Joseph of Arimathea: A Covert Plodder 8/8/99

Luke 23:50-53

Jesus Christ said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).

In the Biblical era as in every age there has been a legion to do so. Today there are many who march in the ranks of the loyal. In matters of faith as with all disciplines there have been plodders, people who hang in there for the long run. These are people of purpose. They are not necessarily front runners but they are finishers.

To refer to them as plodders is by no means a slur. The term isn’t a synonym for klutz or buffoon. Nor does it means to poke or drag along. It means to consistently pursue with a purpose. I aspire to be a plodded.

Conversely, unfortunately at all times there have been those who are slow learners and reluctant to fully obey Him. Happily some become late bloomers because they do quietly plod along.

Athletic annals are filled with examples of plodders.

One of my favorite announcers who was one of my favorite baseball pitchers is Don Sutton. June 21, 1986, Don became only the thirtieth pitcher to win over 300 games.

He performed few extraordinary feats. Only once did he win more than 20 games. Only once did he lead the league in any category (2.21 ERA, 1980).

He said of himself, “I never considered myself flamboyant or exceptional. But all my life I’ve found a way to get the job done.” Plodders do, they get the job done.

Sutton called himself “A grinder and a mechanic.” America saw six presidents come and go while Don did what a pitcher is suppose to do; he won games. With tunnel-vision he spent twenty-one seasons redefining greatness. He was a plodder. He was reliable.

Follow this plodder. In high school his sports career almost ended when he broke his ankle. His mom wanted him to quit football because he was too small. Slowed by the break the coach moved him to quarterback. When he finished high school he wanted to go to Notre Dame. However, the Irish were reluctant to gamble on a six foot, 138 pound quarterback. The University of Louisville took a chance. His college career blossomed enough that the Pittsburgh Steelers took a chance and drafted him as their 9th pick. They cut him right away. The Cleveland Browns promised him “next year” but he never heard from them. A year later the Baltimore Colts did take a chance on him. In the fourth game of the year with the Colts leading the Browns 20 – 14 their quarterback broke his leg. The aspiring young quarterback went in and threw his first pass for a touchdown as the opposing safety intercepted and ran it back. On the first play after the kick off he fumbled and the Browns covered it for a touchdown.

He lost 58 – 27.

He was a plodder. He being, Johnny Unitus, who when inducted in the NFL Hall of Fame was called “the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.” Unitus, called “the golden arm,” holds the record for the most consecutive games in which a TD pass was thrown. Johnny Unitus, was a plodder, a winner.

Come with me now to the Scripture as we consider the second plodder in our series. The first was Anna who had prayed for the coming of Messiah and at the age of 84 saw the infant in the temple. She was a plodder present at His birth.

Now at His burial we find another plodder, Joseph of Arimathea. He was a rich intellectual plodder who asked Pilate for the lifeless body of Jesus Christ that he might bury it. That was a bold open identity with the man crucified. It was a dramatic departure from his past.

Joseph is described as “being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly” (John 19:38). The reason for being a covert follower is given “fear.”

He was a member of the equivalent of the Supreme Court of that day, the Sanhedrin.

Noted in Luke 23:51 is an important event. He, a disciple of Jesus, was there the night the Sanhedrin, afforded Christ a mock trial, falsely accused and condemned Him to death. However, Luke notes “he had not consented to their counsel and deed.” He was a decenter.

Logically the term secret and disciple don’t go together. A disciple is a learner, one who follows the teaching of another. Against a lifetime of learning one system of religion He had been awakened to the truth taught by Christ. His faith was strong enough at this stage of his development to want to learn and grow. However, old beliefs like old habits are hard to break away from. He had enough faith to want to learn from Christ.

He had enough fear that he was reluctant to be identified with Christ openly. All the time his faith was covert he was learning.

He knew he would be the object of derision, would lose his leadership role, disrupt friendships, and negatively impact his financial fortune if he openly identified with Christ. All of those things still serve as significant centennials used by Satan to keep people from taking a stand for Jesus. We are prone to ask of ourselves: “what will my friends think?,” “will I lose my position?,” and “how will it impact me financially?”

Though those costs must be considered there is one question that must take precedence over them. It is, “what does Jesus Christ want me to do?” It is often said, “Is there a decision that you know it would please Christ for you to make? If so make it without regard for anything or anyone else.”

