Going Public (3 of 3)
Series: Easter
Craig Smith
Mark 15:44-46
I think one of the more interesting people in the Easter story is a man named Joseph of Arimathea. All four gospel accounts mention him. They don't say a lot, but what they do say is interesting. The Gospel of John says this about him:
Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. (John 19:38)
So he was a secret follower of Jesus, because he was afraid of the Jewish leaders. And the reason he was afraid of them was because he was actually one of them. Some of the other Gospels actually tell us that Joseph was a member of the Jewish ruling council, and he hadn't consented to go along with their plan to arrest and execute Jesus, but it appears that he hadn't fought too hard against it, either, maybe because he was afraid that he was afraid that the more public he was in his support of Jesus, the more likely it was that they were going to come after him next. And that's what fear does, right? Even when fear can't convince us to abandon our faith, it can scare us into keeping it secret.
And maybe you know what that's like. Maybe you know what it's like to be in a situation where you've been afraid to let on that you're a follower of Jesus. Maybe it's in your family. Maybe it's at school or at work or in your neighborhood. And it's not that you'd deny you're a follower of Jesus...if they came right out and asked...it's just that you're not looking to advertise it if you don't have to. And I get that. I've been in some situations where admitting I was a follower of Jesus was really uncomfortable, if not downright scary. But here's something we need to remember: secret followers play small parts.
And you might be thinking, ''hang on a second. Joseph was a secret follower, but he made it into the bible. We're still talking about him two thousand years later! How is that a small part?'' It's not...but Joseph didn't stay a secret follower. See, after ...
Series: Easter
Craig Smith
Mark 15:44-46
I think one of the more interesting people in the Easter story is a man named Joseph of Arimathea. All four gospel accounts mention him. They don't say a lot, but what they do say is interesting. The Gospel of John says this about him:
Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. (John 19:38)
So he was a secret follower of Jesus, because he was afraid of the Jewish leaders. And the reason he was afraid of them was because he was actually one of them. Some of the other Gospels actually tell us that Joseph was a member of the Jewish ruling council, and he hadn't consented to go along with their plan to arrest and execute Jesus, but it appears that he hadn't fought too hard against it, either, maybe because he was afraid that he was afraid that the more public he was in his support of Jesus, the more likely it was that they were going to come after him next. And that's what fear does, right? Even when fear can't convince us to abandon our faith, it can scare us into keeping it secret.
And maybe you know what that's like. Maybe you know what it's like to be in a situation where you've been afraid to let on that you're a follower of Jesus. Maybe it's in your family. Maybe it's at school or at work or in your neighborhood. And it's not that you'd deny you're a follower of Jesus...if they came right out and asked...it's just that you're not looking to advertise it if you don't have to. And I get that. I've been in some situations where admitting I was a follower of Jesus was really uncomfortable, if not downright scary. But here's something we need to remember: secret followers play small parts.
And you might be thinking, ''hang on a second. Joseph was a secret follower, but he made it into the bible. We're still talking about him two thousand years later! How is that a small part?'' It's not...but Joseph didn't stay a secret follower. See, after ...
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