People of the Passion: The Rich Man March 28, 2021 Dr. Tom Pace Matthew 27:57-61 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. Matthew 27:57-61 (NRSV) Let’s pray together. Oh God, open us up today to whatever it is that you have for us to receive in this message. Open our eyes that we might see and open our ears that we might hear your word in the midst of these words, and open our hearts, God, that we might have compassion and that your word might fall into our hearts. And then, O Lord, open our hands that we might serve. Amen. I don’t know if you’ve ever had the challenge or opportunity or maybe the privilege to plan a memorial service for someone you love - to make the arrangements, as the saying goes. It can be a really daunting task where you head into the funeral home to meet with the folks there. It seems like it shouldn’t be that hard, but there are so many decisions, and they’re coming at you so fast. It’s shocking how expensive it seems to be, and you’re trying to get through it. But you don’t want to just get through it; you want it to be awesome and to honor the person who’s passed away. Also, you want to give God glory - all of those things that are all tied up in the emotions you’re feeling. It’s can really be a challenging time. Imagine what that would be like if you were making arrangements for Jesus. In the time of Christ, Biblical images of funerals worked this way. As soon as the person passed away, they would take the body and clean it very carefully. It would be washed, and it’s still done that way among Observant Jews today. It’s washed and wrapped in white linen, and at the time of Jesus, the body would have been put into a tomb. Here’s a photo of a Biblical-era tomb. This one is a pretty average siZe. The stone that’s there is about three feet tall. You can see them in Israel, where they’re placed on the sides of hills just off the road. They would put the body in that tomb and close it, and a year later, they would go back to that family tomb, and they’d gather the bones that were left after the decomposition of the body. Then they would put it in something called an ossuary which is a certain siZe to fit the longest bone of the body, which is the femur. They would gather those bones together, and they would leave those there in the tomb. But that would leave the shelves in the tomb for the next family member who passed away. The problem was that Jesus didn’t have a tomb, and it was especially a challenge because the Sabbath was coming. They didn’t have a long time to figure out what to do. So thankfully, a man named Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and asked if he could receive the body of Jesus. So he took the body; it was washed and wrapped in clothing and laid in Joseph’s family tomb that had been newly hewn out of the rock. So what do we know about this Joseph of Arimathea? First, we know that he was rich, and it’s listed a little differently in each one of the Gospels. In Matthew, it says, “As evening approached there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph...” And that’s what we read a few minutes ago. We know that he was a member of the Sanhedrin. Now let me explain that the Sanhedrin was the ruling council, and this translation simply says he was “a member of the council.” It was composed of men from a variety of constituencies and would have included the chief priests, the Sadducees that were there as part of the council. It included Pharisees also. It would have had people who were not just religious leaders but civic leaders. People like Joseph of Arimathea who would be a wealthy member of the Jewish community. The Sanhedrin was the group that would negotiate with the Roman government. So he was a member of the Sanhedrin. But it also says that if you read in Luke, it says that he was a member of the council but had not agreed to their plan and action of sending Jesus to be crucified; to be before Pilate. So we also learn in the Gospel of John that Joseph of Arimathea was also a disciple of Jesus “though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews.” So that’s who Joseph is. But something changes in him. At the moment of the crucifixion, apparently, something changes because now he goes and asks for the body. He goes directly to Pilate and asks for the body of Jesus. He’s then willing to put him in his own family tomb. 2 What I’d like for us to talk about today is what changed in Joseph. What were the movements that happened in his life that being a witness to the crucifixion led him to change? Here’s the first one. He goes from being passive to being active. It says that he did agree with their plan of action, but it doesn’t say that he protested it or argued with it. It doesn’t say that he put himself at risk in that moment. It’s like, “I didn’t agree with it, but I didn’t do anything about it.” Whereas afterward, he takes the initiative and decides he’s going to be an active disciple rather than a passive one. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to a writer’s workshop. When you attend one of those, one of the things they try to teach you to do as often as possible is to use the active voice rather than the passive voice. So you say something like “Tim played the clarinet” that’s in the active voice. But if I said, “The clarinet was played by Tim,” then that’s in the passive voice. And in one case, Tim is the subject, and in the other, he’s the indirect object. It’s funny, sometimes we see ourselves as objects instead of subjects. We see ourselves as being victims of what the world does to us. We are sort of at the mercy of life altogether. Joseph of Arimathea goes from being this passive one to being an active one to taking charge and stepping out on his own. I want to be really careful. Now what we need more than everything is active disciples, people who aren’t just sitting there watching or who are just along for the ride. But they’re working hard and being subjects and not just objects and just riding along. But we have to be careful because God is not just interested in us being busier. It’s not just that we need to keep acting and doing all the time. What it is is do we see ourselves as using the gifts God has given us for God’s purposes. In 1 Corinthians 12, it has a marvelous statement that goes, “To each is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” Each one of us - you, me, all of us - have been given this manifestation of the Holy Spirit; these gifts poured into our lives for the purpose of discipleship. For the purpose of living and loving as Jesus taught us to live. And what do you do if you’re not using that and are just sitting there on it? Once my father-in-law gave me a beautiful pen he’d made on a lathe. He’d done that for a number of people. I received it, and I treasured it. I set it on my dresser to look at because it was so beautiful. Then when I’d see him, he’d ask, “Where’s the pen I made for you?” I’d say, “It's 3 on my dresser at home." He wasn't interested in it being on my dresser; he wanted me to be using it. We are called to use the gifts God has given us. One of the things I'm proudest about for St. Luke's is that we have a congregation full of active disciples. That doesn't just mean they're active in the life of the church, involved in Sunday School and small groups, worship, and service. It means that in their individual lives they're seeking to make a difference in their community in their world, all around them. But they're not going to be passive - going along for the ride. They're going to step out and be the subject, be the one who God uses to accomplish God's purposes.