In the gospel there is a group of people that typify many today: “Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:42, 43).

A person professed faith in Christ and let it be known in a small group. There was no follow-up, no public profession of faith. No evidence of wanting to obey Christ and experience New Testament believers baptism. Upon being asked why not the answer was, “I have prayed about it and God and I decided to keep it a secret.”

In making that statement I am convinced the person was conscientious. However, our thoughts and opinions should be measured against the Biblical norm. Let’s measure that position against God’s standard. The decision to trust Christ as Savior is the most personal decision one will ever make. However, in the Bible this highly personal experience was never private. At this stage of our story Joseph’s faith was still private. You may be at that stage at this point. However, momentarily you are going to know what caused Joseph to overcome all his fears and go public. At that point you should do as he and go public.

Joseph was in process. He was learning.

Luke gives him an admirable identity. He is depicted as being “a good and just man.”

“Good” describes what he was personally internally. His goodness resulted in the second trait, he was “just.” This describes his external conduct in dealing with others.

If good works saved a person this man had a lock on heaven. He was intellectual, as evidenced by being on the Supreme Court, he was described as wealthy, and characterized as good and just. Even those admirable traits don’t save. Reflect on this summary:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:9).

Anna, in the temple, is depicted as waiting for the kingdom. Joseph was “waiting for the kingdom of God” (Luke 23:52).

That is the quality that kept his faith alive. He lived a life of expectancy. That energizes life. It frees a person to celebrate life.

The waiting is about over. The center of Joseph’s universe is about to change.

In the cartoon “the Wizard of Id” the dwarfish king of Id enters the workshop of Wiz and finding him staring through a telescope asks, “Whacha looking for, Wiz?” The astrologer answers, “The center of the universe.” The little king answers, “Speaking!” That is a powerful statement of self- centeredness.

The self-centered world of Joseph was about to become a Christ centered world. The same reason that effected this change is the one that should change ours. In a moment it will be noted.

After his colleagues condemned Christ He was immediately crucified. His disciples who had followed Christ for three years were without means and unavailable to bury Him. It was common for the corpse of persons crucified to be thrown on a pile of unclaimed corpses.

Enter Joseph. The secret disciple is about to remove his disguise and acknowledge His allegiance to Jesus Christ.

Joseph was a wealthy man who owned a tomb in a garden near Calvary where Christ was crucified. He went to Pilate and asked to be allowed to bury Christ. What a moment that must have been. In that moment the most powerful religious leader of the day looked into the face of this legal leader and saw a new loyalty. Joseph was a secret disciple no longer. What a murmur must have gone through the assembly. Joseph did not care.

Realizing how cowardly he had been at the trial he became bold in asking for the body of Christ. He was indecisive no longer.

Joseph was about to step on the stage of history as a main player in the fulfillment of prophecy. When he placed the body of Christ in his own personal tomb he was fulfilling prophecy. Isaiah (53:9) had prophesied centuries before Messiah would be buried with the rich.

There is a painting by Peter Bruegel entitled “The Blue Cloak.” In it he has combined at least 78 proverbs, maxims, rhymes, and symbols. One shows a woman carrying fire in her right hand and a bucket of water in the left. It represents an old proverb, “she carries fire in one hand and water in the other,” meaning she carries two contradictory opinions.

Jesus put it simply: “You cannot serve two masters.”

The apostle Paul was equally direct: “Be of one mind.”

Now comes the reason the secret disciple was no longer covert but committed openly.

All the time he had been learning from Christ He had been searching the Scripture. Though secret He was searching. Fortified with facts one act completed the transition.

What was it?

The thing that moved Him to acknowledge his faith and openly demonstrate his devotion was the death of Christ. In that he saw the love of Christ for Him. That love took precedence over all else and he could restrain himself no longer. Out of the depth of love he responded publically. That is the highest form of motivation. The love of Christ enables us to overcome our fears and take a stand regardless of the restraints. It moved Joseph from the category of secret disciple to stalwart disciple. He was no longer a covert disciple but a committed disciple.

The plodder went public.

Mark 15:43 reveals that Joseph “boldly” went to Pilate and asked for the body of Christ. The coward became courageous motivated by Christ’s compelling love as demonstrated on the cross.

