Today, I am reading and commenting on  Luke 23-24.

Joseph of Arimathea is one of two members of the Sanhedrin whom we know to be disciples of Jesus, the other being Nicodemus.  Luke tells us that Joseph had not consented to the decision and action of the Sanhedrin.  Luke’s phrasing here seems more active than just silently disagreeing when the decision was made.  We do not know if Joseph was present at the meeting of the Council when they condemned Jesus and sent Him to Pilate, or if his disagreement with them about Jesus meant that he was not invited to that conclave.  In any case, we know that Joseph was a brave man, because it takes bravery to approach the Roman governor and request to be allowed to bury the body of a crucified man.  Overall, the Gospels portray the members of the Sanhedrin as hypocrites who seek to use their perceived righteousness to advance their own interests.  A little bit of thought about the world reveals this characterization to generally be true of all people in positions of power.  However, the example of Joseph of Arimathea reveals that some people in positions of power honestly seek to serve God to the best of their ability.  Nicodemus is another such man.  We should not make the mistake of thinking they were the only two men of power in that day with integrity just because they are the only two of whom we are aware.  The same is true today, while most people of power are hypocrites and lack integrity, there are a few who do not, a few who live and act with inegrity.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.