I am fascinated by this man Joseph of Arimathea. He was not one of Jesus' 12 disciples and yet he was the one who asked to bury His body. Here's why I want to be like this guy:
1) He was a "respected member of the council," which means he probably put his reputation on the line to do this.
2) Scripture says he was "looking for the kingdom." - love those words.
3) Scripture says he "took courage." I mean, yeah, where were the 12 guys who knew Jesus best when He needed a proper burial? Scared and hiding is where they were.
4) Scripture says he "bought a linen shroud." He didn't already have what he needed. He could have made excuses like, "oh that's gonna cost too much, let someone else take care of it," or "it's not really my job." No, instead he made both a social and financial sacrifice to do something he thought needed to be done for Jesus.
5) He probably experienced a bigger blessing than anyone when he found out Jesus had risen. There were questions later about whether Jesus had truly died. This man knew firsthand exactly how dead Jesus had been. He had taken his body, probably thrown it over his shoulders, coming face to face with the blood, sweat, torn flesh, and the smell of death. He carried the dead weight. He no doubt heard the silence of the absence of oxygen moving through his lungs, and felt in person the certainty of no pulse. More than anybody, this man came face to face with the ugly truth of death and the disappointment of hope lost.
What a joy must have filled his soul when the fullness of the kingdom he was looking for showed up in the emptiness of that grave.
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