Note 1 at Mk. 15:43: There is no mention of this Joseph elsewhere in scripture; therefore, the information given about him here is all we know for sure. He was from Arimathaea which is the Greek equivalent of Ramah -- possibly the Ramah which is approximately 20 miles northwest of Jerusalem. He was a rich man (Mt. 27:57), which fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 53:9.

The term "counsellor," used to describe Joseph by Mark and Luke, identifies him as a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin. However, Luke makes it clear that Joseph did not consent to the condemnation of Jesus by the Sanhedrin in the mock trial before Caiaphas. Since Mark 14:64 says, "they all (speaking of the Sanhedrin) condemned him to be guilty of death," it is possible that Joseph and Nicodemus were not summoned to this trial because the council knew of their belief in Jesus.

Joseph was a godly man who was waiting for the kingdom of God and is also described as a disciple of Jesus' (Mt. 27:57), although secretly because of a fear of the Jews (Jn. 19:38). Mark says he went in boldly, though, to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

After receiving Jesus' body from Pilate, Joseph wrapped it in a clean, linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb which was located in a garden (Jn. 19:41) and very close to where Jesus was crucified. The tomb was hewn out of rock and had a stone that rolled in front of the opening that was used for a door.