Maybe we should be like the Joseph I have in mind this morning
By Dean Collins
Maybe we need to be more like Joseph. Not the one God used to lead and provide for both Egypt and his own family in a time of famine. And not the Joseph who as Jesus’ earthly father taught him to be a craftsman building tables and chairs of wood. Also not Joseph Barsabbas of Acts 1, one of the two men under consideration to replace Judas as an apostle. It would be interesting to know more of that Joseph, because he was clearly a follower of Christ yet not chosen as one of the 12.
All four Gospels
Instead of all these, the Joseph on my mind today is Joseph of Arimathea. All four Gospel writers mention him by name. He is described as good and righteous and respected by others. He is referred to as a member of the Council or Sanhedrin. This suggests he was devout and well educated in the Scriptures. We also know he did not agree with the Sanhedrin’s decision to seek the death of Jesus. Matthew, who was familiar with money from his old days as a tax collector, called Joseph a rich man.
Mark tells us Joseph came in the evening. The four Gospel writers suggest he came alone, but John tells us Nicodemus helped Joseph wrap the body of Jesus and place the body in the tomb. We can assume it took both Nicodemus and Joseph to roll the stone in front of the tomb’s opening. We remember Nicodemus as the one who came to Jesus privately at night early in Jesus’ ministry to ask him questions and to discern if he was the Messiah. Both Joseph and Nicodemus had the wisdom to deal with some things privately in a volatile environment. We could probably learn something from their example.
Private confrontations
Coming to Jesus privately and coming to Pilate privately strike me as actions of thoughtful people who were also courageous. These men were not ashamed of their eventual belief and discipleship, but they displayed courage to ask, to seek, and to serve. They had the courage not to participate in the actions of many who sought to kill Jesus. Coming to Pilate after the chaos of his trial, beatings, and eventual crucifixion may have felt risky but also indicated respect for Jesus, his body, and the burial traditions of the day. Their action was a part of their discipleship.
Thoughtful disciples
Maybe we should be more like Joseph. Here are some of the ways that make sense to me:
1) Give thought to your discipleship. Nicodemus did when he first came to Jesus. Joseph and Nicodemus clearly did when the Council considered their actions. Joseph did as he weighed the risk of approaching Pilate to request the body of Jesus.
2) Have courage to ask questions both of Jesus and of others. We can still go to Jesus with our questions. We have no limitations in when we talk with him or what we ask. We may discover answers from the words of Jesus in Scripture and we may hear the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit directing us to the needed answers.
3) Have the wisdom and confidence to initiate private discussions. All of our thoughts need not be posted publicly for others to comment on. Some things can and should be handled behind closed doors. We do have a public witness, but there are thoughtful ways to live out our faith that respect others and ourselves.
4) Act. Ultimately, faith dare not stay secret.
It would be fun to have a conversation with Joseph of Arimathea one day. I would love to know what he thought on the day of the resurrection! One day we will get our chance to learn more about his faith and courage. Till then I think we might just work on when to shout praise and when to do the right thing for Jesus quietly.
Your time with God’s Word
Mark 15:43 ; Luke 23:50-53 ESV
Photo by Brett Jordan at pexels.com
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