Today I wanted to share with you someone I found in my devotions, an unsung hero of the Bible. His name was Jospeh of Arimathaea. Do you know him? We all know what he did but I think few of us would be able to put a name to the act, because what he did at first doesn't seem like such a big deal.
"And after this Joesph of Arimathaea, 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".
Joesph was a disciple, but a secret one because he was fearful of what the Jews might do to him. At the time of Jesus ministry I can imagine he would have been one of those men that we would have considered cowardly. Sure, he was a Christian, but a secret one. Then times got tough. Jesus was violently killed and where were the disciples that had once followed Him so openly? God had to use a "coward" to get Him down off of the cross. Joesph turned out to be the most open follower of Christ in that hour of trial. For that, the Lord has ensured that his name and brave deed will be remembered forever.
I prayed this morning and asked the Lord to show me a verse that would mean something to me and this was the first verse I read. Whoa! Talk about a smack between the eyes! How convicting! Am I going to be a Christian in the good times, wearing a pretty smile and being charming, and collapse out when things get rough? Or am I going to be like Joseph, out there worshipping and loving Jesus right when I'm most hurt, most scared, most fearful? He went before Pilate and "besought him" to take down the body. Chris says that he must have been a man of some standing to have sought and been granted an audience before Pilate. And Pilate trusted him with the body of the most well-known 'man' ever hung on a cross! It seems to me that a man like that would have had alot to lose. Imagine how it would have felt to have not only seen your beloved Messiah brutally whipped, nailed, speared - but to have taken that body down. To have held what appeared to be the lifeless body of Christ. To have carried the One who promised redemption for all mankind. To have washed His very blood from your hands. To wind linen over the broken flesh and see firsthand the cruely of those He forgave. To lay the Rose of Sharon in a sepulchre and to know that He had been your only hope. I think that this must have been one of the hardest things a man has ever done. And yet Joseph, the secret follower of Christ, was the one who did it.
This verse also reminds me of how important it is not to judge our fellow brothers and sisters. God doesn't tend to use the ones who apparently have it all together. In the last two years I have seen and heard of marriages collapsing that I would never ever in a billion years have predicted. Some of those individuals have last names that are well-known in Christian circles, great preachers and missionaries. And yet I know couples that I wouldn't guess could last the distance who are still going strong. I know women who have lost their homes when their husband's made unwise financial moves, women who have buried a baby, women who have lived with husbands who tried to stop them from serving the Lord, and yet they quietly, humbly, graciously continue to honour their husbands and their marriage. When it really came down to it and things got rough those ladies, like Joseph, had what it took to do the hard thing and just keep loving and serving God. I know missionaries who never won accolaides at college or at home, yet they have lost loved ones while they were in another country, and take their children to places where you can't get decent medical treatment no matter how much money you have. Yet when things get rough they too, like Joesph, just keep loving and serving God.
I want so much to be like Joseph. When I die I want this verse preached at my funeral (unless of course Jesus comes to take me home first... any time now Lord... lol). Of course, I don't want to live my life being a secret Christian, but I would like to be remembered as someone whose greatest hour was in an hour of need. Joseph gives me hope. It's not easy to be strong and I understand his quietness about being a disciple because boldness is something that I struggle with too. I don't tend to be the one who just comes out with what I believe in a room full of people (even amongst Christians). If the Lord can use a 'secret Christian' to take down our Lord's broken body from the Cross, He can surely make us bold during our darkest hour too.
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