As evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea took a risk and went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. —Mark 15:42-43
For years people watched Jesus teach, do the miraculous and change lives like no one else. But following Jesus was risky. Many of the influencers of that time looked down on him. He was unorthodox. He was amazing, yes. But…
Jesus was risky.
So, finally, after Jesus was unjustly executed on the cross, one of those who had been following him—from a distance—finally took a risk and stepped out of the shadows.
Joseph was a secret follower of Jesus—not publicly, because he feared the blow-back from his peers. But now, enough is enough. He went to the Roman governor who sanctioned Jesus’ crucifixion, asking to take his body to give him a proper burial.
With help, Joseph took Jesus’ body off the cross, then put it into his own tomb. Joseph had no idea that Jesus would only need it for a long weekend—for just 3 days.
But it took something catastrophic—the death of Jesus—for Joseph to step out; to take a risk.
Maybe now is your turn.
It’s been some time. You’ve been following Jesus from a distance. On the downlow.
But now is the time to step out of the shadows and take a risk. Instead of just admiring Jesus, this would be a great time to fully follow him. And when you do, there is great reward.
And I believe the best way you could that is to join us this Sunday at CenterPoint. We are continuing in our Vintage Faith Series in the Book of Matthew.
You can join us onsite here, or you can join us digitally here on our CenterPoint FB page. Either way, hope you can join us this Sunday at 10AM, PDT
Looking forward to worshiping with you then!
Blessings,
Pastor Bill
Bill Herried is a pastor at CenterPoint Church in Tacoma, Washington and is married to the most extraordinary woman on the planet. Together they have 3 adult children and 5 grandchildren. He has been the lead pastor at CenterPoint Christian Fellowship in Tacoma since 2006.
Image by GrumpyBeere from Pixabay
Your Daily Encouragement 