GodReflection: God Breaks In Monday

He paid cash. He was rich. Judged by what little I know about him goodness sounded from his heartbeat. He too followed Jesus. Luke describes him as “good and upright.”

Unique to his discipleship Joseph was a prominent member of the Council of Priest—the very group that took the lead in Jesus execution.

His discipleship was his personal secret. He feared the Jews too much to disclose his heart. He anxiously awaited the kingdom of God.

However, in the motion on Jesus death Joseph’s vote was nay. The nays lost. From the gospel story, I suspect that a Jewish leader named Nicodemus voted with the side that lost. Were they the only two negative votes? The minutes might have read, “The yeas have it. Nays 2, yeas are the majority.”

Prior to the crucifixion event, Joseph carefully selected the location for his own burial. Within a garden stood a rocky knoll—a perfect place to carve his tomb. At the time, not once did it cross his mind that God would enter this very tomb to conquer death.

Courageously, Joseph went to Pilate the Roman governor—the very man who handed Jesus over to the Jews for their deadly work. Joseph made a bold request. He asked permission to take Jesus from the cross for burial.

With the help of Nicodemus, they prepared the body. The two worked to wrap seventy-five pounds of spices within linen strips around Jesus prior to placing him in Joseph’s tomb. Gently, they placed a cloth across the teacher’s face.

I would love to know the content of their conversation. Perhaps, they worked in complete silence as they processed their own disappointment in lost hope and a dead Messiah in whom they placed their expectation.

With their unenviable task complete, Joseph and Nicodemus rolled the stone to cover the once open tomb. Cavernous darkness remained inside.

Hope was dead. The stone sealed it behind the entryway.

The Light lay dead. Hope lay in blackness. The two rich men knew it was over. Only death resided inside the dark hole.

A dense dark cloud of grief and disappointment covered every disciple who had listened to Jesus and believed. They were wrong in giving their devotion. Death won. Hope was dead.

Friday and Saturday came and went. Not one Jesus follower would have guessed in their wildest imagination the turn of events to take place Sunday.

Then it happened.

God breaks into death and resurrects life.

Light ignites from total darkness. Hope breaks through the cave opening.

The stone rolled back to expose a live man ready to exit. The Messiah lives.

His resurrection is eternal.

God breaks in and issues death the sentence of death. Death will never again be eternal for God’s renewed creation. For the present it’s only power over believers is temporary separation.

The gospel is possible because God broke into death. The gospel is never a system. The definition of gospel is Jesus resurrection. It resurrects light, hope, and life.

Resurrection awaits me because God broke into death and raised Jesus to life.

Stay tuned.

Dr. Gary J. Sorrells – A GodReflection on God Breaks Into Death.

Gary@Godreflection.org     www.MakeYourVisionGoViral.com