IT WAS JUST AN IDEA

 When I was on staff in the Roaring Branch Youth With A Mission (YWAM) base, one of our regular speakers was Dr. Fount Shultz.  He gave us an exercise once, to put ourselves into something recorded in the Bible and write it up.  Even though I wasn't a student, I enjoyed doing most of the assignments.  I decided to be Joseph of Arimathea on the way to asking Pilate for the body of Jesus.  The following was my write-up:

    Anger!  Anger at the persecutors.  They betrayed His virtue, they betrayed my friendship, they betrayed the public trust, and they broke the law!

   They tried Him by night, they accepted contradictory testimony, and they even made Him testify against Himself!  My brothers, do you know what you've done? 

     Anger!  Anger at the crowds, the fickle crowds.  They joined ranks against Him earlier.  He gave them so much!  Bartimaeus was there, angry because the miracle that gave him his sight took away his right to beg, and he blamed Jesus, as if He'd done something cruel to him!  And so many others.  Fickle, cruel mob!  God's elect!

    Anger!  Ager even at the Victim.  Why didn't He do something?  Why didn't He say something?  He just let this happen to Him, and He didn't have to!  I don't understand His cooperation with His own death.

      Anger!  Anger at myself.  My heart was with Him, but I was weak and compromising, unwilling to leave my righteous comfort zone.  Anger at my silence.  You old, useless fool, Joseph!  You betrayed Him as surely as Judas; you denied Him as surely as Peter!

    Anger!  Nameless, aimless anger!  Wel, I won't join the ranks of those who've deserted Him anymore.  I don't care that it's too late.  I don't care how hopeless it is.  I will stand with Him and for Him now.  But it's too late, too late...

    No!  I will stand with Him!  Let the Sanhedrin do what it will, let Rome rage, I won't deny Him with silence anymore.

    Now, now that all His friends have left and even His life is gone, I'll stand with Him.

    *********************************************************************************

    Joseph didn't know most of what we know.  He didn't know that Jesus would rise from death, never to die again.  He didn't know that this was God's plan from before time.  But he was willing to stand with the Lord Jesus, alone and publicly.  

    And what about us, on the other side of the Resurrection and Pentecost? 


    I later incorporated this as an example of a monolog in this book:

 


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