Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / John
John 19:38-42 01/21/07
Title: ‘Standing in the Shadows…No Longer!’
Text: John 19:38-42
Introduction: Here are three facts that you probably already know but perhaps need to be reminded of.
1. It’s hard to be a Christian.
2. Most people won’t like you bringing your Christian ideals and values around them.
3. Only if you are willing to sacrifice can you be molded into the person that God wants you to be.
ILL: Martin Luther, the great Reformer wrote ‘A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.’
ILL: The evangelist Billy Graham once said ‘Salvation is free, but discipleship costs everything you have.’
Explanation: Two weeks ago another TV celebrity came out of the closet and announced that he was gay. In our increasingly tolerant society we have become more and more accepting of those who come out of the closet and say they are gay or lesbian. They have less and less to fear, so it’s getting easier for them to come out of the closet.
Not so for Christians. While society has become increasingly more tolerant of homosexuality it has become increasingly less tolerant of Christianity.
· It’s hard to be a Christian today, at least publicly.
· When a Christian comes out of the closet, he/she may fear that it might hurt them professionally or socially.
A student may no longer be part of the ‘in crowd’ at school.
A worker may hind him/herself not being asked to join the gang as they go out after work.
Those who live on a rather active and friendly street may find that they are no longer invited over for coffee or dessert as they once were.
· Christian who comes out of the closet may find they are the odd man out.
This morning we’re going to look at 2 men who knew all about the pressure being a public testimony of Jesus Christ can bring. And for a long time they decided to remain in the shadows of Christianity rather than come out of the closet and openly declare their faith in Jesus.
Transition: Open your Bibles to John 19:38 (pg. 828 in the Bibles under the chair in front of you) It’s here that we’ll be encouraged to ‘stand in the shadows…no longer!’
I. The Burial of Jesus
Read: John 19:38-42
Jesus died, and under Roman law, the bodies of crucified criminals guilty of treason, were left for the vultures, adding to the great humiliation of being crucified on a cross.
The Jews would not allow the bodies of those crucified to go to a burial tomb because they might desecrate the bodies already buried there. So they would take the bodies off the cross, after the vultures had their full, and throw them into a common grave just outside town.
That’s what the religious leaders had planned for Jesus. But God would not allow his Son to be buried in a common grave. The humiliation of his death on a cross will give way to his exaltation as he rises from the grave, from a rich mans tomb…that was the prophesy, (Isa. 53:9)
Somehow, Jesus will be crucified with criminals but buried with the rich.
But how?
· None of the disciples, nor any of Jesus’ family members were wealthy enough to afford a new, unused tomb, the spices and the cloths needed to properly bury Jesus.
· In fact, all of the disciples, except John and a few women, had been keeping their distance from Jesus at this time.
· And, time was running out. Jesus’ body had to taken from the cross, properly prepared and placed in the tomb before sunset that day…(about 2-3 hours at most) as it was the Passover and it was Jewish law.
· But, there was not one to do it.
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, two men come out of the shadows, Joseph of Arimethea and Nicodemus.
· Nicodemus is never mentioned in Matthew, Mark or Luke’s Gospel.
· Joseph of Arimethea is only mentioned in the Gospels after Jesus’ death.
It seems that John wants us to see Joseph and Nicodemus as pretty unlikely candidates to bring about the fulfillment of Scripture regarding the burial of Jesus. Their loyalty to Jesus was not impressive, as we will learn later.
But, they were qualified to act...how so?
· According to Matt. 27:60 Joseph just happened to have a new tomb that he was planning to use for himself when he died.
· The tomb just happened to be in a garden very close to Mt. Calvary where Jesus was crucified. (remember time is of the essence)
· Being Jews of impeccable knowledge, Joseph and Nicodemus knew what was needed to properly bury someone.
· And, being wealthy, they had the means.
Application: But before we look more closely at the men who buried Jesus, let me ask, by way of application, why was Jesus buried?
Because it fulfilled Scripture…yes! But I think there’s more if we just look a little closer. Jesus was buried because he died…because we too will die and be buried one day.
Perhaps to the young this might not matter much, now. But it will as you grow older.
· To know that Jesus died and was buried, before you
· and to know that you will come out of the grave, as he did, before you
· is what makes the grave for the Christian a
place of rest rather than a place of fear.
Read: 1 Thess. 4:13-16 ‘Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.’
Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection from the dead, make Paul’s words here in 1 Thessalonians a wonderful, comforting promise to all who have called upon the name of the Lord to be saved.
