SATURDAY April 8, 2023
The Cost of Discipleship
Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.
Matthew 27:57
Jesus suffered and died on the Cross. When He yielded up His Spirit, the veil in the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks were split, graves opened, and saints who had died were raised. The centurion and those who guarded Jesus stood in awe and said: “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:51-54).
Among the Sanhedrin were two secret disciples of Jesus Christ––Nicodemus, who secretly came to Jesus by night (John 3), and Joseph of Arimathea, a very wealthy man. Together, they decided to bury the body of Jesus. In doing so, not only was their faith in Christ revealed, but the elders who made up the Sanhedrin would reject them. Knowing the consequences, they counted the cost of becoming a follower of Christ.
According to Jewish custom, a body should be buried the same day of their death. When Joseph of Arimathea requested Jesus’ body for burial, Pilate released the body to him. Joseph was joined by Nicodemus. Together, they took the crucified body of Jesus, bound it in strips of linen with the expensive spices, and prepared His body for burial. Joseph placed the bruised body of Jesus into his own garden tomb (Matthew 27:57-60; John 19:38-42).
When visiting Israel, I have the people gather into a garden area that is believed to contain Jesus’ tomb. I like to sit and watch people’s reactions as they go into the tomb and then leave. Some people weep silently, remembering Jesus’ suffering; and others rejoice, knowing Jesus has resurrected from the dead! When we consider what the Son of Man has suffered and what He has accomplished on the Cross, we have to count the cost in following Him.
Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you your life.
~Dietrich Bonhoeffer~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
