“The Secret Disciple”

Have you ever wondered what a secret disciple looks, thinks, and acts like? Meet such a man and his friend who “because of the fear of the Jews” had a choice: will they remain a secret disciple or one that will stand out from the shadows and reveal their heart and beliefs.

Put yourself into the place of this man, a member of the elite of the elite, schooled in the Torah, a wealthy landowner but an outsider in Jerusalem,  one who  was earnestly looking for the kingdom of God. Yet for all of that he was a secret disciple due to his fear of the leaders in the Sanhedrin (see John 12: 42-43) and in particular Caiaphas. In the heat of the moment he and his friend refused to consent to the death sentence that Caiaphas had sought. This was his first but not the last time he will stand for his convictions because it was just not the right thing to do. Why? Because in his heart he just “knew” that he “knew” that this man was indeed the Son of God. Perhaps it was when Jesus was asked that very question that his heart was quickened.  As he sat and listened to the false witnesses he cringed and in his heart he rebelled but the 68 others who joined Caiaphas were stronger than the voice of himself and his friend. But…

After the crucifixion this man gathered courage and boldly went to the Roman Governor and begged that he might have the body of this Jesus. The Romans had a rule that these that were crucified were to be left to the birds, no family burials, no burials in the pauper’s grave. Perhaps Pilate saw in the eyes of this man a heart that he had not seen in the eyes of the other religious leaders. He saw compassion and because he had been manipulated by Caiaphas and the others he chose to see a way to humiliate them as they had done to him. Thus Pilate, seeking corroboration from the Centurion on duty, was once again amazed that death had come so quickly and gave the order to release the body to this disciple. And where were the followers of this Messiah? They, unlike this man, were fearfully secluded themselves. They the public followers now became the secret followers. They did not go and seek the body of Jesus so that the words of the prophet Isaiah may be fulfilled: 53:9 “They intended to bury him with criminals, but he ended up in a rich man’s tomb,”

And so this secret disciple and his friend purchased linen and 75 pounds of spices and wrapped the body and lovingly placed it in the tomb. You won’t read about his deed in the Jerusalem Times and in fact Caiaphas was probably so incensed at this that he put aside his Sabbath rules and sought that this the tomb be sealed with the Roman seal. We never hear of this man or his friend from this point on but their legacy remains strong and firm. Who are these men we read about in Mark 15 and 16?  Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. 

What can we learn from this? We will find secret disciples in the most unlikely places, God can and will use them to fulfill His will and scripture that the others may be without excuse when they meet God. Sometimes they are those who are surrounded by mystery as Joseph of Arimathea was. Check a map. Where is Arimathea? Not to be found. Sometimes they, like us, progress one step at a time to come to the point that there is no turning back. Joseph and Nicodemus lived out the verse of being unashamed when the right time came. Secret disciples often have much to lose yet they choose to step out of the shadows into the light for others to see their heart. Their legacy shows that even in the worst of times they are the ones that will rise up and call evil evil not by words but by actions. 

Are you a secret disciple? Are you fearful of those who are in authority over you? Take heart from these two men. If they could come and talk to you they would say that being a secret disciple is not what Jesus would want ...Instead they would give you this verse out of 2Tim to encourage you: "1:7 For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control." Go forth and be used of the Lord this day.