As we learned in the last blog, both Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were secret followers of Jesus but yet they accomplished a vital function in ensuring Jesus’ body received a decent burial. The importance of what they did is even more impressive when we consider how the Romans dealt with the bodies of those they crucified.
It could be said that we would not have the resurrection story that is recorded in the Bible without Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. The reason is because it was the Roman practice to leave the bodies of those who were crucified on the cross after they had died. The Romans allowed the birds and dogs to consume the flesh of the crucified and after the flesh was consumed, the skeletons were thrown into the town dump. If for some reason the body was taken down before it was consumed by the birds and dogs, it also was thrown into the town dump.
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were helpless to prevent the death of Jesus but they did what even Jesus’ closest and most ardent disciples failed to do.
