Dear Friends and Family,

As we continue our walk with Jesus through Holy Week, it should come as no surprise that the Gospel of John is quiet about Saturday, the Sabbath, the day of rest. 

When the Jews rest they don’t rest the way you and I usually rest. My idea of rest is to turn on the TV and devour a snack. 

Jewish laws take rest to a whole other level. There are thirty nine major categories and hundreds of subcategories of labor that are forbidden on the Sabbath or Shabbat.

Interring the deceased on the Sabbath is one of them, which leads us to today’s scripture.

“Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 

Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.” John 19:38-42

There are at least two views of Joseph, a rich (per Matthew), prominent member of the Sanhedrin (per Mark and Luke), good and upright man (per Luke), and secret disciple of Jesus.

There are those who criticize Joseph for keeping his faith in Jesus a secret, in fear of what his peers would think, and perhaps, even do to him.

Then there are those who admire Joseph for risking everything, including his standing and stature in the community, when he stepped forward to care for Jesus’ body. 

The Jewish leaders found out where Jesus was entombed. Learning who was behind the burial would not have taken long.

My point in sharing all this is one just can’t tell how a person feels about Jesus until you talk to them.

I used to have no qualms about sharing my faith with everyone I met, new friends as well as old. That is until the day I had lunch with a colleague from my professional days.

As we were parting in the parking lot, I mentioned my latest adventure, studying to become a pastor.

Have you seen Michael Jackson moonwalk? You know, where Michael appears to walk forward but is actually walking backwards. That was my friend. He was doing Billie Jean in the parking lot all the way to his car! 

Yes, there are times when telling someone that you follow Jesus Christ results in an awkward reaction.

Given the trend of Christianity in America, I sense we will face more and more of these awkward reactions in the future.

I won’t try to sugarcoat the rejection that either hurts or is really embarrassing. (By the way, I got over the moonwalking episode.) 

What I will do is encourage you to keep the faith and keep on sharing who You follow with everyone you meet.

Don’t allow the evil one to diminish your faith. Don’t allow the deceiver to conform you to his world.

Keep Jesus’ words about enduring to the end close to your heart. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.” Matthew 5:11-12

Dear friends, let’s take on the naysayers. Let’s rejoice and be glad every time we meet a moonwalker – for we are blessed.

In love always,