The Church Of Christ 2 The Secret Disciple

THE CHURCH OF CHRIST 2

The Secret Disciple

by

Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (February 3, 2016)

“When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre and departed...And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand”” (St. Matthew 27:57-60; St. John 19: 38-42, King James Version [Christ's death and burial]).

Greetings, In the Name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest (St. Matthew 21:9),

My brothers and sisters, you have been told there is no faith without doubt, but Jesus (died 30-33 A.D. [“All time before Jesus became B.C., “Before Christ” and every year since was A.D. [anno domini “the year of the Lord”] Readers Digest Association, 1994; Wikipedia, 2016) told you, according to the witness of Matthew, “...when he saw a fig tree in the way,...and found nothing thereon, but leaves only...and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away...Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (St. Matthew 21:19, 21 [the fig tree in the way---withered away]). There was a man named Joseph Arimathaea of southern Samaria, who also according to the witness of Mark looked for the kingdom of God [“an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God...(St. Mark 15:43, KJV)]. Accordingly Luke said, “And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just: (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God” (23:50-51, KJV). This same man most likely a dissenting member of the Jewish Council known as the Sanhedrin that condemned Jesus to death, was more than apparently a secret disciple but a man of strong convictions in his heart who stood before Pilate to ask for the body of Christ and who legend said took care of the mother of Jesus, Mary, for many questioned what happened to Mary, the mother of Jesus and recalled, “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home” (St. John 19:26-27, KJV [the loved disciple took Mary, the mother of Jesus to his own home] but early Christian literature revealed stories of Joseph's imprisonment, rescued by the resurrected Jesus, caring for Mary, the mother Of Jesus for the rest of her life as he established Christianity in England and carried the Holy Grail to England with him [The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., 1994]. However, since the attempted poisoning of the beloved disciple John was exiled by the Roman Emperor Domitian during the 14th year (95 A.D.) of his reign (81 A.D. - 96 A.D.) to the Greek Isle, Patmos [an island just off the coast of Turkey in the Aegean Sea, 37 miles southwest of the ancient city Miletus, in the general region of the seven churches named by

2

John that are in Asia (Rev.1:4, KJV)].

Most importantly, we know the disciple who Jesus loved was at the last supper and leaned on his bosom to ask, Lord, who is it?--- To find out who of all the disciples was the one to betray Jesus, for it is written, “Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved” (St. John 13:23, KJV), so the same was the loved disciple at the cross (St. John 19:26, KJV), therefore Mary the mother of Jesus remained with Apostle John until she died [Wikipedia, 2016]. According to John, we also know that Mary Magdalene witnessed “to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him” (St. John 20:2, KJV). We also know Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias and the loved disciple recognized him first after he said...Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find... “Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord...” (St. John 21 5, 6-7, KJV). Of the ones, at the sea of Tiberias , in the boat, “There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus (twin), and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the two sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples” (St. John 21:2, KJV) and of the sons of Zebedee, who were fishing partners with Simon, “And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them” (St. Matthew 4:21; St. Mark 1:19, St. Luke 5:10, KJV). Also, Peter asked Jesus about the disciple he loved,