Jesus is taken down from the Cross
John 19:38-40 (The Voice) “After all this, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple who kept his faith a secret for fear of the Jewish officials, made a request to Pilate for the body of Jesus. Pilate granted his request, and Joseph retrieved the body. Nicodemus, who first came to Jesus under the cloak of darkness, brought over 100 pounds of myrrh and ointments for His burial. Together, they took Jesus’ body and wrapped Him in linens soaked in essential oils and spices, according to Jewish burial customs.”
Joseph and Nicodemus, I can identify with you. You had deep faith in Jesus, yet you felt you had to keep it a secret because you feared what others would think. You went to Jesus on your own terms, in the dark, when no one would see you, to ask him the questions that were on your heart. But you weren’t brave enough to embrace him in public. You didn’t have the courage to really speak what you believed. You cowered inside, because you wanted to keep your respected positions as Pharisees. You wanted your reputation of being a good, religious person who followed all the rules to stay intact. You didn’t want to be kicked out of the inner circle. You didn’t want others to think you were breaking the law. You didn’t want to be considered wishy-washy, or a rebel, or a friend of sinners. You just couldn’t do it. The risk was too great.
What must you have thought when you saw Jesus crucified? Here was the man you were coming to believe was the Messiah, was God, hanging from a cross reserved for terrorists. Here was the man who had been answering your questions, and your doubts, being silenced. Here was the man who had pointed you toward a life of freedom, a life unknown to you as a devout holy man, being treated as a rebellious slave. Here was the man who was bringing about a new way of living being killed. It must have been a confusing, troubling moment for you. Yet something within you changed that day. Some of your fears subsided as you looked at the intrepid spirit of the man hanging above you. Enough of your courage returned so that you were able to ask the authorities for the body of this man that you were growing to love.
Joseph and Nicodemus, I can relate to your struggle. My faith lies deep within my heart, yet I don’t often speak up about it. I spend my time with Jesus, alone, but I don’t let others pry into my private life. I don’t speak about the new things I’m learning and the ways I’m growing, for fear others may want to keep me stuck in my old beliefs. I don’t want to be kicked out of my circles because of nonconformity. I want to be respected as a good person, not someone who doesn’t follow the church-going protocol. I don’t want to be known as someone who doubts or changes her mind. I want others to see me as a rule-follower, not a rule-breaker. Yet, I believe Jesus is calling me to follow Him and not people. He’s calling me to love the world, not just those of my own little group. He’s calling me to embrace the sinner, not be stand-offish for fear of being contaminated. He’s calling me to reject condemnation, and learn how to extend radical grace. But I’m afraid. Yet when I stare at the cross, something happens in me. Something changes. Perhaps I do have courage. Perhaps I can ask for His body.
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