Joseph of Arimathaea - Matthew 27:57

Matthew the apostle wrote, “Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him. Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children”, and in chapter twenty-seven and verse fifty-seven of his book, Matthew wrote how, “there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph” where we read:

When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea,

named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:

The verse reads, “When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, ...” Matthew began words, “when even was come” which means “at the time and moment the evening arrived which is either from three to six o'clock p.m. or from six o'clock p.m. to the beginning of night”, “there came a rich man” which means “there appeared and came forth a man who was wealthy and abounding in material resources” “of Arimathaea” which means “heights” and was “the same as the birthplace of Samuel in Mount Ephraim”. Matthew shared how the “evening” fell upon the day when Jesus was crucified and buried, and “a wealthy man” from the area of “Arimathaea” came forth.

The verse goes on to say, “... named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:” Matthew continued with the words, “named Joseph” or “called and referred to as Joseph whose name means let him add”, “who also himself” which means “who indeed and even so his own self” “was Jesus' disciple” or “was a student, pupil and attendant of Jesus”. Matthew shared how the “wealthy man named Joseph” who was a “disciple” of Jesus appeared.

When we meditate upon Matthew's words in this verse, we discover another of Jesus' “disciples” who was not of the original twelve. This man had “wealth”, and though Jesus' other disciples were put to flight, Joseph was to demonstrate His boldness in aligning with Jesus. God loves people of all sorts and means, and He is willing for all to have a relationship with Him through His Son Jesus. As we learn more of “Joseph of Arimathaea”, let us be aware of the loving grace Jesus extends to everyone whether rich or poor.

Next time Matthew wrote how Joseph of Arimathaea, “went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".