<html><head></head><body><div><div><div>Mark 15;42-47<div><br></div><div><b>42. &nbsp;And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath,</b></div><div><b>43. &nbsp;Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself&nbsp;looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.</b></div><div><b>44. &nbsp;And Pilate&nbsp;wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead.&nbsp;</b></div><div><b>45. &nbsp;And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph.<br>46. &nbsp;And he bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn&nbsp;</b><b>out of the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.</b></div><div><b>47. &nbsp;Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jose’s&nbsp;saw where he was laid.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><span>Forty days after Easter, Jesus bodily&nbsp;ascended into heaven. &nbsp;Before He did, His disciples asked Him, <i>“Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” </i>(Acts 1;6)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>This question revealed that even after Easter, the disciples still were not understanding the purpose of Jesus’ death and resurrection. &nbsp;They still thought the work of the Messiah was political. &nbsp;They were still hoping Jesus would cast out the Romans and Herod, and&nbsp;reign over the land as the son&nbsp;of David,&nbsp;the&nbsp;rightful&nbsp;King.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Jesus replied in part saying, <i>“You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.” </i>(Acts 1;8)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>It was not Rome or Herod which troubled the people, but their own sin. &nbsp;Christ’s death was as the Lamb of God, taking away the sin of the world, &nbsp;BUT, not only removing sin from us, but granting us all the power of the Holy Spirit so that God’s Kingdom’s&nbsp;rule would reign in all our hearts.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Our text today says, Joseph of Arimathea, <i>“was himself looking for the Kingdom of God.” &nbsp;</i>As a spiritual leader serving in the Council, Joseph may have wondered if the prophecies concerning the Kingdom of God extended to all people, everywhere…</span></div><div><span>King David proclaimed, <i>“All nations thou hast made shall come and bow down before Thee, O Lord, and shall glorify thy name.” &nbsp;</i>(Psalm 86;9)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div>The Kingdom of God is not external&nbsp;coercive&nbsp;political power imposed upon all mankind, as the disciples <span>thought</span>. &nbsp;&nbsp;The Kingdom of God is the giving of the Holy Spirit to the Church, and the power to walk in newness of Life with Christ by the Holy Spirit indwelling and inspiring us to, <i>“by the Spirit, put to death the deeds of the body” &nbsp;</i>(Romans 8;12-14)&nbsp;and<i>“live for the praise of </i>(God’s) <i>glory.” &nbsp;</i>(Ephesians 1;12 &amp;&nbsp;Philippians 2;13)</div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>We are taught by Jesus to&nbsp;pray: <i>“Thy Kingdom come,” &nbsp; </i>Martin Luther asks us, ‘What does this mean?’<i></i></span></div><div><span>Answer: &nbsp;<i>“The Kingdom of God comes indeed, without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come unto us as well.” &nbsp;</i>‘How is this done?’ &nbsp;<i>“When our heavenly Father&nbsp;&nbsp;gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and hereafter in eternity.”</i><i></i></span></div><div><span><i><br></i></span></div><div><span>The Kingdom of God is in you. &nbsp;You received it at holy Baptism, as you received, <i>“the washing of regeneration <u>AND</u>&nbsp;renewal in the Holy Spirit” </i>(Titus 3;5 &amp; Acts 2;37&amp;38)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>This Kingdom&nbsp;of God we live in by faith. &nbsp;By faith we are able to follow Jesus, we able to will to do the Will of the Father, in the Mind of Christ. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, by the gift of faith which You have worked in us through&nbsp;Your Word and Spirit, clear our vision of what <i>“newness of life”</i>&nbsp;means now for us in this time and place. &nbsp;Grant us zeal to seek first Your Kingdom and Your righteousness, for by the gift of the Holy Spirit we are able to&nbsp;walk with Jesus in holiness and love, denying the selfish will. &nbsp;Grant Your Kingdom&nbsp;by Your&nbsp;indwelling Holy Spirit to&nbsp;completely reign&nbsp;in us now and eternally through Jesus Christ our Lord. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</span></div><div><br></div><div>Love,&nbsp;</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. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>

Mark 15;42-47
42.  And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath,43.  Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.44.  And Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. 45.  And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph.
46.  And he bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.47.  Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jose’s saw where he was laid.
Forty days after Easter, Jesus bodily ascended into heaven.  Before He did, His disciples asked Him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1;6)
This question revealed that even after Easter, the disciples still were not understanding the purpose of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  They still thought the work of the Messiah was political.  They were still hoping Jesus would cast out the Romans and Herod, and reign over the land as the son of David, the rightful King.
Jesus replied in part saying, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1;8)
It was not Rome or Herod which troubled the people, but their own sin.  Christ’s death was as the Lamb of God, taking away the sin of the world,  BUT, not only removing sin from us, but granting us all the power of the Holy Spirit so that God’s Kingdom’s rule would reign in all our hearts.
Our text today says, Joseph of Arimathea, “was himself looking for the Kingdom of God.”  As a spiritual leader serving in the Council, Joseph may have wondered if the prophecies concerning the Kingdom of God extended to all people, everywhere…King David proclaimed, “All nations thou hast made shall come and bow down before Thee, O Lord, and shall glorify thy name.”  (Psalm 86;9)
The Kingdom of God is not external coercive political power imposed upon all mankind, as the disciples thought.   The Kingdom of God is the giving of the Holy Spirit to the Church, and the power to walk in newness of Life with Christ by the Holy Spirit indwelling and inspiring us to, “by the Spirit, put to death the deeds of the body”  (Romans 8;12-14) and“live for the praise of (God’s) glory.”  (Ephesians 1;12 & Philippians 2;13)
We are taught by Jesus to pray: “Thy Kingdom come,”   Martin Luther asks us, ‘What does this mean?’Answer:  “The Kingdom of God comes indeed, without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come unto us as well.”  ‘How is this done?’  “When our heavenly Father  gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and hereafter in eternity.”
The Kingdom of God is in you.  You received it at holy Baptism, as you received, “the washing of regeneration AND renewal in the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3;5 & Acts 2;37&38)
This Kingdom of God we live in by faith.  By faith we are able to follow Jesus, we able to will to do the Will of the Father, in the Mind of Christ.  
Prayer:  Merciful Father, by the gift of faith which You have worked in us through Your Word and Spirit, clear our vision of what “newness of life” means now for us in this time and place.  Grant us zeal to seek first Your Kingdom and Your righteousness, for by the gift of the Holy Spirit we are able to walk with Jesus in holiness and love, denying the selfish will.  Grant Your Kingdom by Your indwelling Holy Spirit to completely reign in us now and eternally through Jesus Christ our Lord.  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.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”


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