A Study of the Book of Luke
Sermon # 67
“One Man’s Courage”
Luke 23:50-56
“The evangelist Billy Sunday use to tell of a professing Christian who got a job in a lumber camp that had a reputation of being very ungodly. A friend hearing that the man had been hired, said to him, ‘If those lumberjacks ever find out you’re a Christian, you’re going to be in for a hard time.’ The man responded, ‘I know, but I need the job!’
The next morning he left for camp. A year later, he came home for a visit. While in town, he met his friend who asked, ‘Well, how did it go? Did they give you a hard time because you’re a Christian?’ ‘Oh no, not at all,’ the man replied. ‘They didn’t give me a bit of trouble – they never even found out.” That would be really funny it weren’t so close to home. [Our Daily Bread. 11/83]
I believe that one of the things most lacking in America today is moral courage, the courage to do right even if you have to stand alone. Some writers have dubbed this age in which we live the “post-Christian era,” in this age that insists on political correctness, and moral relativism, at least a portion of the lost world has already written us off as inconsequential.Robert Kennedy has said, “Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence, yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change the world, …. I believe that in this generation those with the courage to enter the moral conflict will find themselves with companions in every corner of the world.” [as quoted by Bruce Larson. The Communicator’s Commentary – Luke. (Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1983) p.329]
We meet such a man in our story today, Joseph of Arimathea demonstrated such courage.Here was a man with the courage to step-out and be counted for Christ when Jesus’ twelve disciples were too confused and frightened to leave the safety of a locked upper room.
“Now behold there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man. (51) He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. (52) This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. (53) Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. (54)
That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.”
Who was this man Joseph of Arimathea? All four Gospels (Matt 27:57-60, Mark 15:43-46, John 19:38-42, and here in Luke 23:50-56) tell of this man who stepped forward to bury the body of Jesus. We are told that he was a council member, the he was a member of the Sanhedrin, the supreme court of the Jewish people. We are also told that he did not agree with the decision reached by the council concerning Jesus. This can mean he disagreed by not attending, or that he was there but did not vote, or that the council had not informed him because they knew how he would vote.
We are also told that he was a “good and just man” and as Herbert Lockyer says in his book “All the Men of the Bible,” “the Bible never uses words unnecessarily, therefore there must be a distinction between ‘good’ and ‘just’.” When it says that he was “good” man it speaks of what he was in himself. Being a “just” man speaks of what he was to others. His just dealing were just the outward expression of his inner goodness. [Herbert Lockyer. All the Men of the Bible. p. 204]
But before we examine his courage we need to accept a few basic facts. According to John’s account (19:38) while Joseph of Arimathea, was “a disciple of Jesus,” he was a secretly one, “for fear of the Jews.” He allowed his fear to keep him from making his decision about Jesus to be made public. His fear had caused Joseph not to take a bold stand for Christ even though he knew that his heart was telling him to do so.
What kind of fear was this that kept Joseph a secret disciple? Was it fear for his life, for his family or for his position? It’s not always easy to step up against the authorities. Let me illustrate; “During his years as premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Krushchev, denounced many of the policies and atrocities of his predecessor Joseph Stalin. Once, as he reproached Stalin in a public meeting, Krushchev was interrupted by a shout from a heckler, in the audience who said, “You were one of Stanlin colleagues. Why didn’t you stop him?” “Who said that?” roared Krushchev. An agonizing silence followed as nobody in the room dared move a muscle. Then Krushchev, replied quietly, “Now you know why.” [Today in the Word, July 13, 1993 - http://www.bible.org/illus/c/c-142.htm ]
So for awhile Joseph remained a “secret’ disciple. It is as if he is on the proverbial fence trying to keep a foot on each side. In Luke 16:13 Jesus had taught, “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.” But who among us not tried to do that very thing? – and we have seen that it does not work out.
If there has ever been a time that you should have taken a stand for Christ but instead just blended in with everyone else, take encouragement from the story of Joseph of Arimathea. Even if you have given up on Jesus He has never given up on you. Even if you have been a secret disciple in the past, God can still use you if you will just recognize a few simple truths.
Faith Will Demand Us To Take A Stand
Mark in his account (14:43) emphasizes that Joseph exhibited “great courage” in going before Pilate to request the body of Jesus. What Joseph did in going to Pilate and requesting the body of Jesus took courage for several reasons
First, it took courage because under Roman law those condemned to death had lost the right to be buried. They were either left for the birds to consume or they were taken down thrown where the city’s garbage was disposed of.
Secondly, it took courage because Pilate was already rather put out with the Jewish religious leadership. They had brought Jesus to him on trumped up charges and had insisted that he find Jesus guilty and condemn him to death. When Pilate resisted they all but threatened to complain to Rome saying, (John 19:12) “If you let this man go you are not Caesar’s friend.” Joseph had no right to expect that Pilate would be receptive to his request for the body of Jesus. He had no right to the body and he had no right to expect any favors from Pilate. But yet he went.
Third, it took courage to request the body of Jesus because in so doing he was declaring that he was a believer in Jesus Christ.
