At church during the Easter Sunday services and while our pastor was preaching on what John had to say about the resurrection, I did some back tracking and read about the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. What caught my eye were two characters who we might call closet Christians. “Closet” being defined as “a state or condition of secrecy or carefully guarded privacy”.
“After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.” (John 19:38-42) ESV
Both Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were secret followers of Jesus and today we might be critical of them because of that. Yet when all of Jesus’ disciples save one had deserted him (John was busy taking care of Jesus’ mother as Jesus had commanded him), they did what no one else did—take proper care of the burial of Jesus’ body. These two prominent Jewish leaders (and they were prominent because how else would they have access to Pilate to request the body of Jesus) were protecting their careers by not openly supporting Jesus but when Jesus needed them most, they stepped forward.
Now I am not saying we should not challenge Christians to be more vocal about their faith, but God can use closet Christians to accomplish his purposes. Maybe that is why Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:1: ”Judge not, that you be not judged.”
