"V^Tiy Joseph's " fear " departed, and he acted with such mar- vellous boldness now, is a question which we have no means of settling. But reason points out that in all probability he had been an eye-witness of much that had happened this event- ful day. He had possibly stood within a short distance of the cross, and seen all that took place, and heard every one of our Lord's seven sayings. The miraculous darkness for three hours, and the earthquake, must have arrested his attention. Surely it is not presumptuous to conjecture, that all this must have had a mighty effect on Josei3h's soul, and made him re- solve at once to cast fear away, and avow himself openly one of Christ's friends. It is almost certain that he must have been near the cross at three o'clock, when our Lord gave up the ghost, or else how could he have known of His death, and had time to think of burying Him ?
After all it is a deep truth, that circumstances bring out character in an extraordinary way. Just as the developing liquid brings out of the dull grey glass in the photographer's hands, a latent image which you never suspected before, so do circumstances bring out in some men a decision and power of character, which before you would have thought impossible.
Rollock remarks, " When Christ was working wonders, and speaking as never man spake, all this moved not Joseph to come forth and show himself. But now, Oirist beiug dead and in shame, he comes out. Whereunto do I ascribe this? I as- cribe it to the force that comes from the death of Christ. There was never a living man in the world that had such pow- er as that dead body had. More mighty was His death than His life."
[And Pilate gave him leave.] The entire absence of difficul- ties in Joseph's way is, at first sight, rather remarkable. We may easily believe that Pilate was willing enough to grant Joseph's request. He did not grant it till the centurion certi- fied that Jesus was actually dead, and the ends of justice (so called) attained. Then at once he gave permission. It is fair to remember that he had regarded our Lord as guiltless all along, that if left to his own free will he would have released Him. It is probable, moreover, that he was vexed and annoyed at the obstinate pertinacity with which the Jews pressed for our Lord's death against his wish, and that he would be glad enough to pay them off, and spite them, by gratifying any friend of our Lord. But we must also remember that to the burial of our Lord's body the Jews themselves had no objec- tion, and had even asked that the death of the criminals might be hastened and the dead bodies got out of the way. Wliat they would have done with the body of our Lord, if Joseph had not come forward, we cannot certainly tell. Lightfoot Bays there was a common grave for the bodies of malefactors. In any case Joseph's request was not likely to meet with ob- jection either from Gentile or Jew. But, for all that we must