Matthew 27:57-58

(Text and Audio)

Title: Joseph of Arimathea (And the truths we uncover if we actually study the text.)

(Cheesecake Pictures)

Story of Ben’s diet and the trip to Seattle and the Cheesecake factory.

POINT:  Today is RICH, take small bites, savor them.

For that reason, I am going to say something at the start of this sermon that I don’t think I have ever said before:  Today’s message is so thick, there is so much to consider, there is so much application, and I want to not just present the material, but discuss it with you…that we may actually NOT finish this sermon in one Sunday…and I am fine with that.  If the discussion goes long we will finish next week.  

Like that Oreo Dream Extreme Cheesecake, I want to savor what God has for us today!!!  Let us begin.

(read/pray)

Matthew 27:57-61

57 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him.

Initial Observation:  Joseph was rich.

1. It is not every disciple’s call to be poor. Some will be greatly blessed financially, and some will come from wealth.  Wealth is neither a disqualifier nor an authenticator or one’s salvation.
2. (I can’t resist this question)  In what ways do we get this so wrong today in American churches?
   1. Rich people can’t be saved
      1. BECAUSE:  “Money is the root of all evil” 
      2. WRONG:  Anyone know what the referenced verse actually says?
         1. 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
      3. One can HAVE money and not LOVE (worship/serve) money.

(Observational note of the difference between a rural white SBC Church and an urban black SBC church.)

Parallel Observations from Mark 15:42-45

42 Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 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. 44 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.

Observation One:  Joseph was also a “prominent” council member

1. Most scholars agree this “council” is none other that the Sanhedrin.  (Frankly, the way Mark and John casually mention it, no other undefined “counsel” makes sense.)
2. Therefore, we know that the Sanhedrin was, in fact, NOT unanimous in their condemnation of Jesus.  (More on this in a moment when we look at Luke’s account.)
3. In fact, Joseph had enough pull to ask Pilate directly for the responsibility of caring for the body of Jesus. The fact that he got an audience with Pilate so quickly, with little effort, suggests that Joseph had the kind of political power that very few others had.

4.  POINT:  Not only was Joseph rich, he was also a man of political power.  God can, and will, save and use people who have money and influence to serve Him.

Reaction?

So far we have determined that being both RICH and POWERFUL does not mean that someone cannot also faithfully serve God.

What is your PERSONAL reaction to that?

Mine:  Praise Jesus, because I am BOTH rich and powerful.

Observation Two:  Pilate was surprised?

Pilate marveled that Jesus was already dead.  We will come back that in just a moment…it is the grand finale of this lesson.)

———————-

Parallels from Luke 23:50-52

50 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 also waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

Observations:

1. He was a good and just man, though his colleagues were not.  He was against their plan in conspiring to kill Jesus.
   1. POINT:  To serve Jesus does NOT always mean to withdraw from the place where you are the minority.  If often means staying and wielding influence.  In what ways do we get this truth so very wrong in our lives today?
      1. We leave a job because we are the only believer.
      2. We stop talking to family members about Jesus because we “just can’t”.
      3. We leave CHURCHES, and move to other ones (sometimes), because not everyone agrees with us on every single point.
      4. SIDE NOTE From Pastor Ron Cooper:  There are exactly TWO reasons why anyone should EVER leave a church. Anyone know what they are?
         1. Unrepentant Sin
         2. Heresy in the Pulpit

Parallels from John 19:38

38 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. 

Observation:  Joseph had to keep his allegiance a secret.

POINT:  Strategy, wisdom, prayer and timing are often called for to be effective while serving as an ambassador to Christ.

In what ways do we often get this wrong today?

“If you are not screaming the name of Jesus in everyone’s face, you don’t love him.”

(Story of Pastor praying obnoxiously loud in the restaurant.)

As we close today, let’s return to the question of why Pilate was surprised that Jesus had died so quickly, because there is so much there to ponder:

Mind-blowing analysis from Tim Challies:

So why, then, did Jesus die so quickly?

I believe there are two keys to understanding this. 

The first is found initially in Matthew and repeated in John. The gospels of Mark and Luke say that after crying out His final words, Jesus breathed His last. Matthew, though, says “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.” John says Jesus “gave up His spirit.” The significance of this wording is that it shows that Jesus was in control of the timing of His death. He did not die because His body could take no more punishment or because of blood loss. He died because He decided it was time to die.

The second key is found in the gospel of John. John 10:17-18 reads “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” Ultimately nobody took Jesus’ life from Him. He freely gave it up in order to save those whom He loved. When His work on the cross was complete he, as God, as the one in control, allowed His spirit to leave His body. His work was complete and there was no reason for the physical suffering to continue. So the very moment He had completed the purpose for which He came – His work of atonement on our behalf – He yielded up His spirit.

Though Jesus’ suffering may have lasted for less time than that of the men hanging on either side of Him and far less than many who were crucified before and after Him, it was not the duration of His suffering that achieved our salvation but rather the intensity of His suffering. During the time He was on the cross Jesus perfectly satisfied God’s demand for justice for our sin. The suffering He endured was far beyond human comprehension. At any time He could have caused it to end, but He waited until “it [was] finished” and until He had accomplished the work He had covenanted with His Father to perform on our behalf. Through it all, though, He retained control.

(Pray/QA)