Sermon Tone Analysis

By Pastor Glenn Pease

A fireman who was half dead from exhaustion and smoke inhalation, with face dirty and uniform covered with grime, staggers past the crowd and is almost deafened by their shouts and cheers for him.

He has just come from a burning building where, at the risk of his life, he climbed to the third story and rescued a trapped child.

The crowd watched breathlessly as he walked along the ledge of the building with his precious burden, and finally managed to get back to the ladder and down to safety.

The crowd cheered this man more now than they ever thought of doing on the day of the firemen's parade.

He marched by then in his freshly cleaned uniform with all the buttons shined.

It is obvious why.

Even though he was more presentable marching in a parade, that was only a superficial duty of a fireman, but now they had just witnessed his sacrificial duty.

He had risked his life, and the awful appearance which he now exhibited was the result of his willingness to perform the hardest, highest, and most sacrificial duty of a fireman.

This called for cheers and praise.

We would think people mad if they thought more of him all spic and span marching in the parade than they thought of him now.

Yet, it is just this very thing that happened in the last week of the life of Christ.

On Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem the crowds cheered him and honored Him like a king.

A few days later when He hung on the cross they mocked Him.

This was as foolish as mocking the fireman for saving the child.

Couldn't they see that the triumphal entry was only the parade, but the cross was the real victory?

Here was the king on His throne doing the real and sacrificial duty He came into the world to do.

It was on the cross that He was at His best.

He came to give His life a ransom for many, and now as he fulfills this greatest and most sacrificial duty of all time, the cheering crowds have become the cruel crowds.

They were blind, and they missed the meaning of it all.

What was obvious in the case of the fireman is just the opposite here, but we want to consider the happy fact that not everyone missed it.

The Bible tells us of several who were deeply moved by the death of Christ.

We have the Roman Centurion, Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus.

We want to focus on Joseph, for he was the first Christian man we know of who was so moved by the cross that he made an all out commitment of his life.

We want to consider his experience in two stages.

I. HIS COWARDICE BEFORE THE CROSS.

v. 43

Simon of Cyrene, the penitent thief, and the Roman Centurion, all found Christ at the cross, and they could sing as a trio, "At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light."

This was not the case with Joseph of Arimathea.

Matthew and John both tell us that he was already a disciple of Christ, but John adds, "But secretly for fear of the Jews."

It was not at the cross where Joseph first saw the light, but it was there that the light penetrated deep into his heart, and compelled him to come out into the light of open commitment.

Where was Joseph before the cross?

Why don't we hear of him until now?

It was because Joseph was one of those men who wanted to eat his cake and have it too.

He and Nicodemus were both members of the Sanhedrin, the highest ruling body among the Jews.

Most of the followers of Jesus were from the common people.

His chosen disciples were mostly uneducated fishermen.

You certainly would not expect a man of his standing to come out in an open declaration of his belief in Christ.

Just about everyone in his circle of high society was opposed to this Galilean upstart who taught with more authority than they did.

It was too risky to operate in the open, and so Joseph decided he would be a secret disciple.

He, no doubt, had all kinds of good reasons why this would be best, such as, I'll be more influence in this position of power; I'll be able to be a silent witness among the elite, the up and outers.

John tells us the real reason: He was just plain scared.

Nothing is so hard as going against the group.

Joseph was not alone.

There were others who were afraid to risk their position and reputation by making an open stand.

In John 12:42-43 we read, "Nevertheless, many even of the leaders believed in Him but, due to the Pharisees, failed to confess it so they might not be put out of the synagogue, for they preferred men's esteem to divine approval."

Jesus had good cause for saying, "He who denies Me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."

The fear of what others think is a powerful force in controlling our conduct.

A group of boys from good American families broke over 300 windows in a new school building.

A famous psychologist was called in to interview each boy separately, and he found that not one approved of the conduct of the group.

Each thought that they were the only one who didn't want to do it, but no one was willing to voice his opinion.

They were all afraid of what the others would think.

All it would have taken is for one with enough sense to call the whole plan a stupid idea.

He would have been a welcome leader, and could have prevented the whole thing, but they were all secret disciples of what they knew to be right.

A secret disciple is about as useless as a rubber crutch.

Nicodemus and Joseph both made weak attempts to do something for Jesus.

Nicodemus on one occasion said to the Sanhedrin, "Does our law condemn a man without a trial?"

Luke tells us Joseph did not consent to the decision to condemn Jesus.

He didn't consent, but he didn't fight it either.

He was neutral, but to be neutral and silent in the presence of sin is to condone the sin.

Someone said, "All it takes for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing."

If he would have risen to the defense of Jesus along with Nicodemus, and other leaders who believed, they could have prevented all the injustice and cruelty Jesus had to suffer, but he remained a secret disciple and a cowardly Christian.

Secret discipleship is a sad development in the life of many a believer.

The idea of being a silent witness with your life, without speaking up for Christ, is being shattered these days.

It is a fine idea, but it just doesn't work as a major method.

Luke tells us that Joseph was a good and righteous man, but that did not do a thing for Christ as long as he was a silent and secret disciple.

To be a silent witness is the hard way, and it leads to all sorts of complications.

The man who comes right out and lets others know where he stands finds it much easier to live an effective Christian life.

Once you make your stand the world expects you to be Christian in your conduct, but until they know they assume you are like them.

The secret disciple has to constantly make excuses for why he does not live like the world.

When asked to go to a night club, he has to say he is tired, or has other plans.

When asked to play golf on Sunday morning, he has to explain that his wife wants him to go to church, or that he would rather play on Saturday.

He has to laugh at their dirty jokes or they will get suspicious.

When are we going to learn that the best defense is our offense?

The world shrinks in weakness before the man or woman who takes a solid stand for Christ, and for what is right.

Even the conscience of the unbeliever is on our side.

No one ever took a fort by hiding in the woods.

You have to attack to take it.

Like a mighty army moves the church of God; the gates of hell cannot stop it.

Secret disciples like Joseph are of no help in the battle.

Maybe they are not helping the enemy hold up the gate, but neither are they doing anything to beat it down.

That is why it is a delight to see what happened to Joseph at the cross.

II.

HIS COMMITMENT BENEATH THE CROSS.

v. 43

What a sudden change came over Joseph.

When Jesus was popular and the crowds cheered him, he was cowardly, but now when it appears that there is nothing but defeat and utter ruin of all the Lord's plans, he becomes courageous.

When Jesus was performing miracles, healing the blind, and raising the dead, he was afraid to come out into the open.

But now when all his disciples have fled, and he is a picture of complete helplessness and weakness, he boldly goes to Pilate and asks for the body of Christ, and thereby proclaims to the world that he is a follower of this man.

This took more courage then we realize.

The Roman practice was to dishonor the bodies of criminals who were crucified.

They would let the dogs and birds consume them, or burn them, or throw them in a ditch.

For Joseph to go and request the body of Jesus for decent burial was as much as saying, "I think you crucified an innocent man.

You did wrong to kill him."

It was fortunate for him that Pilate felt guilty, and was glad to grant his wish as another act to ease his conscience.

Eusebius, the ancient church historian, tells us that when the Presbyter Pamphylius of Cesarea was sentenced to martyrdom in 309 A. D., his young slave Porphyrius requested that he might be allowed to bury the body.

The judge was infuriated and condemned him to be tortured at the stake.

Joseph not only risked his life because of Pilate, but because of the Sanhedrin.

What would they do when they heard what he had done to the one they had so despised?

At best he would be cursed and ostracized from office.