The Jesus Podcast – "The Faithless Followers" (September 9, 2025)

Host: Pray.com
Theme: Tender Care Amid Doubt – The Story of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus on Holy Saturday

Overview of the Episode

This episode of The Jesus Podcast immerses listeners in the aftermath of Jesus’s crucifixion, focusing on Holy Saturday—a day marked by confusion, despair, and faith in the shadows. The narrative zeroes in on the little-told stories of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, religious leaders who risked their reputations and comfort to honor Jesus in death. Through dramatic storytelling and thoughtful theological reflection, the episode invites listeners to grapple with themes of failure, shame, silent faith, and the essential, caring role each person plays within the Church—the body of Christ.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Darkness After Crucifixion

• Despair Among Followers:
  • “In the beginning, the hearts of Christ’s followers were losing faith. Like the faint heat radiating from forgotten coals, all of them had scattered when Jesus was arrested.” (Narrator, 01:19)
  • The disciples hide in fear, and Judas faces crushing remorse, signaling a community fractured by doubt and grief.

2. Joseph of Arimathea’s Secret Faith and Courage

• Joseph’s Request to Pilate:
  • Joseph, a wealthy and respected member of the Jewish council, approaches Pilate to request Jesus’s body for proper burial, acting out of both reverence and regret for his earlier silence:
    • “I just want to honor him. I. I didn’t honor him in life, so perhaps I can in death.” (Joseph of Arimathea, 06:14)
  • Pilate, himself troubled by guilt and strange events following the crucifixion, grants the request with caution (05:25-06:28).

3. Regret and Redemption

• The Weight of Missed Opportunity:
  • Joseph is portrayed as burdened by his timidity during Jesus’s ministry:
    • “How could I have been so faithless, so afraid?” (Joseph of Arimathea, 07:17)
  • This emotional vulnerability echoes the confusion and regret among all the believers, drawing a universal connection to listeners’ own feelings of doubt (07:22).

4. Nicodemus Joins in Compassion

• Nicodemus’s Offering:
  • Another Pharisee, Nicodemus, appears with a costly gift of myrrh and aloe, symbolizing his belated devotion (08:07).
    • “To Nicodemus, it was his alabaster flask, his cross to carry... the shame of losing faith when it mattered most and gaining it when it seemed pointless.” (Narrator, 09:00)
  • Together, Joseph and Nicodemus, despite former secrecy and shame, unite in tenderly preparing Jesus’s body and placing it in the tomb (09:30-10:58).

5. Profound Imagery and Application for Today

• Linking Care of Jesus’ Body to the Church:
  • The host draws parallels between the literal care for Jesus’s physical body and the figurative care for the Body of Christ—the Church:
    • “Our theme for today’s episode is tender care towards the body of Christ. Joseph and Nicodemus put a great deal of respect, love and resource into the burial of Jesus… And this is an image of what you and I are called to do with the body of Christ, the Church.” (Host, 11:35)
  • Biblical metaphors from Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12 emphasize the church as one interconnected body with many unique, vital parts (12:05-13:42).

6. Overcoming Shame and Finding Belonging

• Encouragement for Listeners:
  • Two main takeaways are offered:
    1. Each listener is a “vital and important and unique member of the body of Christ…you serve a specific function that nobody else can.” (Host, 13:54)
    2. “You’re a part of something greater than yourself. And that gives us a lot of purpose.” (Host, 14:31)
  • The church is acknowledged as imperfect—a place for “hypocrites and sinners”—but that's precisely the point: Church, like a hospital, is for the spiritually sick and broken (15:00-15:23).

7. Invitation Toward Community and Continued Faith

• Call to Action:
  • “Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, cared for the body of Christ. They gave his body special time and attention. Even in the midst of doubt, confusion and grief, they were faithful. And that's our call.” (Host, 15:51)
  • The episode closes by encouraging listeners to seek support and renewal within the community of believers, especially during times of confusion and grief, with Easter (and hope) on the horizon (16:45-17:10).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Missed Opportunity and Redemption:
  “If he could somehow pay Jesus this last respect, it might atone for his cowardice.” (Narrator, 05:44)

• Roman Recognition:
  “That man was not of this world… Truly, he was the Son of God.” (Roman centurion to Joseph, 08:07)

• On Church as Hospital for the Broken:
  “To not go to church because it's filled with hypocrites and sinners is basically saying, well, I'm sick and I need to go to a hospital. But there's a lot of sick people there. It's a place for sick people. It doesn't really make sense. The church is for hypocrites. But we're all hypocrites, aren't we?” (Host, 15:00)

• The Universal Call:
  “We are all called to care for the body of Christ with the same tenderness and love that Joseph and Nicodemus did.” (Host, 15:51)

Key Timestamps

• 00:00 – Opening prayer and setting the somber scene after Jesus’s death
• 02:43 – Host introduces the episode’s focus on Holy Saturday and Joseph of Arimathea
• 04:08-06:28 – Joseph asks Pilate for Jesus’s body and reveals his regret
• 07:17-08:07 – Joseph’s internal struggle; arrival and testimony of the Roman centurion
• 09:00-10:58 – Nicodemus brings offerings; both prepare Jesus’s body for burial
• 11:35-13:42 – Host applies the burial story to Christian life; teaching from Ephesians and 1 Corinthians
• 13:54-15:51 – Practical applications: unique purpose and community for each believer
• 15:51-17:10 – Final encouragement and invitation towards community, looking ahead to Easter

Conclusion

This episode of The Jesus Podcast reimagines the aftermath of the crucifixion with empathy and cinematic storytelling, elevating Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus from silent, faithless followers to icons of tender courage and restorative care. Listeners are encouraged to see themselves not as outsiders, but as essential members of Christ’s body—called to love, serve, and belong, even in seasons of doubt and regret.