Courage Not Conformity

Psalm 31:19 – 24

Jesus loves the hopeless. He loved Zacchaeus who was hopelessly lonely. He loved Mary Magdalene though she was demon possessed. He loved Mary and Martha whose brother Lazarus died.

A sense of futile hopelessness is so foreign to the Lord that the word “hopeless” does not occur in the Bible.

Knowing human nature, our Lord realizes it exists and proposes an antidote. The Psalmist describes himself as a person for whom persons have set a snare and caught him in their net. Have you ever felt trapped, hopeless? Framed in such a feeling three release principles are noted. These are to be dealt with in this three part Post series. They are:

God’s people need to study God’s Word in order to understand our times and know what to do. In this time of uncertainty and apprehension let’s explore a rich passage. The first is:

COURAGE  (Psalm 31:24a)

This brings to mind what has been called Jesus’ favorite text: “Be of good cheer.” This He said to the helpless paralytic, the woman who touched the hem of His garment, the terrified disciples in the storm.  Before His ascension Jesus said, “In this world you shall have tribulation but be of good cheer.”

Fear of conditions might cause some to try to retreat into the past or flee into the future, but reverence for God brings us to confront the current with courage. Almost anyone can show physical courage. It refuses to abandon convictions. Don’t be a moral turn-coat. Be courageous enough to die rather than compromise.

In the day of Charles II, Margaret Wilson, a woman of great faith, was falsely accused and sentenced to death. She was tied to the stake on the beach at low tide and offered release for recanting as the tide rose. Her last words – “Christ only is my Master.”

Our word courage comes from the Latin word meaning resulting from two basics: cor and ago. “Cor” is the word for “heart” and “ago” the word for “to put in motion.” When the heart is put in motion there is courage. Courage refers to the condition of the heart. Heart is the summary Hebrew word for mind, purpose, intention, or insight.

Spiritual courage is a human’s inner strength and determination. This is strengthened by a knowledge of and application of Scripture. The Bible says, “Your word I have hidden in my heart that I may not sin against you.” 

Being strong and of good courage means trusting in the Lord as our true source of strength. “When I am afraid I will trust in you.” Remind yourself of that and purposefully turn to Him and trust Him.

Living on Level Three – Part Two

Dr. Kohlberg of Harvard described life on three levels. Level three begins anytime after the late teens.  At this level one isn’t trying just to please self or others, but what matters is what is right.  Internal convictions become important.  Morality is based on principles, not force, as in level one or acceptance as in level two. Honesty is now based on values, not what a parent has said or others think.

Conduct will not be based on who I am with, but on who I am and what I believe. Let’s look at life on level three.

I. OUR ACT “WHATSOEVER” UNIVERSAL OBEDIENCE

If you live on level three, you will do whatever you do based on principles.  You won’t change your mind simply because something makes you feel better or others approve.

II. OUR ATTITUDE “IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS.”

This reveals our realized oneness with Jesus.  A team that wears a school’s uniform represents all for which the school stands.  As a Christian you represent all for which Christ stands.  His “name” stands for His character and being.

“In the name” means “in vital relationship with him,” that is:
a. in harmony with His revealed will.
b. in subjection to His authority.
c. dependence on His power.

III. OUR ACCLAIM “GIVING THANKS TO GOD”

Are you able to give God thanks for being able to say or do what is contemplated?

Do you live up to the principles you profess?  When you became aware of your need for salvation, and you received Christ as Savior, a principle was established.  You invited Christ into your life.

Let’s parallel this with an imaginary situation in which you invite a special guest into your home.  Upon his arrival you say, “I want you to make yourself at home.  My house is your house.  Make yourself comfortable.”

The next day you come home and your guest has out all of your financial records and is going through them. You are outraged, “What are you doing?” you ask.  “I am looking over your financial records,” is the reply. Incensed you say, “those are my private records. You shouldn’t be looking at them.”  Then your guest reminds you of your statement, “Make yourself at home. My house is your house.”

Did you really mean it?  Did you really mean it when you said to Jesus that you wanted your life to be His?  Are there areas of your life not being lived according to His principles? This is a good time to review the characteristics of life on level three and resolve to live by them.

Living on Level Three – Part One

Colossians 3:17

Dr. Lawrence Kohlberg of Harvard has led the way in research in moral education and development.  He found that a healthy mature person develops through three levels of moral thinking.

