“Who’s Following You?” (Mark 15: 42-47)
“So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body.” – Mark 15:42-43
Scripture: Mark 15: 42-47
Question of the Day: Are you willing to risk your reputation to be a follower of Christ?
Devotion: Every day, we see people who depend on their reputations. Political leaders, athletes, teachers, church leaders, friends and even parents. Reputation is an important part of our world and our life. A good reputation can get you very far and a bad reputation can set you apart from society. Everyone wants a good reputation and no one wants to be the guy with the bad one.
Joseph of Arimathea had a reputation as well. He was a prominent member of the Sanhedrin, an assembly of twenty-three judges appointed in every city in the Land of Israel who claimed powers that lesser Jewish courts did not have. The Sanhedrin were the only ones who could try the king, extend the boundaries of the Temple and Jerusalem, and were the ones to whom all questions of law were finally put. But there some members, like Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who were secretly followers of Christ. Joseph knew that the Jewish law prohibited any work being done on the Sabbath. It was also against Jewish law to let a body remain exposed overnight (Deuteronomy 21:23). If Joseph had not “boldly” asked Pilate for the body when he did, the Romans would have taken Jesus’ body, no Jews could have confirmed his death leading to great opposition against the resurrection. Joseph risked his reputation as a Jewish leader to be a Christ follower. Ironically, his reputation was forever sealed in the minds of other Christ followers, unlike other members of the Sanhedrin.
How important is your reputation to you?
Are you willing to let your reputation get in the way of being a Christ follower?
What can you do to “boldly” proclaim your faith?
Song: Sweetly Broken- Jeremy Riddle
