SUMMARY
NicodemusThe Jewish leader to whom Jesus spoke about being born anew. More returns in the narrative and assists Joseph of Arimathea with preparing Jesus’ body for burial in the tomb.
ANALYSIS
Joseph of Arimathea is named in all four Gospels as the one who asks Pilate for Jesus’ body. In MatthewA tax collector who became one of Jesus' 12 disciples. More (27:57-61), Mark (15:42-47), and LukeThe "beloved physician" and companion of Paul. More (23:50-56), Joseph alone wraps Jesus’ body and places it in a tomb. In John, Joseph is described as a secret discipleA disciple is a person who accepts and follows the pronouncements of a teacher. Jesus chose twelve disciples (also called "apostles" in some of the Gospels) to follow him and bear witness to his message Anyone who (like them) follows Jesus is engaged in Christian... More and is joined by Nicodemus who has appeared twice before in the Gospel of John. We are reminded that Nicodemus first came to JesusJesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God's saving act for humanity. More by night (3:2) and later on in John, Nicodemus seems to defend Jesus before other authorities (7:50-52). Nicodemus brings the spices for the burial of Jesus’ body, enough to bury 100 bodies. There is considerable debate over the meaning of the amount of spices. For some, the abundance of spices signals that Nicodemus has finally come to believe in Jesus and demonstrates that faith with the large quantity of spices. For other interpreters, the copious amount of spices shows that Nicodemus does not believe in Jesus and particularly, the resurrection. Regardless, Nicodemus becomes an important character in the Gospel as one who is actively assessing what he believes about Jesus. Only in John is it noted that there was a garden near where Jesus was crucified, and that Jesus’ tomb is then in a garden.
