When Joseph Washed Jesus-Good Friday Musings

Parts of this post from a few months ago seemed especially fitting for this week.  May you be blessed as you reflect on our Savior and His great love.  
It was work for a coroner--horrifying and intriguing. Amazing as the body is, this one was dead. Dead and beaten. What kind of people wash, manipulate and care for the dead?
Joseph of Arimathea for one.  Nicodemus for another.  And their service to the dead, unrecognizable body of Christ touches me in a way I'm not sure I can communicate.
As I re-read the account of Joseph asking Pilate for Jesus' body (Matthew 27:50-61), I was impressed with his affluence, influence and confidence. God knew him hundreds, thousands, even eons, of years in advance. He predicted this rescue hundreds of years beforehand (Isaiah 53:9). Incredible. 
My journal entry for the day says, "Impression: Joseph was exactly who God intended Him to be. He was where he needed to be, when he needed to be there.  Because of God, he did not, could not, miss His calling.  Application:  I will not miss God’s call on my life.  He will accomplish His will according to His plan. 
The next day, I was still thinking about the process of taking Jesus' body off the cross and caring for it.  I wondered what Jesus' body looked like after being scourged, spat upon, struck, beaten and crucified? What would it have taken to lift, transport, or wash it?  According to Jewish tradition, the body would be held vertical by one person as another poured water and worked from the top down, cleansing and washing. Jesus' body, unlike most, would have been difficult to piece together and cover. It would have required great care and tedious wrapping. As an expression of devotion and generosity, Nicodemus brought one hundred pounds of spices to apply to Jesus' body (John 19:39).
It was would have been messy. Dirty. Uncomfortable. Wet. Cold. Uncertain. Frightening.  Had they  done this before?  Doubtful. Nicodemus was a Pharisee. Simon likely had servants to complete unpleasant tasks. And as far as Jesus was concerned, certainly no one other than Mary had cared so intimately for the Son of God. I've never dwelt on the thought for obvious reasons, but it is there.
As we approach Good Friday, we realize the wonder of God's love exceeds the physical wounds of the crucifixion.  The separation of eternal God from eternal God is inconceivable.  The wrath of untouchable God poured out on a spotless Savior is unbearable.  The power of the resurrection is insurmountable.  But God did.  God has. God is.
And in light of who Jesus is and what's He's done for me, I can't help but wonder if, through His Spirit and by His Word, God has equipped His people to minister to His Body when it is beaten and afflicted and sore and wounded and weeping?  To the persecuted church, the deserted mother, the fallen pastor, the imprisoned brother, the neglected child, the hungry beggar, the discouraged teacher....  May God enable and empower us to be in the right place at just the right time.  And may we be willing to roll up our sleeves and get dirty as we love and minister to the wounded Body of Christ and He loves them through us.  It's all about Jesus.

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
"Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”  (Matthew 25:34-46).

Unlocking Prayer

Our Sunday school class has been working through the Navigators 5:7 series on the basics of the Christian life. This week as I read verses on prayer, I was struck by James 4:3, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures" (NASB).  In that moment I thought of prayers offered, even that morning, that were for my own pleasure--to meet my desires.

We all have unmet desires and wishes. Sometimes we pray for physical healing, for better relationships, for a change in our Church, for weight loss or a successful outcome. The object isn't the issue. The attitude and motive are. After all, David the shepherd prayed, "He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake," not mine.

Jesus offered that same example when He taught His disciples to pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10).  And I had to ask how many times I pray for God first. Too often I acknowledge Him then ask for the things that are on my heart, trying to hold them loosely and knowing that God will accomplish His purpose. But the attitude, the words, and the heart are for me--to make life easier, more comfortable, less confusing and uncertain.

Since reading and thinking about those verses, my prayer has changed. "Lord, teach me what pleases You. Help me seek out pray and live for those things that give You pleasure. Make me aware of those times I put myself ahead of You and give me discernment." And that's where God's Word comes in.  The only way to know God's heart, what pleases Him and what is best, is by reading His Word.  Because He is so very different from us, we will not find Him in our hearts (Jeremiah 17:9).  We can see His glory in creation (Psalm 19) and God uses that to draw us in and reveal Himself, but we can know Him and His heart, one on one. We get to know Him personally and intimately as we commit listen (read the Bible) and respond (prayer).  He wants to give us the desires of our hearts--even change our desires to match His--as we delight in Him (Psalm 37:4-11).

"Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete" (John 16:24 NIV).

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him" (1 John 5:15-16 NIV).

Called by Name

I love being a substitute teacher. Many of us remember the way we treated substitutes when we were young and don't wish that on anyone. But it's a great job.  Really.

It didn't take long for me to learn that eavesdropping was my ticket to power.  Kids talk to each other--by name--as they enter a classroom.  As the bell rang, I would address at least one child specifically, "Caleb, take your seat." Shock registered on their faces. They didn't know me, but I knew them. By name. I'm convinced we remember what's important--and in my book, each student is important, from the 3-year-old who told me his name was "Jeremy Dean, Fat-Man McGee, but my friends call me Ralph," to the 17-year-old gang member whose dial is tuned in to respect.

God knows, by name, inside and out. He knows everything there is to know about each one of us--and He loves us anyway. Jesus knew His disciples before He called them. In fact, God loves us so much He'd rather die than let us go (song by Point of Grace). That's a lot of love.  More than we can imagine.

As those who minister in and out of the church, people matter. To wear His name, to be a little Christ, means we are more concerned about others--their likes and dislikes, goals and abilities--than ourselves. At those times when the project or the product is more important than the people, we are doing something wrong. To love others as Christ loves us is to know them. 

Last Saturday at an out-of-town competition, kindergartner Abby ran across the gym and threw her arms around my waist. My heart leaped with joy and a huge smile looked down on her.  Later, I wondered about God. How often does the sight of Him interrupt my day? I imagine it brings Him great joy when we remember Him, express our love, and draw His name into a conversation.

How often do I look for, do I see, Jesus in those unexpected places?  Am I just as happy and pleased to see him as the little ones who throw out my name along with their arms?  Do I speak His name to others?  How well do Jesus and I know each other? There is salvation in no other, "for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12) There is power in His name.

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). John 20:11-16
"...they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads." Revelation 22:4