The Man From Arimathea

I was a member of the council and I knew of the plot to find and kill Jesus.  And although I did not agree with it, I did nothing to stop the events from happening.  I had been waiting for the kingdom of God to break forth but for this Jesus fellow to be the Messiah, I was unsure…until that day when the sky turned dark and the temple curtain ripped wide open.  Then I knew, this must be the Son of God!  But what could I do, my previous behavior could not be undone.  But, I could give this man a proper Jewish burial.  I had just carved out a new tomb for myself’ I would give it to him, for surely he is more deserving of such care than I am.  With my social standing I had the clout to be able to go before Pilate and ask him for Jesus’ body.  Many people stayed on their crosses for days to set an example to people that Rome had absolute power, but Pilate let me take Jesus for burial.  He seemed himself to be grieving, whether for Jesus or the part he had played in his death I cannot be sure.  We had to act quickly for Sabbath was coming.  I was shocked when Nicodemus came to my aid in burying Jesus, he brought with him myrrh and aloes.  As we wrapped Jesus’ body in the linen burial cloth, we shared stories of our encounters with Jesus.  Nicodemus shared with me that he too had felt maybe, just maybe Jesus was the one, he even went to him in the shadows of the night to speak with him.  But now, we were both certain that our Messiah had come.