Matthew 27: Crucified (5)
Pray Psalm 16.8, 9.
I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.
Sing Psalm 16.8, 9, 11.
All to Christ: Jesus Paid It All
You are ever with me, LORD; in You I shall not fall.
But rejoicing in Your Word, I abide within Your call.
Refrain v. 11
Make me know life’s way! Pleasures fill Your hand.
Fill my life with joy each day! Before Your face I stand.
Read Matthew 27.1-61; Meditate on verses 57-61.
Where does courage come from? How will you need courage today?
Prepare.
1. What did Joseph of Arimathea do?
2. Who was there with him?
Meditate.
Mark and John tell us that Joseph’s selfless act required great courage (Mk. 15.43; Jn. 19.38). We can certainly imagine that this was so. Identifying with Jesus before the man who had sentenced Him to death was a risky undertaking. Joseph apparently had prepared this tomb for himself (v. 60), but here he selflessly devoted it to receive the body of Jesus.
In Rembrandt’s painting, “Deposition of Jesus from the Cross,” we get a sense of what was involved in taking Jesus down and bearing Him to the tomb. This is a very sad and tender painting, and it shows Joseph, standing at the right, carefully supervising the work of those who helped him. The man in blue, half-way up the cross to the left, hiding his face in shame and clinging to the right hand of Jesus, is a self-portrait of the artist, and one of the ways he bore witness to his own—however imperfect—love for Jesus. We see the linen cloth as it may have been used to lower Jesus, and the women who were present at this time.
Having wrapped Jesus in a linen cloth, soaked with “about a hundred pounds” of myrrh and aloes (Jn. 19.39, 40), Joseph laid the body on the slab in the tomb. Matthew says he closed the tomb by rolling “a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.” He must have had some help with this as well, since when the women came to the tomb on the third day, they wondered who might help them move the stone (Mk. 16.3).
Jesus was buried on Friday—day 1. He would remain in the tomb through all of Saturday—day 2. And on the third day, He would rise again, taking back the life He selflessly gave up, so that we might live and reign with Him in glory.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“And they made His grave with the wicked—
but with the rich at His death,
because He had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in His mouth” (Is. 53.9).
“Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph,
who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.
This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him” (Matt. 27.57, 58).
“Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member,
who was himself waiting for the Kingdom of God,
coming and taking courage,
went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus” (Mk. 15.43).
“Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man.
He had not consented to their decision and deed.
He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews,
who himself was also waiting for the Kingdom of God.
This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus” (Lk. 23.50-52).
“After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews,
asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission.
So he came and took the body of Jesus.
And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night (Jn. 3.1-21), also came,
bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.
Then they took the body of Jesus…” (Jn. 19.38-40).
“Be strong and of good courage,
do not fear nor be afraid of them;
for the LORD your God,
He is the One Who goes with you.
He will not leave you nor forsake you” (Deut. 31.6; Heb. 13.5).
We have the potential to be as courageous as Joseph and Nicodemus.
We are filled with the Spirit of God Who
has not “given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1.7).
And through this courageous Spirit
to show love to Jesus by following His commands and loving our neighbor.
“Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matt. 25.40). In this way we have the privilege of caring for His Body by caring for others.
As Jesus explained in the story of the Good Samaritan: “So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, ‘He who showed mercy on him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise’” (Lk. 10.29-37).
Give us the courage, LORD, to go and do likewise, showing love, by presenting our best “clean linen cloths” (Matt. 27.59) to care for the least, the lost, and the lonely (Matt. 25.35, 36); and by thus doing, loving You.
Reflect.
1. What will you need courage from the Lord for today?
2. The Holy Spirit is the Encourager. How does He work to give us courage like Joseph’s?
3. Neither Joseph nor Nicodemus knew much Christian doctrine. But they knew what to do. Which is more important? Why?
This was Joseph of Arimathea, who had been hiding his discipleship up to this time. Now, however, he had become very bold after the death of Christ. Joseph was not an obscure person. He was highly visible, a member of the council and highly distinguished. From this it becomes clear that he was a man of special courage. For he exposed himself to death, taking upon him the enmity of all by his affection for Jesus. John Chrysostom (344-407), The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 88.2
Pray Psalm 16.1-7, 10, 11.
Thank God that Jesus carried your sins away into the tomb, and that He rose again for your salvation. Ask Him to help you live free of sin today.
Sing Psalm 16.1-7, 10, 11.
All to Christ: Jesus Paid It All
Preserve me, O my God; I refuge seek in You.
You alone are all my good, my LORD and Savior true!
Refrain v. 11
Make me know life’s way! Pleasures fill Your hand.
Fill my life with joy each day! Before Your face I stand.
The saints within the earth, majestic in their day,
delight me with the worth of all they do and say.
Refrain
They endless tears shall weep who worship idols vain;
their ways I will not keep, nor speak their empty names.
Refrain
My portion and my cup are You, my Savior dear;
You help and hold me up and ever keep me near.
Refrain
I bless Your Name, O LORD; my mind instructs each night;
You teach me by Your Word and guide me in the right.
Refrain
Soon Your glory I shall see, for as Jesus rose again,
You will come to gather me to my home with You in heav’n.
Refrain
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: Our Read Moore podcast features excerpts from the book, Patrick: A Devotional History. Our Crosfigell teaching letter is pursuing a series on the spiritual poetry of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column continues our study of “Everyday Christianity”. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
