After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. (John 19:38-42 NRSV)
Today is Good Friday, the day that Jesus died for you..
I invite you to read the whole story from John chapters 18 and 19…
Our text above comes at the end of the story. The man the disciples had followed and learned from for the past three years was just killed, and they have no idea what is going on, or going to happen. The world is dark and evil it seems has won.
So where is the hope?
In our passage is hope. Joseph of Arimarhea and the other man…
You see Jesus spent His time teaching the people and the religious authority that there was a different way then they had known. He taught that to be right in the law was not always the right way to go about things. He showed a different way…
And Joseph was a secret disciple, because he did not want to face the scorn of his fellow Jews, and then there is Nicodemus. The pharisee that came to Jesus under the cover of darkness because he was afraid for what would happen to him in the Jewish High Council, and then Nicodemus stands up for Jesus when the council decides to have Him killed. But here both of these secret learners of the way of Christ are out in the open taking His body off the cross, and placing Him in the tomb. They have gone from hiding what they are doing to showing everyone and not worrying about the consequences. That is the hope! People have grown in their understanding of what age is asking of them, and living that life…
Is that hope visible in your life?
aSacredRebel 