<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>John 19;38-42<div><br></div><div><b>38. &nbsp;After this Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away&nbsp;the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him leave. &nbsp;So he came and took away his body.</b></div><div><b>39. &nbsp;Nocidemus also, who had at first come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds’ weight.</b></div><div><b>40. &nbsp;They took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as was the burial custom of the Jews.</b></div><div><b>41. &nbsp;Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and a new tomb where no one had ever laid.</b></div><div><b>42. &nbsp;So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, as the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b>&nbsp;</b>Both Joseph of Arimathea&nbsp;and Nicodemus were members of the Great&nbsp;Sanhedrin. This was a council of 71 Elders or Judges who functioned as something like our Supreem Court in matters of Jewish law.</div><div>It was to&nbsp;this court which the high priest Caiaphas addressed the question, <i>“What is you judgement?”</i></div><div>concerning Jesus statement, <i>“You have said so. But I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” &nbsp;</i>(Matthew 26;64&amp;66)</div><div><i><br></i></div><div>The Sanhedrin met daily in a&nbsp;(temple) building called the Hall of Stones, except on Sabbaths and holy feast days. &nbsp;It was Nicodemus who addressed the Sanhedrin and reminded them that no judgement could be rendered until an accused man was first examined. &nbsp;(John 7;50-52)</div><div><br></div><div>We do not know if either of these men were present at the time the Sanhedrin judged Jesus as deserving death. &nbsp;Up until Jesus death, they&nbsp;had concealed&nbsp;their sympathetic discipleship of Jesus, fearing the other Elders and chief priests. &nbsp;But now they went public with their desire to care for Jesus’ body.</div><div><br></div><div>Going to Pilate was ‘going public’, together they both carried Jesus’&nbsp;body to the new&nbsp;garden tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea. &nbsp;Speculation on the extravagance 75 or&nbsp;100 lbs. of these spices would be valued in the tens of thousands of dollars, some say hundreds of thousands. &nbsp;This burial was indeed for a King. (Note, aloe is thought to actually be oil of&nbsp;sandal wood, possibly in resin form, not the slimy sap from the aloe plant. &nbsp;Myrrh was another bitter resin. &nbsp;Both are anti-bacterial and very fragrant.)</div><div><br></div><div>The <i>“linen cloths”</i>&nbsp;could have certainly included a very expensive&nbsp;large shroud along with a head piece and possibly other pieces of linen.</div><div><br></div><div>It is the willingness of these two men to be publically&nbsp;known as followers of Jesus which is the most important part of this reading. &nbsp;When faith fully blooms &nbsp;in our hearts, we cease to care about personal loss or sufferings. &nbsp;Honoring Jesus, living to the praise of God’s glory is all that matters. &nbsp;We see this same disregard of ‘self’ in Peter following the resurrection and Pentecost. &nbsp;He no longer cared what happened to himself. &nbsp;The only thing that matters is honoring and&nbsp;proclaiming Jesus as Messiah and LORD.</div><div><br></div><div>Fear is cast out by the perfect love of God in Christ Jesus. &nbsp;Mature Believers are fearless, they rejoice if allowed to suffer for the name. &nbsp;We have a life which can never be taken from us.</div><div><br></div><div>Mature Believers are not reckless with their lives or the lives of their loved ones, but neither are they willing to deny their Lord, they go public.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, grant our love to grow ever warmer for you and each other, in Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”<br><br><br><a href="https://overview.mail.yahoo.com/?.src=iOS" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></body></html>


John 19;38-42
38.  After this Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him leave.  So he came and took away his body.39.  Nocidemus also, who had at first come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds’ weight.40.  They took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as was the burial custom of the Jews.41.  Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and a new tomb where no one had ever laid.42.  So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, as the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

 Both Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were members of the Great Sanhedrin. This was a council of 71 Elders or Judges who functioned as something like our Supreem Court in matters of Jewish law.It was to this court which the high priest Caiaphas addressed the question, “What is you judgement?”concerning Jesus statement, “You have said so. But I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”  (Matthew 26;64&66)
The Sanhedrin met daily in a (temple) building called the Hall of Stones, except on Sabbaths and holy feast days.  It was Nicodemus who addressed the Sanhedrin and reminded them that no judgement could be rendered until an accused man was first examined.  (John 7;50-52)
We do not know if either of these men were present at the time the Sanhedrin judged Jesus as deserving death.  Up until Jesus death, they had concealed their sympathetic discipleship of Jesus, fearing the other Elders and chief priests.  But now they went public with their desire to care for Jesus’ body.
Going to Pilate was ‘going public’, together they both carried Jesus’ body to the new garden tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea.  Speculation on the extravagance 75 or 100 lbs. of these spices would be valued in the tens of thousands of dollars, some say hundreds of thousands.  This burial was indeed for a King. (Note, aloe is thought to actually be oil of sandal wood, possibly in resin form, not the slimy sap from the aloe plant.  Myrrh was another bitter resin.  Both are anti-bacterial and very fragrant.)
The “linen cloths” could have certainly included a very expensive large shroud along with a head piece and possibly other pieces of linen.
It is the willingness of these two men to be publically known as followers of Jesus which is the most important part of this reading.  When faith fully blooms  in our hearts, we cease to care about personal loss or sufferings.  Honoring Jesus, living to the praise of God’s glory is all that matters.  We see this same disregard of ‘self’ in Peter following the resurrection and Pentecost.  He no longer cared what happened to himself.  The only thing that matters is honoring and proclaiming Jesus as Messiah and LORD.
Fear is cast out by the perfect love of God in Christ Jesus.  Mature Believers are fearless, they rejoice if allowed to suffer for the name.  We have a life which can never be taken from us.
Mature Believers are not reckless with their lives or the lives of their loved ones, but neither are they willing to deny their Lord, they go public.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, grant our love to grow ever warmer for you and each other, in Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”


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