J oseph kn ows what he ha s to do. He ha s stood a nd watch ed that day, as the rocks broke and the sun faded from view . He ha s watched as Jesus had di ed. And now he kn ows what he ha s to do. Joseph , not Jesus' Dad, another Joseph, has a tomb. And he wa nts to honour Jesus by burying him in his tomb. He doesn't want Jesus to en d up like the criminals who have died th at day, cast into a heap by the Roman s. Discarded like rubbish. Jesus is not rubbish to be tossed away. So, Joseph pushes his way through the cr owds on the road and finds his way to where Pilate is. He has a strange request to make. And he is in a hurry. It is just about time for the Sabbath, when every Jewish pe rso n stops working. He must get to Pilate be fore then. Pilate is pretty surprised to see Joseph, and even more surprised when he hears that Joseph wants Jesus' body. "Is he dead already?" Pilate asks. He send s off some soldiers to check . When they report back
