A few days ago, on Palm Sunday we listened to the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew and today, on Good Friday, we heard the same story again but according to John. Each evangelist shares his memories according to the inspiration of God and his own genius to convey the truth that God wants to reveal.
I noticed at the end of both accounts of the Passion each evangelist speaks about Joseph of Arimathea. [And I’ll just refer to these two versions because they are the ones we have heard over the last few days.] According to St. Matthew and St. John, Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Jesus. (Mt 27:57) Matthew says Joseph was “rich man from Arimathea”. (Mt 27:57) John says he was a “disciple of Jesus, though a secret one” like Nicodemus. (Jn 19:38)
It is Joseph who begs for Jesus’ Body when it is taken down from the Cross and Joseph, as a man of means, provides a “clean linen shroud” for Jesus’ burial. (Mt 27:58) In John’s Gospel, Joseph and Nicodemus together wrap the Lord’s Body “with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews.” (Jn 19:40)
In Matthew’s Gospel, Joseph gives to Jesus the new tomb, “hewn in the rock” that he had prepared for himself, and he rolls “a great stone to the door of the tomb.” (Mt 27:60) In John’s version, he is less specific. Both Joseph and Nicodemus place the Body of Jesus in “a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid.” (Jn 19:41) Perhaps John didn’t know the tradition that it was the new tomb Joseph had prepared for himself. In any case, John is more concerned to tell us about the location: the tomb was in a garden in the place where Jesus was crucified. (see Jn 19: 41)
On this Friday that we call Good, the whole Church meditates on the cost to God of our salvation. Our fast is not so much penitential today but a fast of grief such as when a loved one dies. The Church fasts when her Bridegroom has been “taken away.” (see Mt. 9:15) The Church mourns for her beloved Lord and Saviour and the great sacrifice of God for you and for me. Tomorrow night we will sing with wonder to the Father: “to ransom a slave you gave away your Son!” (Easter Vigil, Easter Proclamation, Exsultet)
The response of Joseph of Arimathea helps us to understand the wonderful exchange that is taking place through Jesus’ gift of himself on the Cross. God the Father is asking His Son, Jesus, to take our place in the tomb – that ending that would be the end for us all had God not intervened! God gives His Son to take our place in the tomb. In Matthew’s Passion, Joseph of Arimathea literally gives his own new tomb for Jesus’ Body. As a disciple of Jesus, he has learned compassion and makes a costly sacrifice to treat Christ’s Body with great respect. Did Joseph realize that his tomb then would be the place where Christ would conquer His death, Joseph’s death, and our death? The joy of that victory is something we will celebrate in a day or so at Easter. Today, we look at that costlier gift of God and the great weight of Christ’s passion that sends Him to the place of stone-cold death for us.
John’s version of the Passion which we heard a few moments ago also highlights how the new tomb in a garden is a new Creation. As man and woman were brought to life initially in a garden, humanity will find its re-creation here at the Cross and the new tomb nearby. Joseph’s tomb? John doesn’t say but then, in this way, it is any man’s tomb, any woman’s. Jesus’ Body, given for the life of the world on the Cross, is deposited like a seed in a new tomb in the garden and His indestructible life will burst from my grave and from yours someday, you and I sharing in His victory and new life.
Hopefully this little meditation on Joseph of Arimathea can help us face the Cross of Jesus today and our own crosses with love and courage. Joseph was changed by his friendship with Jesus and by what happened to Jesus at the crucifixion. Not only did Jesus’ costlier gift inspire Joseph to make a costly, loving gift to Jesus himself, but in John’s Passion, this secret disciple along with finally comes out into the light.
His faith becomes public as he goes to the governor Pontius Pilate and risks identifying himself with this executed criminal.
Dear brothers and sisters, in a few moments, we will devoutly carry into this Basilica an image of Christ’s Cross and slowly unveil its head, its arms and feet. You will be invited to come forward, if you wish, at that time to honour Christ’s Cross, the mystery of his saving death, with a bow, a genuflection, a touch, a kiss – whatever sign of love you want to give. This is a very personal moment for each of us as we remember what Christ has done for us and thank the Lord Jesus for His costly gift of salvation.
May we approach like Joseph with a heart moved by Christ who “loved [us] to the end.” (Jn 13:1) How can I give my own life more deeply to Jesus? Can I invite Him into my tomb and give it to him? Whom am I called to help, to clothe, and to anoint with my compassion? How can I live my love of Jesus more openly before others?
“Faithful cross, above none other; noble tree beyond compare. Never was there such a scion, never leaf or flower so rare. Sweet the timber, sweet the iron, sweet the burden that they bear!” (John of Portugal, Hymn Crux fidelis)
Most Rev. Stephen A. Hero
Archbishop of Edmonton
St. Joseph’s Basilica
April 3, 2026
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