“Yes, I had told them before I went to Pilate. Nicodemus objected at first, saying that we should remove the body to his palace and keep it there until the most magnificent tomb in all Israel was built for Jesus. However, I did not agree. The honor of having Jesus buried in my tomb was the last opportunity I would ever have of doing for him, in death, what I had always lacked the courage to do while he was alive—publicly attest to my love for him.”

“I understand that Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin were outraged when they heard you had claimed the body.”

He smiled. “To this day they have not forgiven me, blaming me for all the troubles that beset them from the followers of Jesus, in the Temple and the streets. If I had not claimed the body, they insist there would be no such thing as a Christian in all the land. And when I remind the high priest that he, himself, posted a guard here, he becomes furious and repeats the same story: that the disciples came and stole the body while the soldiers slept—which, as you now know, the disciples did not do.”

“Then Nicodemus finally agreed to your plan to bury Jesus here?”

“I gave him no choice. He realized that I was probably the only Jew in the city who could convince Pilate to release the body, because of our past business dealings.”

“Could Nicodemus have returned later and removed the body, unknown to you?”

“Never!” the old man exploded. “Nicodemus, as you will see, is a good and honorable man. We have been close friends for many, many years. I would vouch for his integrity with my life.”

“And he’ll probably tell me the same about you,” I said tartly.

“I certainly would hope so.”

“What did you do after you completed your preparation of the body?”

“With the help of Gorion, for Shem was too large to pass through the opening, we carried the body into the tomb and placed it on the shelf that would have been my final resting place some day.”

Joseph watched as I went to the mouth of the sepulchre, pushed aside the shrubs, stomped on the tall weeds, stooped down, and looked inside. It was considerably larger than the tomb of Lazarus, having a small inner room which led to another on which I could dimly see the shelf, hewn from stone, approximately two feet from the floor. Behind me I could hear Joseph, his words now punctuated by sobs.