Joseph of Arimathea

Joseph of Arimathea was a follower of Jesus who arranged for his burial. He was a wealthy man from Arimathea and a respected member of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish council) (Mark 15:43). Joseph was good and righteous and did not agree with the decision to crucify Jesus (Luke 23:50–51). He had secretly followed Jesus because he feared the Jewish leaders (John 19:38).

After the death of Jesus on the cross, Joseph bravely asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Joseph and Nicodemus prepared the body with spices and wrapped it in linen, following Jewish burial customs. In a nearby garden, they placed Jesus in Joseph's new rock-cut tomb, where no one had been buried before. They sealed the tomb with a large stone.