LEVEL ONE extends from birth to about age ten.  This is the totally self-centered stage.  All issues and choices are viewed in terms of personal physical or pleasurable results.  The rules of the game are:  If I am rewarded as I desire my conduct is good.  If I don’t get what I want then my actions are bad.

There are adults still living at this level. They are self-centered-egotist.

Interestingly psychologists have concluded there are three motivational factors in life: Self-preservation, Self-gratification, and Self-glorification.

Note, in each instance the use of the word “self.” What is in it for me?

LEVEL TWO, Dr. Kohlberg says, begins sometimes between age ten and fourteen.  At this stage persons consider others as well as self.  Choices are based on whether they please others or are they approved by others.  Peer pressure and idols exert an enormous influence.  The status quo becomes important.

There are people of all ages still hung up at this level.  “Everybody is doing it,” becomes the mandate for mediocrity.  “Chicken” is a game such a person can dare to play even if they lose their life trying to win.

LEVEL THREE begins anytime after the late teens.  At this level one isn’t trying just to please self or others, but what matters is what is right.  Internal convictions become important.  Morality is based on principle not force as in level one or acceptance as in level two. Honesty is now based on values not what a parent says or others think.

Conduct will not be based on whom I am with, but on whom I am and what I believe.

Dr. Kohlberg estimates that only about 20% of adult Americans reach level three when a person chooses to do something because it is right in and of itself.

Living on level three is life’s most satisfying peek.

Job evidenced he lived there when in his hour of extreme pain he revealed he lived by principles when he said, “Yay, though He slay me yet I will trust Him.”

David revealed he had moved to the third level by saying, “When I am afraid I will trust in Him.”

Joshua gave away his level of living by saying, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”

Martin Luther, when on trial for his life declared: “Here I stand, I can do nought else.”

William Penn spoke of level three when he said, “Right is right though all men be against it, and wrong it wrong though all men be for it.”

If you are not yet on level three you can be with the help of the Lord. Evaluate your growth level. Level three is where God desires persons to live.

Anna: A Consistent Plodder 8/1/99

Luke 2:36-38

Jesus Christ knows you. Not only does He know you, He loves you. Today you are invited to know Him and to know Him better.

His birth was almost a covert act of God. Being born of peasant parents, in a innocuous village, in a unpopular part of the world did little to popularize His birth.

He could have come with regal pomp, With the herald of the archangel’s trump. With a peal as loud and dread As that which shall someday wake the dead. But for that herald gem The star that stood over Bethlehem Not even the angels on His natal morn Would have known that the Son of God was born. As was the custom of the era the infant’s parents took Him to the temple to be dedicated. This is where our story begins. It is a story to inspire all. There He was met by a wonderful woman worth your knowing, a true plodder.

The term “plodder” as used in these messages is used in a most complimentary manner. It means persons who have “stick-to-itive-ness.” They aren’t quitters. They encounter puzzles and problems and work through them. They are confronted by challenges and deal with them constructively. A plodder doesn’t have give up in his or her makeup. I would like to be worthy of being considered a plodder.

Some of the greatest achievers of all times have been plodders.

Beethoven, one of the greatest composers of all times, was totally deaf for the last eight years of his life. During that time he composed what is acclaimed as his greatest musical work, the stirring Ninth Symphony. Yet, he never heard it. Attending its first public presentation he had no idea of the audience approval until he saw them stand and engage in prolonged applause.

John Milton considered one of England’s greatest poets wrote his magnificent epic, “Paradise Lost” after 12 years of blindness.

See a dwarf-like cripple named Charles Steinbeck having to stand and lean on his work station. He became one of the most outstanding electrical geniuses of all times. He holds patents on over 100 inventions. An indomitable will guided him to accomplishments seldom matched.

Come now and meet one of the first female plodders of the New Testament. She should be an encouragement to all. Hopefully you will find her a motivating influence in your life.

Waiting there in the temple when Mary and Joseph arrived with the infant Jesus was the aged Anna. Her very name means “grace.” It is estimated that there are over one-half million persons with that name today.

Let’s learn from the Biblical plodder and respond positively.

I. SHE HAD LIMITATIONS
After only seven years of marriage sorrow struck her young life. She was widowed from then to the end of her eighty-four years. In her youth grief gripped her like a vice. Uncertainty surrounded her.

