Courage: Part Three - "To Bury A Dream"

There's a story mentioned in all four of the gospels about a man named Joseph of Arimathea. The collective details about him tell us he was wealthy, he was a respected member of the council and was "looking for the kingdom of God." This council, or the Sanhedrin as it is named, were the Jewish leaders who accused Jesus of blasphemy and handed him over to Pilate. However, Luke tells us Joseph did not consent to their decision. He was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly as John adds because he was afraid of the Jews.

So, here is a wealthy, well-respected and well-known leader within the Jewish community. He is influential. His family is affluent because of his position in society. He contributes to the major decisions which govern the social direction of his people. He is a man of faith who is waiting for God's promises as he understands them from the Torah. 

And then, he encounters Jesus. 

Joseph is touched to say the least. He is moved. The teachings, the miracles, and the way Jesus treats the unloved, all begin to burn within Joseph's heart convincing him Jesus is the Son of God. He concludes, this man is the one to usher in the kingdom he has been waiting for. He is so greatly impacted by Jesus, he risks his reputation and the prosperity of his lifestyle to follow him. Yet, he does so in secret, fearing what may come of him.

Now, imagine this for a moment. You've given it all up. You've risked everything. You've put your family, your reputation, your livelihood, your safety, your position all on the line because of something you've believed in, because of something that has impressed upon you and given you a glimpse of hope. This isn't even something sure. It isn't something certain. It is a hope, an intuition, a gut feeling. You risk it all on faith, on a burning within your heart that has transformed and restructured everything you've ever thought or known to be true. This is what happens when you encounter the man Jesus. 

And now, imagine your circle of friends, family members, and religious community, those who have supported and aided in raising you up into the influencer you've become, suddenly are pitted against the very thing which has awakened this hope within you. Suddenly, these friends and loved ones are bent on killing the very thing which has clarified your deepest questions and fulfilled the ache you've carried your whole life. Yet, they don't know what you've encountered nor do they understand the touch you have received. Your involvement has been in secret. Your loved ones have collectively agreed this person who has impacted you so immensely is bad for the nation and bad for the customs and beliefs of the community. They have determined he must be done away with. It is a terrible conflict of interest.

And now lastly, imagine, here you are among them being asked to cast your lots toward their decision. You're being asked to agree with them. It is even assumed you do. 

This is where Joseph of Arimathea finds himself.

Ultimately, he chose to side with his convictions in the face of immense opposition. He went against what his family, his friends and his fellow Jewish leaders believed. He didn't cast his lots to turn Jesus over to Pilate. Now, think of this with me for a moment. Joseph made it known what he believed, exposing himself and putting his family in danger. Sadly, Joseph's protest did not overturn the decision. Jesus was turned in, tried and crucified.
So, was it worth the risk?

What could Joseph have felt? Was his faith crushed? Was he bitter at God? Did he run away and hide? Everything he had believed for, everything he had risked for, all that he had dreamed of seeing come to pass had failed him. His dream was dead. By all human perspective, Jesus did not usher in the kingdom as the disciples had anticipated. But Joseph didn't hide. He didn't grow bitter. He didn't run away. And I believe, he would say, yes. It was worth the risk. We are told by Mark that even after Jesus was dead,

Joseph took courage

and went before Pilate to ask for the body. Joseph, even after his dream was dead, even after his community knew his unpopular position, took courage and went in to stand before the one who had sent Jesus to his death. Joseph leveraged his position as a prominent council member and put himself before the leader of the entire realm. He risked once again even after all hope was lost. Why did he do this? Why did he ask for the body of Jesus? His dream was dead. It was over. He was wrong. His faith had no place else to alight. 

Joseph asked for the body of Jesus to give him a proper burial. Now let me say this. 

It takes courage to give a dream a proper burial.  

Have you experienced this before? Have you followed something, believed something and chased after it only to find in the end, your ship sank, your position didn't win out? What you thought was certain to happen simply... didn't? Joseph took courage in this place.

There are dreams we have each held onto which may need to be given a proper burial. Otherwise, we aren't able to move on. There are things we give everything for from time to time and don't see come to fruition. We have to have the courage to bury the dream. When Joseph stood before Pilate, he was making peace with what didn't come to pass. Only days before, Jesus had stood on the same floor where he now stood and faced the same man. The courage which filled Jesus to stand silent before his accusers, now filled Joseph with the strength to speak out.

Being with Jesus had given Joseph courage to stand against an unjust decision and speak out in contrast to the popular vote. This same courage now empowered him to ask Pilate for Jesus' body. The courage he had gained from following his convictions, now empowered him to have courage in an even more difficult moment. 

Courage leads to courage and what we gain, even in our defeats, stays with us for future victories.

There is a beautiful, prophetic picture given us from the scriptures. Joseph took the limp body of Jesus and put him in a tomb he had purchased for himself. This was a tomb he had used his own resources to buy. It was a tomb reserved for the end of his own life. Now instead, in this untimely, unexpected moment, he was placing the Son of God there in his stead.

Have you thought of this before? Jesus laid in a tomb meant for Joseph. That will preach.

Here is the encouragement.

Joseph's act of taking courage, Joseph's choice not to become bitter at what didn't come to pass but rather his giving it a proper burial....

                              This   gave   place   for    the     resurrection   to     occur.

Joseph's courage, even in the face of defeat, gave place for supernatural intervention. Joseph's courage gave place for the Son of God to emerge as victor over death and usher in an entire new creation. Sometimes, this is the courage required of us as well. We have to have the courage to go against the grain and be willing to stand against popular opinion, or to stand in opposition even of our loved ones and our leaders at times. And when our dreams don't become what we've believed they were to become, or when, or how, we must have the courage to put them to rest without bitterness.

And this, my friends, leads to a whole, new creation. It leads to resurrection power. It leads to our creative works no longer being done in our own strength but it places Jesus in our stead.

May you ever have the courage to create. May you ever have the courage to stand against the grain to side with truth. And may you ever see the resurrection of the Son of God filling your creative works with a supernatural enablement you could have never obtained on your own, should it all have worked out the way you imagined. A resurrected Lord is much greater than a governmental leader.

With God, even on the other side of death, there is life; a great, abundant life waiting for our courage to lay hold.