What Am I Waiting For?

There's a story I've heard, and maybe you've heard variations of it, about a man in a rowboat who was sinking in flood waters, so he asked the Lord to come save him, and the Lord agreed.

Soon after this conversation between himself and God, two men in another boat rowed up beside him and told him to get into their boat. The man refused. "The Lord is going to save me," he explained. "We've already talked about it, and it's settled. But thank you for your trouble." 

So the two men rowed on, and the sinking man continued to wait for his salvation as the water level in his boat continued to rise. 

A little while later, a large yacht sailed by, and a man appeared at the deck railing with a round life-saver, which he tossed to the sinking man. The man shook his head and waved the boat away. "I'm waiting for the Lord to save me," he called. "It'll be very soon, you can be sure."

The man with the lifesaver pulled back his floatation device, and the yacht sailed away.

After awhile, the water was up to the man's lap, and it looked as though he really were going to go under, but the man's faith was strong, and he had heard the Lord agree to save him.

A helicopter flew overhead. The side hatch opened, and a rope ladder dropped down over the sinking boat. Someone leaned out from the chopper, motioning for the man to climb the ladder.

The man in the boat shook his head vigorously and waved the rope away. "The Lord is going to save me!" he shouted into the helicopter's roar.

At last the pilot gave up, lifted the ladder and flew away. 

The man in the boat drowned. When he arrived at the throne room of heaven and knelt before the Lord, he said, "Lord, we agreed that You were going to save me! What happened? I waited and waited, and I even witnessed three times to people that You would fulfill Your word."

The Lord said, "I did save you. Three times. But you sent my salvation away. You refused to open your eyes."

It's been a while since I originally heard that story, and maybe the version you've heard is different, but no matter what the version, it's the waiting that comes across.

John 19:38-42 introduces a new character we haven't met before in this gospel: a man named Joseph of Arimathea. Reading about him here, and in the other gospels, we learn several things in a short amount of time.

Joseph is a wealthy and influential man. He is a disciple of Jesus. He is a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin. He was not present in the Sanhedrin the night before. He is a friend of Nicodemus'. He is bold in the face of danger. He is quite possibly near death himself. He is known for waiting -- waiting for the kingdom of heaven.

All that in four verses, Tamara? Not just four; I looked in the other gospels, too. But it's true, there aren't many verses featuring Joseph of Arimathea. Within the few we've got, though, there is a wealth of information.

Joseph of Arimathea is not present the night of Jesus' "trial," (a loose term for such a misrepresentation of justice). Mark 14:64 says: "[The Sanhedrin] all condemned [Jesus] as worthy of death." Luke 23:51 says: "[Joseph] had not consented to [the Sanhedrin's] decision and action." Putting the two together = Joseph's absence from the travesty.

After Jesus' death on the cross, it becomes rapidly apparent that neither Jesus' mother nor his brothers (He's got at least four of them) intend to ask for Jesus' body from Pilate, as they have the right to do. The day of Preparation (Friday, the day before the Sabbath) is rapidly drawing to a close, and once the sun goes down, no one could take Jesus' body from the cross; to do so would have been breaking the Sabbath.

Why don't they ask for the body? I don't know; it's something I want to ask Jesus when I get to heaven. I suspect it's because his brothers still don't believe in Jesus, and it seems possible, in light of this, that there is some inter-familial conflict among brothers and Mary. Given the role of men and women in society at this time, it's possible that the brothers might not have allowed their mother to entreat Pilate for Jesus' body. All speculation, of course. There is some danger to be considered, as well, considering that all of Jesus' followers have fled and hid after his arrest (see Mark's feeling naked, and Peter's three-time denial that he is associated with Jesus). 

So, Joseph of Arimathea, secret disciple of Christ in the ranks of the Sanhedrin (John 19:38) steps up. Mark 15:43 tells us that he "goes boldly to Pilate and asks for Jesus' body." Pilate is shocked that Jesus is dead already; most victims of crucifixion take at least one day, and sometimes two or three days, to die. It's why the thieves on either side of Jesus have their legs broken after a while -- to speed up the process. Once they can no longer put weight on their legs to push themselves up for air, they suffocate.

