April 19 | Luke 23:50-56

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DAILY READING

Luke 23:50-56

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REFLECTION

Changed

by Ken Dillman

The world changed with the death of Jesus; it would change much more with his resurrection.

The celebrating, shouting, and cheering of Palm Sunday faded just a few days later, and except for some family members and close disciples, Golgotha was abandoned, as Jesus hung on the cross alone.

Like many in the crowd on Palm Sunday, Joseph of Arimathea was a man who had been looking and waiting for the kingdom of God, the arrival of the Messiah, the “consolation of Israel.”

Throughout Israel’s history in the Old Testament, during times of oppression and slavery, the prophets were the ones who comforted the people; but they foresaw a time coming when the promised Messiah would arrive, one who would bring everlasting comfort to the Jewish people.

While the hope of most of the Palm Sunday crowd died with Jesus on the cross, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus to provide a proper burial for him.

Seldom do we stop to think of what Joseph was doing in asking for the body of Jesus; he had not consented or approved of the council’s decision to crucify Jesus (he was part of the council), he had been a silent disciple. In asking for the body of Jesus and providing him with a burial tomb, it made Joseph a marked man; from that point forward everybody would know he had been and was a disciple of Jesus.

By publicly acknowledging Jesus, he established his loyalty to Jesus, knowing that “the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.” (John 9:22) The Jewish religious leaders had the power to ruin Joseph’s life and turn him into a victim of cancel culture.

Joseph’s actions on Good Friday should embolden us as believers; he demonstrated that we can be in culture, but we don’t have to be part of culture, we don’t have to embrace what culture values, especially when it values godlessness, and our focus is the kingdom of God.

Joseph had moved from a silent believer in Jesus, to a sold-out disciple when asking for the body of Jesus from Pilate. Can you imagine how much Joseph’s life changed on Resurrection Sunday, when all he had been hoping for was known to be true?

Can you imagine how much our lives changed when we become sold-out disciples of Jesus?

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

PRAYER

Jesus, thank you for the change in each of our lives when we became a follower of you. Help us to be good followers in all we think and do. Amen.

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My wife, Karen and I have been attending UALC for 6-7 years and enjoy God's presence in our gatherings. We live in Hilliard; our three adult children live in Central Ohio. I am a retired Chaplain and Pastor, and enjoy writing, walking, jogging, and listening to live music. I appreciate the opportunity to write for the church’s devotionals.