Secret Disciple

Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body.

Mark 15:43

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away.

John 19:38

As we approach Good Friday and Easter Sunday, two objects take center stage in the Christian consciousness: the cross and the empty tomb. The cross belonged to Rome; the tomb to Joseph of Arimathea. 

Mark's gospel reveals to us that Joseph was a “prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God.” That means that Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin… the very body of religious leaders who had Jesus crucified! But Joseph didn’t agree to their decision. In fact, John’s gospel tells us that Joseph “was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders.”(John 19:38)

So, understand this… Joseph believed that Jesus was the Messiah, but up until this time he had been unwilling to openly associate with Jesus for fear of what it would cost him. He was a man of high rank, wealth and privilege. Joseph knew how much he stood to lose by associating with Jesus. That's why he had kept his faith a secret... until now.

Good Friday, the day Jesus died, was the day that Joseph of Arimathea stopped being a secret disciple. Mark says he “went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body.” Joseph wasn’t related to Jesus. He wasn’t asking to bury a family member. He was a member of the very ruling body that had accused Jesus of treason against Rome. And now Joseph approaches Rome and asks if he can give Jesus a proper burial?! This was a highly unusual request that was sure to draw attention.

More than that, Joseph likely had to publicly go up to Jesus’ cross and take His body down. Surely, word would get back to the Sanhedrin that he had done this. And then how could Joseph deny what he had done when Jesus was buried in his own tomb?! He couldn’t. Joseph’s actions “amounted to an open confession of personal loyalty to the crucified Jesus... He was a secret disciple no longer.”*

What about you? Are you a secret disciple of Jesus? You believe but you don’t tell your family or the people you work with or your friends because you are afraid of what it will cost you. If you're keeping your faith a secret, then why not follow Joseph’s example this Easter and openly follow Jesus no matter the cost. Go public with your faith. It’s time for Christians to stop being secret disciples.

* John D. Grassmick, “Mark,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 191.

Bow & Tremble

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.

Psalm 96:9

The Hebrew word that is translated as 'worship' in this verse literally means to bow down in worship.* So, verse 9 talks about two often overlooked elements of worship: bowing or prostrating ourselves and trembling before the Lord. Most Christians don’t do these very often, but they are appropriate forms of worship. 

You ought to bow before the Lord sometimes. You ought to humble yourself physically before Him, if you are able. And it's fitting and appropriate that you should, at times, tremble before God as well. 

Worship should include many different emotions or feels. Sometimes it should be upbeat, happy and celebratory as we focus on all God has done for us. Sometimes it should be slow and contemplative (possibly even mournful) as we think of the great price Jesus paid for our sins. And sometimes it should be humble, fearful and full of trembling as we think of how great God is and of the judgment that is coming.

Often, we are more comfortable with celebratory or contemplative worship. But when was the last time you trembled before the Lord? If you never tremble before God and bow before Him in some way, then your worship is missing an important element. Don’t let your praise always be about celebration or always be solemn and serious… sometimes you should bow and tremble before your God as well.

* Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R. Grigoni, and David Bomar. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016.

Call Yourself to Worship

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Psalm 103:1

As fallen human beings, we are rarely as focused on the LORD as we ought to be. We are often disconnected, distracted, or even disinterested in the things of God. So, each Sunday our church begins our worship service with a Call to Worship... a song that is designed to fix our attention on the Lord and stir our hearts with love towards Him. In a sense, that is what Psalm 103 is. 

Notice that the psalmist is talking to himself in verse one. He calls himself to worship. He sets out to stir his own cold heart by commanding himself to praise the Lord. And notice too that the psalmist commands himself to do this not just outwardly or halfheartedly. No! He commands himself to praise God from the deepest part of himself, from his soul, with all his inmost being. This brings to mind Deuteronomy 6:5 which commands us to, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” 

I want to encourage you to praise like that. Give your all to praising God. Praise Him from your soul... with ALL that is within you. Don’t just praise Him with your lips. Don’t just go through the motions. Praise Him from your soul, with all your inmost being. Call to mind the many benefits He has given you: forgiveness, healing, redemption, deliverance, compassion, and love… and praise Him with all you’ve got.

And on those days when you don't feel like praising... stir up your cold heart and call yourself to worship.

Glory

Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.

Psalm 115:1

Too often we think of ourselves as the main character of this story we are living in. We think it’s all about us. We want to be famous. We want to be wealthy. We want to be known. That’s what many of our kids and teens aspire to be when they grow up… is famous. Some of us still want that as adults. And even if we don’t... we do want to be appreciated and honored. We want to climb the ladder and be recognized. We want glory. That's why it is so difficult to live according to the principle laid down in Psalm 115:1. You can't live for God's glory if you are living for your own.

But even if you aren’t living for your own glory, are you seeking God’s? Does this verse accurately describe how you live. Are you day-by-day praying, “Not to ME, Lord, not to ME but to your name be the glory!”

God deserves ALL the glory because of His love and faithfulness. He loved you when you didn’t deserve to be loved. He has been faithful to you when you were faithless to Him. He has done this not only for you but for every one of us over and over again. That is why He deserves ALL the credit and ALL the glory and ALL the honor and ALL the praise!

So, live in such a way that God gets all the glory from your life. Seeking His glory, not your own.