A Decent Burial

October 10

(Luke 23:50-56 NIV) “Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, {51} who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. {52} Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body. {53} Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. {54} It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. {55} The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. {56} Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.”

(Matthew 27:57-61 NIV) “As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. {58} Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. {59} Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, {60} and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. {61} Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.”

(John 19:38-39 NIV) “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. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. {39} He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.”

After Christ’s death, two men stepped forward to claim His body. Joseph and Nicodemus were wealthy members of the ruling council that sentenced Jesus to death. They had both become “secret” disciples, because they feared their religious colleagues. But their hearts had been changed. That’s conversion. Now they both came out in a very public way, providing a compassionate service to our Savior. They could not prevent Christ’s death, but at least they could give Him a decent burial. We learn a couple of things here. First, wealthy people can be followers of Jesus. It’s not about our net worth -- it’s about our hearts. We also learn that one can only be a clandestine follower of Jesus for so long. At some point, circumstances will demand that we go public with our faith. Where are you in that? How about going public today? -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day