1.
Grace, mercy, and peace to you
from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The message from God’s Word this Good Friday
evening is taken from John 19:38, which says, 38After
these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked
Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him
permission. So he came and took away his body.”
The message is entitled, “Joseph
of Arimathea: In Secret, Now Out.” Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2.
“Jesus
called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’
When he had said this, he breathed his last” (Lk 23:46). It seemed all over
except the crying. I’m sure that many went home to beat the rush, like sports
fans in the last minutes of a lopsided game. But the history of Jesus, who is
called the Christ, isn’t over. There comes a rich man, Joseph of Arimathea, a
respected “member of the Council, a good
and upright man” (Lk 23:50), one who looked for the kingdom of God (Mk
15:43), one who likely sat in on the trial of Jesus, but “who had not consented to [the council’s] decision and action” (Lk
23:51), and whom Matthew calls also a disciple of Jesus (Mt 27:57). He went
boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. And Joseph took the body,
wrapped it in a clean linen shroud, and laid it in his own new tomb.
3.
There’s nothing really attention-grabbing
about all that, except Mark’s comment that Joseph “went boldly” (15:43). What does Mark mean by that? Our text spells it out further. “Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for
the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he
feared the Jews.” Joseph was looking for the fulfillment of all the Old
Testament hopes and knew the Word of the Lord concerning the Savior. He saw and
heard Jesus, and the Word of God brought Joseph to faith. He believed, but he
didn’t want anyone to know. Why didn’t he want anyone to know? He was afraid.
And of what? The Jews—the
religious rulers of Israel, Joseph’s friends and relatives in high places, and
his associates and clients on the council. You see, Joseph believed the truth,
but the truth was no more popular then than it is now. The belief in Jesus was
risky stuff for Joseph. He was a rich man who had a lot to lose if he didn’t go
along with the popular views. Not only was he rich, but he was also a man of
position. Yes, he was on the council, the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court and the
law-making body of the Jews. Wrong politics or religion could get you thrown
out. Belief in Jesus as the Messiah was both. So, being a good and upright man,
Joseph would work within the system to do what he could to keep things fair for
Jesus, but he wouldn’t admit to believing in Jesus. He would protect his
interests—money and position—but also hold on to the truth. He
would live in two worlds and believe in secret.
4.
Though Joseph tried to protect himself,
something more powerful and more important than self-preservation confronted
him: the death of Jesus, the Son of God. He couldn’t witness the trial, the
crucifixion, and the death of Jesus and remain silent. He couldn’t remain a
secret believer. Either secrecy destroys belief or belief destroys secrecy. The
words of Jesus brought Joseph out of hiding. “Whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in
heaven” (Mt 10:33). Jesus was who he said he was, and Jesus’ words wouldn’t
pass away.
5.
It’s Joseph who gave Jesus the burial cloth
known as the shroud. It’s this secret believer who spoke out before Pilate and
who still speaks today. You and I see that we can’t remain secret believers. We
often want to. Why? Because we’re afraid. We’re afraid of others and what
they’ll think and do. Belief in Jesus is risky for us. Dare we say what we
believe at school or around the crew at work? Belief in Jesus challenges the
beliefs of others. Not going along with your friends is a challenge. It could
cost you a friend. It’s often shameful to raise questions about what someone
else finds acceptable or fashionable. Expressing your faith could cost you your
job. What’s the sense of blowing the whistle on someone if it means cutting
your own throat? You have to be practical, don’t you?
6.
Joseph reasoned like that, until he
reached the point where he had to stand for and on the truth. Belief destroyed
the secrecy. He spoke out. He found the courage. What gave him that courage?
Knowing that Jesus was truly God. The Fact That Joseph Couldn’t Hide His Faith Is
Evidence That We can’t Either.
7.
The four Gospel accounts record
the witness that Joseph gave for Jesus. This wasn’t a common criminal who died
on the cross, but a man worth the dignity of burial: a King, the God-man.
8.
The Shroud of Turin isn’t the evidence
that creates faith in Jesus, nor is it the place to which we look to add to our
faith, yet it is interesting that the whole investigation into its authenticity
keeps the Gospel account of Joseph’s testimony of Jesus before the eyes of the
world. Because Joseph buried Jesus in a shroud, the discussion of the Shroud of
Turin reminds us of Joseph. Hidden belief is before the eyes and ears of the
world. Here is a miracle of faith in the
middle of a time that doesn’t believe in miracles. It’s the testimony of this
Joseph, who was given courage, went boldly because of the cross, and spoke.
9.
If we were put on trial today, would there
be enough evidence to convict you and me of being Christian, a believer in Jesus as God in the
flesh? Maybe we, too, need the courage of our convictions—the boldness of our belief not to be
secret believers, but to speak out for him. Not only do we have the first
evidence that Joseph had, but we also have the evidence of nearly 2000 years of
Church history: the finds of historians, archaeologists, and even the
investigation into the shroud. Above all, and most important, we have the
evidence of the prophetic Word of God made more sure. On this we can take a
stand, and nothing in this world is more certain or sure, for Jesus truly is
the Son of God.
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