Good Morning Friends,
“There was a man named Joseph, a member of the
Council, a good and upright man, 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. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body. 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.” (Luke 23:50-53)
There is a detail about Joseph that Luke does
not mention. It is found in the Gospel of John. “Joseph was a disciple of
Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews.” (John 19:38)
Joseph was a secret disciple of Jesus. He was a
secret disciple until Jesus died and then he exposed his secret by going to
Pilate and asking for the body of Jesus. His secret was out. It was out to
Pilate. It was out to the Jewish leaders. They knew whose tomb it was in which
Jesus had been laid.
The Bible doesn’t tell us when Joseph became a
disciple. But the whole time he was a disciple while Jesus lived, he kept it to
himself. It took Jesus’ death to bring the news out into the public. That seems
incredibly sad to me. Jesus knew that Joseph was a disciple because Jesus saw
into men’s hearts. But Joseph never had the chance to tell Jesus and never had
the chance to express his love and devotion to Jesus – not until He was gone.
Joseph was afraid he would be rejected or ridiculed.
There is always a risk in loving someone else – but it is a risk worth taking.
Gandhi said, “A coward cannot exhibit love, it
is the prerogative of the brave.” Joseph was a coward – until Jesus died.
Fortunately, Jesus is still alive and Joseph has now had opportunity to show
his love. It’s too bad he didn’t show his love while Jesus was on earth.
It is sometimes frightening to love Jesus. We
may be rejected by others for loving Him. We may be ridiculed. It’s a risk
worth taking. Jesus is worth loving. It’s worth letting Him know it. It’s worth
letting others know it, too.
His, by Grace, Steve
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