Sorrow can make us bitter or better. It can uproot our faith or produce the fruit of faith. It can cause a person to turn from God or turn to Him. Her responses turned her scars into stars of hope.

She was aged, 84. Age inevitably robs the body of vitality. It can do worse, it can take away a persons heart and rob them of hope. The decline of the body doesn’t have to diminish ones spirit.

She was inspired to keep plugging away by three primary influences. She worshiped regularly, prayed often, and lived expectantly. This kept hope alive.

Abraham Lincoln said, “We are as young as our hopes and as old as our fears. I have known some old teens and some youthful aged individuals.

II. SHE KNEW GOD’S WORD
She knew the prophecies related to the coming of Messiah. Knowing them and being sensitive to the signs of the time she had great expectations regarding Him coming in her life time.

“Thy word have I hid in my heart” is an expedient today.

I heard it asked recently, “What is the most unread book in the world?” The answer, the car owners manual. Who wrote it? The manufacturer. The very one who knows the car best put in it information as to how to get the most out of your car. Yet, we simply want to get in and drive. You can and it likely will run well, at least for a time. You can get more out of it if you digest the manual. It will function better and longer if you do.

The Bible is the manual provided by the manufacturer of life, your life.

She knew the Scripture and knew when it was fulfilled.

“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots” (Isaiah 11:1).

Many “Far Side” cartoons fascinate me. One showed a game show in progress. One of the three contestants was God. As you tune in on the contest the host is saying, “That’s right, Wisconsin! And so it looks like God has 500 points while Norm, our current champion, has zero!”

It is a superb depiction of the wisdom of God compared to our foolishness. You would not want to go on Jeopardy with God. Anyone who contests Him is in jeopardy.

To be a successful plodder and have inspiration for life get to know God’s Word, the Bible.

III. SHE TRUSTED GOD
Our life should be based on this couplet: God said it, I believe it, That settles it!

Imagine the young widow Anna when she first went to the temple. Hope ran high. Expectancy bubbled over. Messiah is coming. A year lapsed and He had not come. Well He will! Two years, no Messiah. Surely time would dim her hope. It didn’t. She was a plodder.

The only reason she had of expecting Messiah was God’s Word. That alone stimulated her unfailing faith. If she had your temperament would she have begun to waver and criticize God for not acting. After about forty years she might have had cause to give up on the project.

She lived ready for glory.

IV. SHE WAS CONSISTENT
“Night and day” she was in the temple. Plodders hang in there.

Anne Scheiber was a 101 year old plodder when she died in January 1995. For years she had lived in a tiny, run-down, rent-controlled studio apartment in Manhattan which rented for $400 a month. She had retired in 1943 and lived on Social Security and a very small retirement check. As an IRS auditor she had not done well and the agency had not done well by her. Despite being a lawyer and doing good work she had not been promoted. When she retired at age 54 she was making only $3,150 a year. Her neighbors admired her thrift in her struggle to survive. She didn’t spend money on herself. As things wore out she didn’t replace them. Instead of subscribing to the paper she went to the public library once a week and read “The Wall Street Journal.”

Imagine the surprise of Norman Lamm, President of Yeshiva University in New York when this unknown lady left her estate to the school. The estate this plodder, Anne Scheiber left Yeshiva was worth $22 million.

In the temple Anna kept investing her faith in God. She never cashed out in the good or bad times.

Are you an Anna plodder, a day and night servant of the Lord. Faith waited ….

V. SHE HAD SELF-CONTROL
She is depicted as praying and fasting. Fasting is a picture of crucifying the flesh. Our appetites for food is a strong basic one. Fasting shows the ability to control ones appetite and that is an indication of a will to control all appetites. Galatians 5:23 speaks of self-control. It is an evidence of a Spirit filled life.

Without self-control she would not have been in the temple day and night for years.

Then one day it happened. Mary and Joseph entered the temple with their infant Jesus. In a moment we will consider her expression, but first consider her emotions. Has there ever been someone or something for which you have patiently waited for what seemed to be a long time? Such were her emotions. Then it happened. She saw Messiah and in that instance she gave thinks to God.

VI. SHE BECAME A MISSIONARY
She “spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem” (Vs. 38). She shared the good news. She was demonstrative.

Her many years of plodding faithfulness began with a single act one day. It resulted in a life- time commitment.

You can attest to your faith in Christ and thereby witness of Him by the act as your Savior.