God loves to sneak people into the Bible for a moment of time and then not to be heard from or about again. As Esther was told by Mordecai that perhaps she, a Jew, had been allowed to become the Queen for King Xerxes to be the key figure to save the Jewish people, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).
Just as Esther was used in a very unique way, so was Joseph of Arimethea. Who is this Joseph? Where in the world was Arimethea, as it is not mentioned again in the Bible, and no one knows precisely knows where this place was. But as Joseph very clearly lived, small faithful acts can lead to astonishing impact. He was a quiet admirer of Jesus (Mark 15:42-47).
Joseph was a prominent member of the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin. He was a wealthy person of influence and became a small silent minority who had no part of the majority vote condemning Jesus (Luke 23:50-54). He was rich, honorable, righteous, and an unlikely disciple. Another description is he was a man of conscience who had inner strength and courage, willing to act and take risks when an injustice was ...
