Prof Zebulon No E119

P) Men of the Bible (Joseph of Arimathea)

Not much is known of this man other than he was rich and he came from Arimathea; oh yes, he was also a follower of Christ. After the death of Jesus, the Bible says that “57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple: 58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. 59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth”, Matt 27:57-59. The town of Arimathea is approximately 20 miles northwest of Jerusalem and its name means “A city for the Jews”. Joseph was a prominent council member of the Sanhedrin according to Mark 15:43 and was a good and just man according to Luke 23:50, 51; he and Nicodemus (John 3) took Jesus’ body and placed it in Joseph’s new tomb. Joseph had come to realize that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God and redeemer of the world; he felt obliged to give Jesus a proper burial, according to Jewish tradition. In performing this act of reverence and respect, he fulfilled a prophecy that was spoken several hundred years before these events; I am referring to Isaiah 53:9 “And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.” Joseph was just one part of God’s plan of redemption for all of humanity and is a good example of someone who was of the religious elite who undoubtedly sought God with all his heart and God revealed himself to him. The Bible states that only a handful of these Jewish leaders became believers; how hard it is for someone who is prominent and rich to come to the Lord for salvation. Even today, very few of the supposed religious leaders are true believers; their pride gets in the way and they don’t feel the need to be redeemed. What I mistake it is to refuse God’s forgiveness.

U) The Twelve Disciples (Ordinary Men)

This is the first of many studies we will be looking at regarding the twelve men that Jesus chose to carry the message of the Gospel to the world. Were these special men? Quite the contrary, they were very ordinary men! Who were they? Most of them were fishermen, one was a tax collector who was hated by his fellow countrymen; a bunch of uneducated, common men. Of course, as we know, in the hands of the Master they later became flaming evangelists and bold preachers who feared no one. Most of them came from Galilee and as a Pharisee once said “Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.” John 7:52. In Europe, there are huge cathedrals that have images in stained glass of the Twelve Apostles with shining halos. This is a shame because they were very ordinary men; the kind of men that Jesus wanted. Of course over the centuries, they occupy an exalted place in redemptive history and can be considered pillars on which the true Church of Jesus Christ was built. This does not diminish the fact that they were men as ordinary as you and I. They were common men who had been given an uncommon calling; just like we have today. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 1:26 – 29 “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.” Then, as today, God uses frail human beings to deliver a message of hope to a dying world. What a privilege!