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Now, here's today's message from Pastor Skip Heitzik. Turn in your Bibles, please, to the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew chapter 27. Six years ago, I was walking in my garage, not really watching where I was going. My bicycle was stored on its wheels on the ceiling, and so the top tube was about eye level.
I'm walking through with my eyes focused on the floor at a pretty good pace, and I smack my head into the top tube of my bicycle. Yeah.
Well I didn't know that you actually could see stars. I thought that was in the cartoons only. And so I went into the house. I said, Lynn, you would never believe what happened. I hit my head and I saw stars.
I didn't think much about it, but as days, weeks went by, I found myself with a headache and I found myself lethargic and I finally went to the doctor. who said the reason you're feeling this way is you have a subdural hematoma. And that just means you have blood on your brain. It's an easy fix. I just have to drill two holes in your head.
and we'll drain it out. Easy for him to say. They did that twice. And I was in the hospital and while I was in the hospital for like a week. I was bombarded.
With love. I had texts and I had emails, and people even sent me flowers. Um not that that's Something that I went wow over, but Just the sentiment from so many people. Here Different parts of the country. I got something, people reach out from Guam, South America, India.
I felt absolutely Bombarded by love. Once a year on Valentine's Day weekend, we like to have the love bomb to bombard children impacted by terrorism. With the love of God, something tangible. That with it can have a message attached to it of God's love. We do it on Valentine's Day weekend.
Because we want to hijack the holiday for God's purpose and for his glory. By the way. You might think, a lot of people think Valentine's Day, that's, you know, Hallmark must have come up with that holiday to sell cards. Actually, there was a Valentine. There was a Valentinus of Rome, third century.
He was a clergyman. His theology was suspect, but he was a clergyman who. helped free Christians from Roman prisons.
So, I like the idea that we are celebrating somebody who set the captives free. And a reload love is about helping set those captives free.
So, thank you for your involvement in that. I've had you turn to Matthew 27. I want to look at somebody named Joseph of Arimathea. Joseph of Arimathea.
Now let me set the scene for you. Jesus has just been crucified. He was put on the cross at nine in the morning, third hour of the day, according to Jewish reckoning. He was on the cross for six hours. He died.
At Three in the afternoon, the ninth hour according to Jewish reckoning. Six hours is an extremely short time for somebody to. Be killed according to crucifixion. Crucifixion was. invented by the Persians, but perfected by the Romans, And it was used.
As a method of punishment. to deliberately delay death.
so that the person could experience the maximum torture. Usually people lasted for several hours or days. Before they finally died of exhaustion, loss of blood, and asphyxiation. When Jesus died, Pontius Pilate was amazed that he was dead already.
Now our scene begins. And it begins in verse 57 of Matthew 27. Matthew 27, verse 57.
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. And then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body He wrapped it in a clean linen cloth.
and laid it in his new tomb which had been hewn out of the rock. And he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. And Mary Magdalen was there. and the other Mary sitting opposite The tomb.
Now the text we just read is Largely an overlooked text. It's an overlooked individual, certainly. These verses aren't verses that we would typically. commit to memory. Nobody that I know has taken a life verse.
From any of the verses we just read. You rarely hear a sermon, if ever. on Joseph of Arimathea. He is the man. Who buries?
Jesus, we don't even know much about him. But did you know that there was a prophecy? In the Old Testament, That included him. In fact, the classic Messianic prophecy. Anybody know what that is?
Isaiah fifty three. Remember that classic prophecy about the suffering of Messiah? That he is a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Surely he has borne our sorrows. Carried our griefs.
He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of his peace. Was upon Him. Etcetera etcetera. But if you keep following that chapter down to verse 9, listen to what it says.
This is Isaiah 53, verse 9. He was assigned a grave with the wicked. yet with the rich In his death Sort of an enigmatic Prediction. difficult to understand. until you arrive at the burial scene of Jesus.
And we see how God uses Joseph of Arimathea to fulfill that prediction because typically. A crucified victim. Would have been thrown into a mass grave. That's how Romans did it. Crucifixion was reserved for the worst criminals.
Not a Roman citizen, Romans couldn't be crucified, slaves were crucified, murderers, insurrectionists, armed robbers, those were crucified victims. Afterwards, They would take those criminals and put them either in the valley of Hinnam or in a mass pit where the dogs and birds would pick at their flesh or they would be burned. That's typically how a crucified victim would be treated. But the prophecy said, Though he would be assigned with the wicked, he'd be buried with the rich. How could that ever happen?
Now we come to verse 57. And it says, When evening had come, there came a... What? Rich man. From Arimathea.
Now that's noteworthy. Because there's a lot of things you could say about Joseph of Arimathea. In fact, In Mark's account, the Gospel of Mark calls him a prominent council member. A prominent council member. That is.
