Mosaic Devo

March 25th, 2018  

Devotional

“Mosaic: Relationships” - Matthew 27: 57-61 and John 15:15

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Monday: “Also a Disciple” -Matthew 27: 51

Joseph has a few different descriptors added to his name. First, we are told where he is from Arimathea. In other words, he wasn’t from around here. He wasn’t from Galilee or Jerusalem, yet he still heard the word that Jesus proclaimed and believed.

Next, we are told that he was a rich man. The disciples were not rich men. And even if by chance they had money before, they had been traveling with Jesus for the last several years, not working. They needed folks to believe in the message and ministry and come alongside them with support. Sometimes such support came from people like Mary and Martha in a place to stay or a meal to be shared. Sometimes it would come from people who financially supported them, like Joseph. His wealth in this statement is not seen as a hinderance, but as a blessing. Are we using our resources, however we may define them, to spread the good news of Jesus?

Lastly, we are told that he was also a disciple. Often we think that the twelve people that Jesus first called were the disciples, but really there were many disciples. Think of the scripture passage, however, where Jesus sent out seventy-two disciples two by two. There were many more followers of Jesus then the twelve who we refer to as the disciples, and Jospeh was one of them. Do we also consider ourselves to be disciples who go and proclaim the word of the Kingdom of God?

How do we use our riches to further the Kingdom of God?

What does being a disciple mean to you?

Prayer: God, we thank you for the example of Joseph in today’s scripture passage. May we too, find after our name one day the words, also a disciple of Jesus Christ. Help us to live our lives in such a way that honors your mercy and message and mission in this world. Amen. 

Tuesday: “He Went and Asked” - Matthew 27: 58

Let the setting and magnitude of today’s scripture verse sink in. Except for John who stayed with the women at the foot of the cross, all of the disciples have scattered. Some are dismayed. Some have flat out denied knowing Jesus. Others can’t stand to watch their Lord hang on the cross. They are not there.

Further, Jesus was just crucified for the message that Jesus has been teaching them as well. There is a palpable fear amongst the disciples that their fate may be the same as Jesus, that the next cross may bear their name. So they scatter.

But in the midst of that fear and horror, Joseph boldly goes to Pilate and asks for the body of Jesus. By this request, Pilate would surely know that Joseph followed Jesus. Yet, he did it any way out of respect for his Lord and Savior.

Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where it is a lot easier to pretend that we don’t know Jesus. In such times may we find the boldness of Jospeh to claim that we are a disciple of Jesus, no matter what. 

What do you think made Joseph ask for the body of Jesus? 

Why would Joseph risk so much in this passage?

Prayer: Lord, we confess, that sometimes it is easier to deny you then to follow you. It is at times easier to shrink from risks than to be bold. Yet, we ask today that you strengthen our hearts, so we can follow you and honor you, wherever you may lead. Amen. 

Wednesday: “ Laid Him in a Tomb” - James 2: 17

Jospeh knew that Jesus’s body needed to be tended to before evening, before the Sabbath came. So he took and laid Jesus in his tomb. It wasn’t just any tomb, however, it was a new tomb, hewn from rock.

It was not uncommon for a family to share a tomb, where the body of the deceased would lie for a year before it was moved to a new resting place. Yet, Joseph took not his family tomb, or a shared tomb, but his new tomb and gave it to his Savior, after wrapping his body in linen cloth. 

Joseph not only was brave on the day of Jesus’s death, he was also generous, giving something of precious value to Christ. What are we willing to offer Christ as a sign of our affection? It may not be something of numeric value, it may instead be the value of our time. Or our calendar. Or something else entirely. What are we willing to sacrifice to Christ as a precious gift?

What are you willing to offer to Christ?

What parts of your life and treasures are you not quite ready to hand over to the Savior?

Prayer: Lord, we know that you have given us many blessings and treasures in our life. We also know that we are sometimes prone to hoarding what we have been blessed with instead of freely sharing it. Forgive us, we pray, Precious Lord, and let us offer unto you our gifts and our very selves for your use. Amen. 

Thursday: “Opposite the Tomb” - Matthew 27: 61

Perhaps one of the saddest pieces of today’s scripture verse is the sense portrayed today. Mary and the other Mary have watched their Lord and Savior die. Watched the one who changed their lives be taken away for something that he did not do. Now, he is dead. Joseph, graciously, took the body away, and all they could do was sit opposite the tomb and watch. 

We all grieve in different ways. Some people cry. Some people, like Joseph, get to work with making sure the details are attended to. But other people simply go numb. I think Mary and Mary are numb. The tears have been cried and now all they can do is sit, stare, and watch. 

Sometimes in life, we also go numb. It is hard to process the pain and sadness that surrounds it. It is hard to know what to do next. We need margins in our life like this to grieve, however we may grieve, be it like Joseph or Mary and Mary. We need space in our life to lament that things are not as they should be. Space to simply sit in the silence.

How do you grieve?

How do you make space in your life for lament?

Prayer: Lord, today we want to take space to grieve. To say that things are not as they should be in this world. To lay down our weariness. As we grieve, may we feel your arms of mercy and comfort around us. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen. 

Friday: “Called You Friends” - John 15:15

The disciples have been following Jesus for three years - eating what he ate, resting where he rested, learning at the feet of their master, as they both listened to his teachings and then as he sent them out to go and do like wise. 

But now, as Jesus knows his death is approaching, he changes things. He says that they are not servants, where he is the master. Instead, they are friends. They have something deeper than a master-servant relationships because Jesus has shared with them all that he knows.

While there are praise songs that declare “I am a friend of God, He calls me friend”, it is something hard to wrap our mind around the fact that we truly are friends of God. That through Christ, we are not in a master-servant relationship, but something deeper. We are working together for the sake of the Kingdom of God. 

How would you describe what it means to be a friend?

What does it mean to be a friend of Christ?

Prayer: Lord, we know that we are not only your friend, but that you are the ultimate friend. You redeem our brownness and restore our lives. Thank you Lord, for drawing close to us, and loving us. Let us share this good news with others. Amen. 

Family Activity: Who is your best friend? What does it mean to be a good friend? How is Jesus our friend?