Police Devotion 1-26-16
“And after this Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.” (John 19:38)
Joseph of Arimathea is described in all four gospels, and almost always in good terms. He was described as “rich” (Matthew 27:57), so he was a man of wealth. The Bible doesn’t condemn having riches, by the way, as long as they are obtained honorably—God gets His tithes and offerings from them; they’re handled wisely in the fear of God; and they aren’t the focus of one’s life.
Joseph was also described as “an honorable counsellor,” (Mark 15:43), “a good man, and a just:” (Luke 23:50), and one who “had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;” (Luke 23:51). Joseph apparently held membership in, or influence to, the Jewish religious council; but when Jesus’ enemies among them hatched their plot to kill Him with the help of Judas Iscariot, Joseph of Arimathea either hadn’t known about it or he knew about it but didn’t consent to it.
John, however, also said that Joseph was a disciple “secretly for fear of the Jews.” Apparently, Jesus’ enemies dominated the council, so Joseph kept quiet about his discipleship to Jesus in order to avoid hardship. When Jesus was crucified, though, the enemy’s evil plot was done, and Joseph saw that it was time to stop hiding. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate consented, and Joseph took Jesus’ body. Nicodemus, another Pharisee, joined him, bringing burial spices. They prepared Jesus’ body for burial, as is Jewish custom, and Joseph laid Jesus’ body in his own new tomb.
If anyone, including Jesus’ enemies, wondered if these two now held allegiance to Jesus, their questions were pretty well answered. Obviously, Joseph and Nicodemus would not have prepared Jesus’ body for a burial with honor, and Joseph certainly wouldn’t have given up his own tomb, unless they thought that Jesus was the Messiah—which He was. Of course, that tomb would be vacated again three days later!
The Bible doesn’t say whether Joseph of Arimathea suffered any personal hardship later because of his stand for Christ, but there is an important lesson here: If you know Jesus as personal Saviour, don’t hide that fact. Don’t be ashamed of Jesus. Being a Christian is nothing to be ashamed of. You’ve probably known people who do things with their lives that they should be ashamed of, but aren’t. You’ve probably seen people on the job or in your personal life who live outside of wedlock. That’s wrong; however, they’re not ashamed of it. You’ve seen people who dress indecently to advertise their bodies, and they’re not ashamed of it. Don’t be ashamed that you know Jesus as Saviour.
Preterm, an abortion provider, has a billboard advertising, “End the Silence. End the Shame.” Actually, there is shame in abortion. It isn’t because some “anti-abortion” types protest against it (We were called “pro-life” at one time, but that term became too embarrassing because it means that the other side is “pro-death”). No, there’s shame because God convicts people’s consciences of the wrongness of it. God also wants to forgive people for the sin of abortion, but it has to be dealt with for what it is.
If you’re a Christian but worried what people may think, please don’t be. There are Christians in other countries that suffer a lot more for their faith in Christ. It can be scary to take a stand for Christ, but if you do it once it’s easier to do it again. If you’ve never done so, ask the Lord to give you courage, boldness, and wisdom to do so as you should. You’ll see an exciting answer to prayer. If you want to how to receive Jesus as Saviour, please click “Helpful Links”, then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller 1/26/2016
Cleveland Baptist Church | 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 | 216.671.2822