Joseph was one of the 70 ruling elders. in a group known as the Sanhedrin. There were seventy-one, including the high priest. The high priest, plus 70 others, Joseph of Arimathea was one of them, a prominent council member. In Luke's account, He calls Joseph of Arimathea a good and a just man.
And though he is good, and though he is just, and though he is a prominent council member. It's also important that you know that he was a rich man. Because of Isaiah chapter 53, verse 9.
So what we're going to do in the brief time we have together. is notice three notable features of this rich man who gave His tomb for Jesus' body. Of course, Jesus only needed it for the weekend. Because of the resurrection. But let me give you three notable features.
First of all, he was a genuine disciple. We're told that in verse 57. When evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph. Who himself Had also become a disciple of Jesus. First, a few words about Joseph.
of Arimathea. He is mentioned in all four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, all have the account. And he is only mentioned in the burial account of Jesus. Second, Arimathea, where is that from? We don't exactly know where Arimathea is.
Most scholars believe it's a town called Rama. You would only know about that if you know that Samuel the prophet came from Ramah. It's a few miles outside of Jerusalem. I'm guessing Joseph was born there. And then moved to Jerusalem where he would be working as a council member for the Sanhedrin.
Okay. Though he is a council member, though he is one of the upper echelon Jewish leaders. Luke's account says that he did not consent. to their decision and their deed. He did not agree with How they were treating Jesus.
You know, they came up with false charges, right, to bring to Pontius Pilate. To say that he said this and did that, all that was false. Joseph Didn't agree with it.
So he did not consent to their decision and their deed. This is Connect with Skip Heitzig. Your support helps reach people every day with biblical truth that brings hope, encouragement, and direction for real life. If you've ever wondered how to stay grounded when our culture is constantly pulling you in different directions, Pastor Skip's study through Colossians is for you. In Expound Colossians, you'll gain a deeper understanding of who Jesus is, why he is completely sufficient for every season of life, and how God's truth gives you confidence to stand firm in your faith.
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Now here's more from Pastor Skip. But what's noteworthy here in verse 57 is that it calls him a disciple of Jesus.
Now, in the original language in Greek, it's in the verb form. and would literally read, he was discipled by Jesus Christ.
So he was a real learner. That's what disciple means: mathetes, a learner, somebody. Who learned from Jesus, who followed Jesus, who believed in him? He was a disciple.
Okay. Not only was he a disciple, But Luke's account, and I'm not turning to all these because we're just here rooted in Matthew, so I'm just giving you the parallel accounts. But in Luke chapter 23, it says of him. that he was waiting for the kingdom of God. He was waiting for the kingdom of God.
He was. Messianically predisposed, he was waiting for the Messiah to come. Not much different than Anna, who was waiting for the consolation of Jerusalem.
So he was waiting for the kingdom of God. He's anticipating the Messiah to come.
So here you have a prominent Jewish council member. Who's a disciple? But Though he is a disciple, According to John chapter 19, verse 38. It says he was a disciple of Jesus. But secretly.
Secretly. Why? He was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews. What was he afraid of?
Well He was afraid of losing everything, first of all. You may recall that The Sanhedrin had officially threatened to expel From the synagogue. Anybody who confessed Jesus Christ. If he's a Ruling council member, if they find out, that's going to end his career. He's going to be ostracized.
His family's going to be ostracized. He'll lose all connection from Judaism.
So he's a believer in Jesus. But he's He's keeping it secret. He's keeping it silent.
Now, Joseph of Arimathea has been ridiculed for this. You'd be surprised when you read certain commentaries. Can you believe it? He didn't even speak up for Jesus.
Okay, before you criticize him I got a question. Peter, where are you? John. Uh where'd you go? James How come you're not here?
You know where they were? Locked in an upper room for fear of the Jews. At least Whatever fear Joseph of Arimathea had, he's now. Go in public. He's now stepping forward.
He's growing. in his faith. And I think this is an important designation. Discipleship is not a light switch. When you follow Jesus Christ, you are not instantly mature.
But you grow. In the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3.18.
So whatever fears he once had, he now musters up enough courage, and it was courage. to go to Pontius Pilate and ask for a proper burial. In fact, In Mark's account, Mark fifteen says, coming and taking courage. He went in to Pontius Pilate.
So I'm going to say this guy's making progress because he comes to the praetorium where Pontius Pilate is. I read one time the definition of a friend as somebody who comes in when the rest of the world has gone out. Nobody shows up, but he shows up. He's a genuine disciple. To go to Pontius Pilate would expose him to danger.
Pontius Pilate hated the Sanhedrin. Especially Uh A sandhead remember is asking for the body of a rival king.
Somebody that Rome could consider a threat. Also, to go into The Praetorium of this Gentile ruler would make him unclean and defiled. Right before the Sabbath.
