Approved

 

“Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent Council member, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God, boldly went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus.” (Mark 15:43 [NIV])

Each of the Gospels in the Bible (Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19) tells us about Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish High Council. The High Council created laws for the people of Israel. They passed judgment with the Jewish religious leaders on anyone who broke the laws. Joseph would have been in the meeting with the priests and other religious leaders as they questioned Jesus. These men later took Jesus to Pontius Pilate. Yet, something was different about Joseph.

Not all religious leaders turned their backs on Jesus. A couple listened to what He said, questioned Him, and secretly believed in Him. They became Jesus’ disciples, too. Nicodemus is the first religious leader we read about who became a believer in Jesus (John 3.) The second is Joseph of Arimathea. We discover he was Jesus’ disciple after Jesus died. In the Bible passages noted above, Joseph asked Pilate if he could remove Jesus from the cross and put Him in his own unused tomb. Once Pilate determined from a centurion that Jesus was dead, he gave permission for Joseph to take Jesus’ body off the cross, wrap him in linens, and lay Him in the tomb.

This sounds normal. You may wonder what the big deal is. Why did each of the Gospel writers decide it necessary to record Joseph’s actions toward Jesus’ body? For Jews of the time, touching a dead body was a big deal. Why? Because it caused a person to become unclean, according to God’s laws. A person who touched a dead body had to perform ceremonial cleansing. For seven days after touching a dead body, a Jew is unclean and must perform a specific ceremonial washing as described in Numbers 19:11-13. Remember, Jesus’ arrest and death occurred during Passover week, a holy week. God’s laws required Jewish men to go to the Temple in Jerusalem for this holy week. Since Joseph touched Jesus’ body the night before the Sabbath, he would be unclean and unable to enter the Temple on the Sabbath to celebrate Passover. For Jews, especially Jewish leaders, becoming unclean, more so, choosing to become unclean, was unheard of, especially at Passover. They exerted effort to ensure their ceremonial cleanliness (righteousness).

What would cause Joseph to choose to be unclean according to the religious laws? Joseph counted the cost of acting like a Jew and keeping up the façade next to honoring and respecting Jesus the Messiah. To him, putting on a façade for the Jews was less important than taking care of the body of Jesus, his Savior. Jews could not leave a dead body on a cross over the Sabbath. It would dishonor God and the land He gave them. Joseph chose to honor Jesus and not to seek the approval of people. He chose to honor God. Joseph chose to humble himself let the Jewish people consider him unclean. He allowed the dishonor to fall on himself instead of the Messiah.

One other consideration Joseph may have had is Jesus taught He Himself is the fulfillment of God’s laws. Since Jesus fulfilled the laws, the Jewish people need not offer sacrifices for sins anymore. They did not need to consider ceremonial cleansing since Jesus cleanses all who believe in Him for their salvation. Because of Joseph’s belief in Jesus, he would not be unclean for having touched Jesus’ body. Joseph, by his actions, showed his belief in Jesus as the Son of God. He and Nicodemus went from being secret and peripheral believers to being open and active believers in Jesus, the Son of God.

Why is this a big deal 2000+ years after Jesus’ death and ascension? Joseph sought the approval and respect of the Jewish people and priests. As part of the High Council, he clearly had to keep every law. Joseph, a lawmaker and judge, wanted to be righteous. He wanted to get to heaven when he died on earth. When he listened to and about Jesus, he decided for himself Jesus is the Son of God. We each are at that point now. Jesus has already come to earth and returned to heaven. He became the sacrifice for our sins. He loves each person. Jesus provides cleansing from sins and God’s approval for each person. He gives eternal life with Him in heaven. We can be like Joseph and Nicodemus were. They sought love, respect, and approval from other people. Getting those things from people can never cleanse us from our sins (our wrongdoings). We cannot be good enough or earn our way to heaven. But, we can do like Joseph and Nicodemus did while Jesus was on earth. We can have God’s love, approval, and salvation by believing in His Son, Jesus. Yes, God loves us all the time. That love provided a way for us to be cleansed of our sins. God does not force us to trust in Jesus. He makes it salvation to us and we can decide for ourselves, like the disciples who walked with, heard, and trusted in Jesus while He was alive on earth.

The decision is your own to make. Keep trying to be good enough. Keep seeking love, approval, and respect from other people. You will never be assured of your salvation and place in heaven with God. Alternatively, seek God and His love, trust in Jesus as His Son for your salvation, and be approved by God and have eternal life with Him in heaven. Doing things to look good and trying to be good are not good enough. Joseph and Nicodemus understood that. They knew the religious laws and realized trying to keep them and appear good was not the same as the goodness (righteousness) God gives to each person who believes in Jesus. God gives love, forgiveness, approval, and salvation. Will you believe and accept it?

Stop trying to be "good enough."

Seek God’s approval.

