Dear Explorer,
Read Matthew 27:57-58
And
Read Mark 15:42-45
And
Read Luke 23:50-52
And
Read John 19:38-39
Now there was a man we call Joseph of Arimathea. What do you learn about him in these verses?
He was from Arimathea, a town in Judea. He was a prominent member of the Jewish council (the Sanhedrin) – the council that had condemned Jesus to death – but he had not agreed with it. He was rich. He had become a secret disciple of Jesus because he was afraid of the other Jewish leaders. He was a good and upright man and He was looking for the Messiah to come.
Now he was risking his own life and certainly his future with the Jewish Council by going to Pilate and asking for the body of Jesus. By identifying himself as one who loved Jesus, he was risking everything. He knew he could be the next one the Council crucified! But he made his decision to show his love for Jesus openly.
We are told by John that there was another man helping him. Who was he and what do you know about him?
His name was Nicodemus and his encounter with Jesus was explored in Day 38. Go back and look at that study and see what information you have already collected about him.
Just a quick note. Don't be discouraged when you get an opportunity to share Jesus' story with someone and they don't invite Him in immediately. Their salvation is not up to you, if you have done your part by sharing with them, then the Holy Spirit will continue to work and may lead them to invite Jesus in later. Don't ever push or force someone to accept Jesus. They actually can't do it until they are ready, and only the Holy Spirit knows when that time is.
These two men, both Pharisees were secret followers of Jesus. They saw the crucifixion and felt compelled to take a public stand in announcing their decision to follow Jesus. We have no record of what this public stand cost them.
You also need to know that the Jewish Law would not allow a person who was crucified to be buried. Instead their bodies were taken outside the city and dumped in a trash heap. So, Joseph and Nicodemus were breaking Jewish laws to do this.
I believe that when you invite Jesus into your God-shaped vacuum, you are empowered to stand firm and strong in the face of your enemies. When I get to Heaven, I want to hear what it was like for these men when they faced the Sanhedrin.
In His service, dale
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