It was the height of anti-Jesus sentiment. The mob fury, the underhand political manoeuvres of the scheming high priest and his coterie, and the failed Roman legal process had finally culminated in the crucifixion of the Innocent One. Jesus' faithful friends were few, and were powerless witnesses of the horror that had been enacted before them. To identify with Jesus was to court the displeasure of the powers that be and risk being ostracised and victimised. Into that charged situation comes the resolute Jew, Joseph of Arimathea. We do not have much information about him, but we are told that he was rich (Matthew 27:57).  He had social status, as one of the powerful 71 member ruling body of the Jews called the Sanhedrin. He had a genuine longing for the Kingdom of God (Mark 15:43). He was a good and upright man (Luke 23:50). But beyond this we have no information other than the palpable fact that he had courage of convictions to identify with the crucified Christ by asking for the custody of His body so that he may provide a proper burial. He used his own tomb for that purpose and had Nicodemus and some friends to assist him in this regard.

What went through your mind Joseph? Did thoughts of social ostracism haunt you? Did the possibility of losing all that you had worked for tug at you? How did you not listen to the following cowardly placations that could tranquillise your conscience? “It is preparation day for the Sabbath, you can be ritually defiled by entering a pagan's (Pilate's) house." "You can be defiled by touching a corpse.” "It's not your fault that Jesus was crucified, let someone else take up the responsibility." "What if some violent extremist physically attacks me?" "It's a lost cause, the Master is dead anyway." "What if Pilate singles me out to give me trouble?" I wish I knew.  But one thing I know for sure, you did not have the faintest idea that your quiet demonstration of courage was foreseen hundreds of years before you were born by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 53:9) “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death.”

It started then, but it continues till now, that there is a cost to following Christ. The apostle Paul writes about this while he clarifies his goals in Philippians 3:10,11. “I want to know Christ ... and the fellowship of His sufferings” What is this “suffering?” Let me clarify. There is an opposition that comes because of the name of Christ. This is because Jesus Christ is the antithesis of the lusts that drive the world. The Lord further clarified this in the Gospel of John 15:18, 19. “If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world.” To those who are being saved, we are the fragrance of Christ but to others we are the stink of death. (2 Corinthians 2:16).

So when we speak on behalf of God, those who love truth will acknowledge the validity of our message, but those who wish to deny it would certainly oppose us. In that sense, the message of the Gospel will bring a division (Matthew 10:34).

The question is “Are we willing to identify with Christ and his message or are we seeking a truce with the world by capitulating to its demands?” The writer of Hebrews encourages his readers by saying “Let us go to Him outside the camp bearing the disgrace that He bore” (Hebrews 13:13). When we acknowledge the saving work of Jesus, take up the cross and follow Him, resolutely stand against injustice, caste, corruption, dowry, sexual promiscuity and deviance, in our lives and in the body of Christ, we will be labelled and maligned and in some cases ostracized. But we need to stand with the message lest the sad words of Matthew 10:33 “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.” becomes our epitaph. Do we have the courage of convictions that Joseph of Arimathea had?