimes Jesus didn’t answer questions. When were those moments? When the Pharisees were out for blood and trying to trap Jesus.

If someone is out for blood, we move on from them, and if they are looking to grow we answer the tough questions.

Work Out Their Faith

We see in John 3 that Jesus was working on Nicodemus. During the discipleship process, you must be willing to be stretched and grow. Often times you will grow, or you will go. But that decision is up to you.

Jesus is giving Nicodemus that opportunity, and I think it is very safe to assume that a similar conversation happened between Joseph and Jesus at some point. They could ask questions but were given a place to work out their faith and grow as well.

Step Into Their Faith

Finally, at the right moment, Nicodemus and Joseph go public with their faith. They go against the belief structure of the Sanhedrin. Especially in Joseph's case, he is risking his money, his stance as a respected individual, his spot on the Sanhedrin, his freedom, his life. But he took courage and stood up for what he believed in.

We don’t know for sure what happened to him. Some tradition has him getting arrested after he buried Jesus’ body. This seems likely as we know a Guard stands in front of the stone he rolled in front of the tomb. But regardless, he went public. He had proximity to Jesus, asked questions, worked out his faith, and then stepped into it.

Now What?

Now it is up to you. Go to those people that God has placed in your life. Allow them proximity to Jesus. Let them ask you all kinds of questions, and give (or find) the right answers to them. Then let them work out and step into their faith! Why not start today!