Living With Anticipation

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE

LIVING WITH ANTICIPATION

Luke 23:50-56

50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. 54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. 55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

NIV

If it was high noon when dark fell upon the earth for the sun failed to shine, and both Matthew and Mark indicate it was when evening came that Joseph of Arimathea came to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus it would have meant it was just before six just before the sun was about to set, which would be the beginning of the Sabbath, Sunset to Sunset. We cannot be sure, but when Jesus committed his spirit to God and breathed his last, was it at high noon, the sixth hour, so it could have been several hours before Joseph was able to take his body down. But because this was before sunset, Jesus was in the tomb on preparation day. This is important because the three days in the tomb must be fulfilled. However, the story here is about Joseph from the town of Arimathea. Here is a man who was a member of the council, and we are told he was a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He was waiting for the kingdom of God. We wonder if he thought like many of the Jews, including the disciples, that Jesus was going to start the kingdom of God by overthrowing the Roman occupying army and reestablishing their Jewish customs, becoming their king. Perhaps Joseph did grasp the spiritual idea of the kingdom of God as some of the disciples may have. It is difficult to know exactly what was on their minds for we are not told specifically what they were thinking. Yet, Joseph was waiting for the kingdom of God. This is the lesson we should take away from this narrative. Living in anticipation of the kingdom of God. Sometimes, because it is easy, we can get distracted by all the things in this life. We have goals, and ambitions that we would like to see happen. We want certain things in this life, either a new this or a newer that, or a better this, or updated whatever. Of course, we should be good stewards of what God has blessed us with, but we should not think those things are anything but temporary, for we are waiting for the kingdom of God. In one sense, the kingdom is already here, for it is within us. We are already citizens of the kingdom, having abdicated our citizenship in this world. We no longer live according to the laws of the world for we live according to what Jesus established. We live because we have faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Because we have been given the right to be called children of God, and are told the just will live by faith, we believe God will provide all we need. Yet, at the same time, we are waiting for the kingdom of God. We are waiting for the day when either Jesus returns for us before we take our last breath, or the day of our resurrection to live forever in the kingdom of God with Jesus. Either way, we live in anticipation of the kingdom of God.