So he is willing to risk reputation and status. Though he was a secret disciple, here's the thing about being a secret disciple. You really can't stay a secret disciple very long. Yeah, sure. I'm going to put up the words of William Barclay, who said, Christianity is something which is meant to be seen.
There can be no such thing as secret discipleship, for either the secrecy destroys the discipleship, or the discipleship destroys. The secrecy. A man's Christianity should be perfectly visible to all men. That's what's happening here. The discipleship is destroying.
The secrecy. He's going public.
Now, if you are like Joseph. If you are a secret disciple, and some of you just. You're that kind of a person. People around you where you work, they really don't know that you're a follower of Christ. You have not been that overt.
I'm going to let you in a little secret. I prayed for you this week. I've thought specifically of you, and I have committed some time to pray for you that something would happen. Not bad. But that something would ignite in you to make you a little more overt and Vocal.
to be more public. Especially, I think, in today's culture, when our culture is encouraging people to be proud of who they are no matter who they are.
So, every person with the most aberrant lifestyle is told to come out of the closet and be proud of who you are. I think there are closet Christians who need to come out of the closet. and be vocal about their faith in Jesus Christ.
So he was a genuine disciple. And he's showing that. Second thing I'd like you to make a note of, he's a gentle disciple. Just notice what he does here in verse 58. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus, wants to give him a decent burial.
And Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, He wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. Notice the tenderness, the respect.
Now just a quick note. The Jews did not embalm their dead. That was an Egyptian practice. They did not embalm, they did not cremate. Jews saw that as a pagan practice, that's what the Romans did.
They believed in taking the body whole. Anointing it with spices to mitigate against the putrefaction of the flesh, just loaded up with aromatic spices. Wrap it up and plant it whole in the ground like a seed. As a statement of faith, belief in a future resurrection.
So They come and or he comes and asks for the body. He takes the body down.
Now A dead body is not easy to manage by yourself, so I'm guessing he had help. In fact, I'm not guessing, I know he had help. And anybody here know the name of the person who helped Joseph of Arimathea? Nicodemus In John's account, John chapter 19. It says, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus went, so it would have taken two people to.
Manage of, I'm guessing, 150 pound body taken off the cross and anointed for burial.
So he is a genuine disciple, but I see here with this clean linen cloth and handling the body so tenderly, so gently. He was a gentle disciple. And that is also a hallmark of Christianity, gentleness.
Now, I just made a case for being bold.
Now I'm making the case for being gentle. You know, you can be both. You can have gentle boldness. You can have bold gentility. You can have a placid, calm.
Bravery. Two sides of the same coin. In fact, Jesus said he was. He said in Matthew 11: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle. and lowly in heart.
and you will find rest for your souls. Then Paul wrote to the Philippians and said, Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
So be bold, but be nice. Be gentle. When Paul wrote that list of the fruit of the Spirit, you remember he gave a list of attributes of it. He said, The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. Here it is.
Gentleness.
Some translations say meekness. Meekness. And gentleness are the same thing. Same thing. In fact, the word that is used for both of those in the Greek is this.
I'm going to put it up on the screen. There it is. It says prouse, prouse. We're going to leave that up for a minute. Meek, gentle is the word prouse.
The word Means Strength under control. Power under control. Power under authority. It's the choice. to be restrained.
That's proud, so that's being gentle. Um I I found out there's a there's a guy named Written about 400 BC, a guy who was a soldier and a philosopher named Xenophon, spelled with an X. Xenophon wrote a book Called the art of horsemanship. Not that you're going to try to go download it on your Kindle. But um In his book, The Art of Horsemanship, Xenophon describes the selection.
Buy the Greek army for their war horses. He said the Greek army would go out to the mountains and find the wildest. horse they could find, Take these horses and bring them down, and spend months training them and breaking them, breaking them in. And after months of training, they would put them into one of four categories. Category number one, they were discarded or let go.
Category number two, they were used for simply bearing burdens. Category number three, they were used for ordinary duty. Category number four, reserved for a few choice. horses. They were war horses.
And if the horse passed all the necessary requirements to become a war horse, it was given the name Prauss. That is, it's wild, it's powerful, it has strength. But it has learned to bring its nature under the control of its writer. It responds to the slightest touch of the rider. It can stand in the face of cannon fire and not get spooked.
It stops at a whisper. Strong but under control. Gentleness is a superpower. We're so glad you joined us today on Connect with Skiff Heidzig. Before you go, remember that when you give $50 or more this month, we'll send you Expound Colossians as our thanks.
This encouraging verse-by-verse study will help you discover why Christ is enough, how to stand firm in God's truth, and how to live each day with confidence in Him. Your support helps keep this Bible teaching ministry reaching people around the world with the life-changing truth of God's Word. Give today at connectwithsgift.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888. See you next time. Make a connection.
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