Once Pilate confirms with the centurion present at Jesus' death that he is indeed -- all dead (I will never not include a Princess Bride reference where there is opportunity) -- Pilate gives Joseph permission to take and bury the body. 

Joseph heads off with his co-conspirator Nicodemus and a seventy-five pound bag of myrrh and aloes to wrap up in the strip that will go around Jesus' body. They wind his body with the strips, pack in the scent and spices, and carry him to a nearby garden tomb -- one that happens to belong to Joseph of Arimathea, that he's had carved out of rock. This is what makes me think he must be near death -- he's already making his own burial preparations. It's possible he's a thirty-year-old whipper-snapper who just plans waaaay in advance. But if he's already having a tomb hewn out of rock, it's likely he's advancing in years.

Joseph and Nic finish their job by rolling a stone in front of the new tomb after they've put Jesus inside of it. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses are watching, so they know which tomb the body is in. They've got big plans to bring some more spices and perfumes after the Sabbath is over, which is why we're going to find them heading to the tomb early on Sunday morning. But that's still to come.

Joseph and Nic dust off their hands and head home to get ready for the Sabbath. Meanwhile, according to Matthew, on the Sabbath, chief priests and Pharisees head into the palace to see Pilate. "Sir," they say, "we remember that while He was still alive, that deceiver (!!! -- I'm sorry, but this is just... blasphemous, calling the Son of God the same name that the Lord has assigned to Satan himself. It's ironic that their charge against Jesus is blasphemy) said, 'After three days, I will rise again.' So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that He has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first." 

Pilate proves once again to be a political pawn. He's chosen his course, taken his path, decided that he will bow to the will of Jesus' accusers rather than face the wrath of Caesar, and he agrees. It's always easier to continue down a chosen path than it is to reverse course, isn't it? "'Take a guard,' he said. 'Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.' So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard" (Matthew 27:63-66).

That guard is important. It will stop the spread of rumors. No one gets by a posted Roman guard. The chief priests and the Pharisees are making very sure that Jesus stays dead. 

I love how the tables turn right on their oh-so-vigilant heads. But that's the story for tomorrow.

Joseph of Arimathea is the story for today. Mark and Luke both describe Joseph as "a man who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God." As Simeon waited in the temple courts of Jerusalem around the time of Jesus' birth for the "Consolation of Israel," so Joseph of Arimathea waits for the kingdom of heaven.

He would have known all about Jesus' teachings on the kingdom of heaven, having followed Him and been His disciple. He would have pursued His teachings, and Jesus hasn't been shy about talking about that kingdom. Matthew 13:24: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field." 13:31: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field." 13:33: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough." 13:44: "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field." 13:45: "The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls." 13:47: "The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish."

And then Jesus says (to Pilate in John 18:36): "My kingdom is not of this world."

Joseph is waiting for the kingdom that is from heaven. I think he already knows -- unlike many of his contemporaries -- that Jesus has not come to bring an earthly kingdom. I think he realizes that there's far more to this story than overturning the Roman subjugation of the Jews.

I think he becomes known to the disciples and maybe to a wider circle for his wisdom, his way of looking at this kingdom that is so different from most of the people Jesus teaches. He is waiting for the kingdom of heaven. 

Unlike the man in the rowboat, Joseph of Arimathea recognizes the end game before most of his peers. Maybe he doesn't see with crystal clarity what will happen on the third day, but maybe he does. Jesus has spoken of it, after all, but most of the disciples don't understand. "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." 

What if Joseph has been hovering near the back of his learned colleagues in the Sanhedrin, listening to those words and taking them to heart. Temple = Body. Raise it again = Resurrection. 

What is it about him that makes him known to the disciples for his label: "a man who was waiting for the kingdom of heaven"? Is he so fervently waiting, that he can't help talking about it constantly to Jesus' inner circle? 

May my fervor match his! What am I known for? If my life story were inscribed in two or three verses in a book of records somewhere, what would it say? "She was waiting for the kingdom of heaven."

I hope so.

Honestly, this is a good deal of speculation in this post; I recognize that. But I'd rather be like Joseph of Arimathea than like the man in the rowboat, who misses his salvation when it's right in front of him. I think Joseph recognizes his salvation. I think he's waiting in anticipation for Day #3, Sunday. 

We'll get to that day tomorrow.