Transition: The burial of Jesus took place just as it had been prophesied…but by two very unlikely people, people who up to this point in their Christian lives, stood in the shadows…but no longer. Let’s get to know them a little better.
II. Joseph of Arimathea
· Matthew tells us that Joseph of Arimathea was a rich man (Matt. 27:57)
· He tells us that the tomb Jesus was buried in belonged to Joseph. (Matt. 27:60)
· He also calls Joseph a ‘disciple’ of Jesus who was looking forward to the Kingdom. (Matt. 27:57)
· Mark tells us that Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling council that condemned Jesus to death. (Mk. 15:43)
· Luke tells us that Joseph opposed the plan to put Jesus to death. But he didn’t do else anything about it. (Lk. 23:51)
· All the Gospels tell us that it was Joseph of Arimathea who went to Pilate asking to bury the body of Jesus.
· John alone tells us that Joseph was a secret disciple of Jesus because he feared the Jews.
Standing in the shadows…no longer. Joseph had been a secret disciple, but he did something very public for his Lord. Joseph of Arimethea, came out from the shadows of Christianity and risking persecution, stepped forward as a disciple of Jesus Christ, when he asked to bury Jesus’ body.
III. Nicodemus
· No Gospel writer mentions Nicodemus except John.
· John introduces Nicodemus as the one who came to Jesus by night and when Jesus told him about being born again. We are led to believe that he decided to pass on Jesus’ offer of salvation. (John 3:9)
· Nicodemus was also a member of the Sanhedrin and objected to the plan to kill Jesus. But he too didn’t do anything else about it.
· Nicodemus was wealthy and provided the 75lbs of spices enough to prepare a king for burial.
Joseph of Arimethea and Nicodemus were secret followers of Jesus Christ who came out of the closet, when all the other disciples ran into the closet, in fear.
Conslusion
1. Standing in the Shadows
Joe and Nic weren’t popular disciples, no books were written by them or to them, but they were faithful.
Perhaps some of you here this morning serve in the shadows here at CBC and you feel your contribution is insignificant because you aren’t in the spotlight.
This text reminds us that God does not judge us on the basis of our popularity but on our faithfulness, and the bent of our heart. God sees the work you do in secret…you may not receive accolades from others in the church, nevertheless you’re faithful. And while others might not notice…God does!
Truth is, some people take a little longer to feel comfortable sharing their faith publicly.
Truth is, God uses secret disciples to accomplish his plan as he did with Joe and Nic.
Truth is, secret disciples are also moving along in their journey of faith. Perhaps not as fast as some, but still moving none the same.
2. …No Longer
But, truth is, secret disciples must eventually come out of the closet.
It’s an honor to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. It’s an honor to serve him, up front, in the spotlight, and in the shadows, under most peoples radars.
But the time will come to ‘stand in the shadows …no longer.’ John tells us that it was Joseph and Nicodemus’ weakness to be secret disciples for JC because they feared the Jews, they were afraid of what others would say and do to them should their faith in JC be found out.
But, the came out of the shadows…
· when they gave generously of their own resources to honor Jesus.
· when they honored Jesus at the risk of criticism and punishment from their colleagues.
· when they risked becoming ceremonial unclean by handling a dead body.
· In other words, they showed their love for Jesus Christ, even though it was inconvenient.
So while you are thinking about how inconvenient it is to be a disciple for Jesus, a witness for JC outside the church building,
· remember how inconvenient it was for Jesus to give up his place in heaven and come down to earth.
· remember how inconvenient it was for Jesus to receive that horrible beating the Roman soldiers gave him
· remember how inconvenient it was for Jesus to die for you.
It’s not too much to come out of the Shadows of Christianity for Jesus.
Yes, it is important to ‘believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead’ but it is equally important to ‘confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.’ (Rom. 10:9)
How? How can we stand in the shadows lo longer? Very briefly 4 ways.
1. Get close. Read the Bible, come out to worship and Mid Week Prayer regularly, pray often…Get close to Jesus.
2. Get help. Joe and Nic worked together. Find at least one other Christian who wants to follow Jesus, spend time with them. Talk to one of the Elders if you want to be discipled.
3. Get real. Face your fear head on and the best way is to come out of the closet with your faith. Admit that you struggle with public expressions of your faith.
4. Get right. Take the step out of the shadows. You can practice here at CBC, during testimony times, where it’s safe, where you are loved and accepted…for who you are. No more excuses.
Let me encourage you all this morning to ‘stand in the shadows…no longer’.