When evening had come, and since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. (Mark 15: 42-43)

The Gospel of John tells us that Joseph of Arimathea was a secret disciple of Jesus. (John 19:38) Matthew tells us he was a rich man. The Council of which he was a member is usually thought to be the Sanhedrin, which is further evidence that Jesus was not tried by the whole council. I would guess he was a Pharisee, but others claim he was a priest.

Some legends make him an uncle of Mary and great-uncle of Jesus. Others give him custody of the Holy Grail. One ancient - recently revived - story makes Joseph the protector of Mary Magdalene. According to many he was the founder of Glastonbury and the first to bring Christianity to Britain.

Perhaps most importantly Joseph was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God. The Greek verb is prosdechomai. Waiting expectantly is a good translation. Literally it could be translated as "to take by the hand what is nearby." Jesus taught the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Joseph reached out and took hold of it.

More information is available from Glastonbury Abbey.