Humble Expectation

The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28 [NASB])

It’s Christmas morning. Children run through the house with excitement emanating from their eyes, hands, voices, and feet. They can’t sit still. They can’t stop talking. They wonder what present they will receive this year. The family sits in the Christmas room. As established by family custom, the youngest gives the presents to each person. She is so excited to see what everyone receives that she almost drops the boxes because of her jittering hands. With great anticipation and eyes alight, little sister opens her boxed present to find an envelope. Gleefully, she finds an envelope in the box. The envelope holds $10. Big sister, with great excitement, rips open her box. With expectation of what she might find, she notices an envelope, too. Her envelope crinkles and crackles as she rips it open and pulls out ten one-dollar bills. She looks up with joy and tears. Mom opens her boxed present careful not to tear the paper. Once she removes the tape on the box, she, too, finds an envelope. Yes, she has money! She counts it with surprise, gasps, and realizes she has $10. Dad, with wonder about these gifts, opens his box and finds the expected envelope. He hopes for greater things than what he has seen come from his family’s envelopes. Dad takes a deep breath of anticipation then carefully pulls the edges of the envelope flap from the back of the envelope and peeks inside. He exhales and looks down sadly. Dad, too, received $10.

So often, each of us compares our own self to another person. We try to do better than that person so we can have a greater reward-more money, bigger bonus, elevated title, bigger house, etc. These things Jesus did not teach or live out as an example for us. Jesus did not choose to live in a mansion as a king or leader. He did not choose to exist with only the washed and wealthy. Jesus did not choose His friends from among the elite in society. He did not die from old age and receive praise at His funeral service. Jesus was born to a carpenter’s family and lived in the northern kingdom of Israel. He chose not to have a house to call home. Jesus chose to be around fishermen and their odor, lepers and their decaying smell, prostitutes and their obvious sin, tax collectors and the hatred they received, the poor and their shortage, and the sick with their infirmity. He lived among the people who had no influence and called to every person hoping they would to listen to Him. Finally, though as a man who would want to die from old-age causes and receive praise for His good deeds, Jesus died a torturous death of hanging by nails on a wooden cross and suffocating.

God could have sent Jesus to live a gracious lifestyle of affluence, but He didn’t. He could have had mercy on His Son and not let Him be crushed by the hatred of His own people and their leaders, but He didn’t. God could have lifted Him above the earth physically, so Jesus didn’t have to die a crucifixion, but He didn’t. God’s plan was greater than we could think or imagine. It included love, forgiveness, mercy, and grace for all people. His reward for believers in Jesus Christ is the same for all sinners, not just the obvious ones, but also the hypocritical ones, the ones with “hidden” sins. His reward is the same for the person who had been a Christian for 60 years or for just the last breath on earth.  Jesus came for all people so that every person could have forgiveness of sin, receive salvation, and be given eternal life. Those are the rewards, the only ones with eternal value.

The mother of James and John asked Jesus for an honor for her sons (Matthew 20:20-23). She asked for them to sit on each side of Jesus when His kingdom came. Jesus explained this reward is not for Him to give. Did that mean He did not love James and John enough to give them this blessing? No, she was thinking in worldly terms. She was trying to advance her sons to CEO or COO or President, when, in God’s kingdom, no titles, bonuses, bigger houses, or higher statuses exist. God gives reward, eternal rewards.

Jesus told about a land owner who hired day workers for his vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16). This land owner paid the ones who worked an eight-hour day the same as he paid the one who worked one hour. The vineyard owner is fair. He pays-rewards-the same for the same work. James and John were disciples of Jesus just as were Peter, Andrew, and countless other believers over the last almost 2000 years. God decides each person’s reward. As believers in Jesus Christ, we know the reward, just like the denarius the land owner agreed to give his day workers. The reward is forgiveness of sins, mercy, grace, love, and eternal life.

Jesus explained in Matthew 20:24-28 for what each person alive on earth should strive. He explained the Gentiles (non-believers) lord their position, title, power, and money over their constituents. It should not be this way among Jesus believers. Instead, Jesus’ followers should serve others. Instead of seeking a greater reward for being a leader among Christians or for being a Christian longer or doing more work for the Lord, these believers, all believers, should imitate Christ. He did not come to live in a mansion, rule over people, associate only with the wealthy and influencers, and wear fine clothes. He came to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, live as a common man, have no house to call home, live among the lowly, sick, unclean, and outcasts. Jesus explained in Matthew 20:26-28 what the standard is for the Christian. He said, “Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Now consider this. Are we like the daughters and mother on Christmas morning? Does the anticipation meet or surpass our expectations? Do we realize our gain is better and greater than we could have imagined? They did not expect money. The girls and mother did not know what to expect, but what they received was more than what they had. They were not downcast or disappointed. Alternatively, are we like the girl’s father? Did we expect something great after a hard year of working to provide and then, upon seeing what each person received, expect something greater? That tells of a person’s estimation of him or herself in relation to others. We should not be comparing ourselves to others, but to the Author of creation and each of us.

Seek to serve and not be served.

Consider yourself less than others.

Then, when you receive a blessing, a reward, be excited!

Be elated! Be thankful!

Jesus stopped and called them (two blind men), and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes, and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him. (Matthew 20:32-34 [NASB])

Lord, forgive me. I expect things-praise, rewards, prestige-for doing things. I seek to be noticed and considered better than others. That is not why You created me. That is not the purpose You had for each of us. Forgive me for thinking better of myself than I am. Help me to seek to bring You glory, not myself. Lord, touch the eyes of my heart and make me see You and follow You. Help me to choose Your will, not mine. Help me to be humble and willing to empty myself as Jesus did for me. I am not worthy to be called Your child, but You call me that anyway. You are worthy to be called Master, Lord, and King and I often forget. Lead me in Your paths. Use me for Your will. May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Thank you, Lord. Amen.