Meet My New Heroes

So back to BSF... This week I have been pondering the dedication and service of Joseph of Arimethea and Nicodemus. They're the guys who went and asked Pontius Pilate for the body of Jesus when He was crucified. It's something that I've known for years and years, but never given much thought to- until now, that is.

These men were there when Jesus' supposed followers were for the most part scattered to the four winds. When the disciples thought it was all over and done, Joseph and Nicodemus were there. They were willing to risk status, dignity, possible exclusion from their families, probable excommunication from the synagogue. Despite the cost, they still bravely made their way to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus.

But why? The only answer that makes sense is a deep, profound sense of love and devotion. At the time, Jesus was dead and gone. There had been no last minute miracle. No parting of the Red Sea, no walking on water. Sure, there had been some strange signs, but if anything, the earthquakes and darkness only served to bring more fear and alarm. But on they went, risking what they'd spent their whole lives to earn- the respect of their fellow members of the Sanhedrin, success, acclaim. Willing to throw it all away to serve a dead man.

What a sense of conviction I feel! They were not expecting anything from Jesus. They weren't doing what they did in hopes that Jesus would be willing to do something for them in return. The only thing in it for them was knowing they were serving a man whom they wanted to honor. In short, they were not obedient because they were seeking the blessings obedience accrues. They were looking for what they could do, not what they could earn. Forget all the spiritual quid pro quo mentality I so easily find myself gravitating toward.

How often is there disappointment when the answer to my prayer is not what I'd hoped for? I must confess that all too often my mind immediately turns to thinking of how I've followed His Word and how I cannot understand why it's not all adding up. Lord, please forgive me. I say I love you, I say I'm devoted to you, I say all sorts of things... But when the rubber meets the road, I'm not Joseph or Nicodemus.

I really do not have any witty, charming way to wrap this all up and put a big, pretty bow on it. It is what it is. Sigh. But if desire is the first step, I'm taking it. I want with all my heart to be more like Joseph and Nicodemus. I suppose getting this lump of flesh moving in the right direction is the next step. Definitely easier said than done, but I'm still striving!