Is it time for you to step up or step out?
Faith Will Demand That We Pay A Price
I don’t think that we today can imagine the
price that Joseph paid by going to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus.
The price to his personal dignity.
It is hard to humble himself to such an extent. In our text in verse fifty-two when it says he “asked for the body of Jesus” the Greek would is (aitao) and be translated “begged.” The implication here is that Pilate made Joseph beg and plead for the body of Jesus.
The price to his social status.
How is he to explain to Pilate why he wants
the body? How can he as a member of the group who demanded Jesus’ death, now justify wanting to give him a decent burial without admitting that he was follower of Jesus. Joseph would have known that the news that he gone to Pilate would soon reach the Sanhedrin. He every reason to expect that as soon as this was known, he could lose his social standing, his status, in fact he could lose everything he had. It not hard to imagine they voted Joseph out of the Council, excluded him from any position of religious or social influence, and did every thing they could to ruin his reputation in Jerusalem. What a price to pay!
What I think is even more amazing about this story is that he is making all of these sacrifices for a man who is dead and as far as he know will stay that way. What a remarkable commitment!
The price to his personal finances. There was
certainly a financial cost to Joseph. He has given up his personal tomb, a very expensive thing to do. Remember, he is not expecting it to be vacated in a mere three days. He could have provided a cheaper tomb outside of the city, but he gave Jesus his best. He also bought the linens and spices to care for the body of Jesus in the best way possible.
Are you giving to Jesus your best or out of your left overs?
How did Pilate answer this request? (Mark 15:44-45) “Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. (45) So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.”
Faith Does Not Always Demand That We Stand Alone.
When verse fifty-three says, “He took it down” it cannot mean that Joseph took the body of Jesus down from the cross by himself. Taking a lifeless body down from a cross is no one-man job.
He had helpers. At least one of those who helped Joseph seemed to be Nicodemus, another member of the Sanhedrin and another secret disciple (John 19:39-42).
I want to suggest to you that two hesitant followers of Jesus come together and the result is that gain the courage to go public with their faith.
Joseph and Nicodemus took the body of Jesus from the cross and prepared it for burial. John tells us in his account (19:39), brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighting about 100 lbs and then the two men wrapped the body of Jesus in strips of linen, in accordance with Jewish customs. The only time that anyone got anointed with 100 lbs of this stuff was when they were royalty. These two dear men were saying to the world, you may not accept Him as king but He is!
Why did Joseph (and Nicodemus) step forward now? Why did they finally come “out of the closet” after keeping their beliefs to themselves for so long? Why, now, after Jesus is already dead? The answer, at least to me, is that faith required it of them in these circumstances.
Is Jesus asking for more of you?
Faith Will Demand That We Sacrifice Our Religion for A Relationship.
Joseph was a good man, a religious man, a man very involved in the work of his religion. But, in order to bury the body of Jesus, he will defile himself ceremonially by touching a dead body (Numbers 9:6, 19:11-12). On the very eve of the most important religious celebration of the year, this act will make it impossible for him to participate. Both Joseph and Nicodemus felt that it was more important to give Jesus a proper burial than to remain ceremonially clean so that they could participate in the Passover. They let go of their rituals and laid hold on Christ who was and is the true Passover Lamb.
I wonder this morning if your religion sits between you and a real relationship with Jesus Christ. By religion I mean anything you do or don’t do that you think makes you right with God. Religious people take pride in what they do and don’t do, but they often ignore the sins of the heart such as pride. They put on a good front at church, but frankly their actions stink. At home they are angry and hard to get along with, at work they are judgmental and harsh.
Is it Time give up on Religious Ritual and to Step Up to A Relationship?
Conclusion
If in the past you have been a secret disciple let me encourage you today to step out and make yourself known.
1. Come now and ask about receiving Jesus as your personal savior.
2. Come now and speak up; come before these people and acknowledge that you have accepted Christ.
Matthew 10:32 –33 says "Therefore whoever
confesses Me before men, him I will also confess
before My Father who is in heaven. (33) "But
whoever denies Me before men, him I will also
deny before My Father who is in heaven.”
3. Step Up and be Counted.
“The Prussian king Frederick the Great was widely known as an agnostic. By contrast, General Von Zealand, one of his most trusted officers, was a devout Christian. Thus it was that during a festive gathering the king began making crude jokes about Christ until everyone was rocking with laughter—all but Von Zealand, that is. Finally, he arose and addressed the king:
“Sire, you know I have not feared death. I have fought and won 38 battles for you. I am an old man; I shall soon have to go into the presence of One greater than you, the mighty God who saved me from my sin, the Lord Jesus Christ whom you are blaspheming. I salute you, sire, as an old man who loves his Savior, on the edge of eternity.”
The place went silent, and with a trembling voice the king replied, “General Von Zealand—I beg your pardon! I beg your pardon!” And with that the party quietly ended.” [Today In The Word, August, 1989, p. 7 - http://www.bible.org/illus/c/c-142.htm ]
