The words Beyond Expectations on a ruler to illustrate great results, good grades or other measurements met or surpassed in school, career or life goals
No secret admirers
“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.” – John 19:38
On this holy week leading up to Easter Sunday, I consider Saturday a secret day. This is the day Jesus is laid in the tomb, the disciples were hiding, while fear and confusion abounded.
The scenario plays out because a new character on the gospel scene, Joseph of Arimathea, enters to do something miraculous. The Scriptures indicated that he would be buried in a borrowed tomb, but of course they weren’t thinking about any of these things at a time of crisis. Still, Joseph stepped up and took Jesus from the Romans and laid him in a borrowed tomb.
Actually, I think two miracles occurred here. Not only the miracle of prophecy being fulfilled, but the second miracle was that Joseph was forever changed.
How do we know this? The Scriptures describe him in the verse above as a secret admirer of Jesus. He was afraid of what others would think, say, or do if they knew what he really believed.
But, if you were still a secret admirer it would’ve been hard for him to have been included in this passage of scripture, right?
You see, he HAD BEEN a secret admirer, but the death of the One that he had admired from the shadows was moving enough to him that he stepped out and took a risk.
This secret admirer, in front of the more than difficult Jewish authorities and the more than dangerous Roman authorities asked boldly for permission to honor the One whom they had publicly displayed their hatred for.
It was a bold move, it was an eternity defining move for Joseph, and it was a point in history that can never be ignored as the secret admirer became known in God’s eternal word as the one who would honor of his Lord even in death.
Let me encourage you to make this Easter a time to leave secret ways behind. In this world Jesus doesn’t need secret admirers, He’s looking for the bold and the brazen. The ones who will stand up in the crowd and take the shots if they have to for the sake of Him.
Let me invite you to Easter services this weekend at any church, but if you don’t know where to go please know that you would find a home at CrossPoint. We’d love to join hands with you around the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…
For we are not secret admirers.
We believe, we love, we serve… and, we are here.