Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 19:38

"And after these things Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked of Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave [him] leave. He came therefore, and took away his body." — John 19:38 (ASV)

Burial in the Middle East usually takes place within twenty-four hours after death. Normally, the body of Jesus would have been flung into a common pit with the bodies of the two other victims, but two of his friends intervened. Jesus had no estate of his own from which to pay for a proper burial, and his relatives were either too poor or too afraid of the authorities to assume responsibility for it. Joseph of Arimathea stepped forward (see comments on Mk 15:42–43) and asked Pilate for permission to remove the body. His action was courageous, for his petition was a tacit admission that he was a friend of Jesus and consequently an associate in whatever supposed subversion Jesus might have advocated. He was now openly confessing his faith, for up to this time he had been a secret believer.