Title: He Is also a Disciple of Jesus
It is unwelcome for anyone to touch a dead body and go to a portrait house. That's why it's called ugly. Even if it is the same food, the food at the feast house is delicious, but the food at the portrait house is not so delicious. If possible, they say that they have eaten, and these days, they say that they do not have a taste for rice. It's because I don't like to treat the table for a bad house, bad things. But a man who was not a disciple offered the Lord a new tomb he had prepared to go in and rest. This man who served the Lord was a man of Arimathea, and it was ‘Joseph of Arimathea,’ a member of the Sanhedrin council.
According to Jewish custom, crucifixion requires the body to be removed quickly before sunset. However, according to Roman custom, the bodies of executed prisoners are left alone rather than removed quickly. People passing by look at me and say, 'Oh, be scared. In order to receive the lesson that this is what happens when you commit a sin, even if the crows come and eat your eyes and become infested with rotten flesh and maggots, they are left alone.
When I was a child, red people often came down to my hometown at night. They slaughtered Yangmin, looted grain, and set fire. One time I caught rednecks. Before the Lunar New Year, there were about 12 people. The heads of all 12 people were cut off and only their heads were placed on the red bricks in the square in front of the police station, where many people pass. I was so so so scared that it appeared in my dreams and I had no appetite and was nauseated. Since then, I have been trembling at the thought that if I communicate with the Communist Party, work as a gangster, or serve as their servant, I will receive such a terrible punishment.
Even in Roman times, prisoners were left crucified to set an example for the general public. Jesus was also crucified, and for days or even months, he was crucified and rotting on a wooden frame.
This Arimatheaian Joseph is a member of the council, a good and righteous man. This man said that the resolutions and actions of the council were not the same.
Think of the Sanhedrin as the National Assembly of our country. When the matter was brought to the Sanhedrin Council, everyone else agreed to grant permission and execute him, but this Joseph of Arimathea did not agree. I said 'no' instead of 'permit'. He is a man of faith and integrity.
Even in Korea, in the 4th and 5th years, when a high-ranking person asks you to pass it, you have to let it pass based on the atmosphere. If you said 'no', how could you stay there?
So, we often saw him take off his robes and live as a savage in the wilderness, and as the locals respected him and honored him, he returned to the National Assembly. There were many such cases when the Yushin Constitution was passed before.
Joseph of Arimathea threw the buoy into the council, but after Jesus was crucified, he went to Pilate and boldly demanded, “Give me the body.” Without the courage of faith, it is impossible to dare to do it. He went boldly to claim the body and put it in his newly dug tomb. Moreover, Pilate meekly said, “Give.” If you look at this, you can see how much this Joseph of Arimathea lived with virtue and virtue at that time.
Today, our religious life must be virtuous. Some people seem to believe in Jesus very well. I am good at evangelism, praying, singing, and giving, I am good at Holy Week, and I am good at church work, but I am lacking in virtue. It would not be an exaggeration to say that we are all like that. We must learn virtue from this Joseph of Arimathea.
The physiology of politics is to step on, ignore, and frame others and rise above them. Despite these circumstances, Joseph of Arimathea had virtue. Everyone, I hope you do not believe in Jesus as knowledge but believe in virtue. A virtuous person is mild in family life, friendly with brothers, and good with friends.
About this Joseph of Arimathea, the Bible records that ‘he was also a disciple of Jesus’. I know the 12 disciples of Jesus. After the death of Judas Iscariot, Matthias was chosen to be one of the 12 disciples.
However, in addition to the 12 others, this Joseph of Arimathea also raised his status as his disciple.
When we say ‘he is also a disciple of Jesus’, we are referring to a position of respect that has greatly elevated the status of being a disciple of Jesus. For example, when we say, ‘Is he also a disciple of Jesus?’, it has the same meaning as saying, “No, is that person also a disciple of Jesus?” when referring to a person who does not have the dignity of a disciple of Jesus. However, the expression ‘he is also a disciple of Jesus’ has the meaning of expressing his discipleship in his character, work, and interpersonal relationships.
In the Old Testament, King Saul went to the store manager to kill David and tried to get a secret. So he himself put on clothes, took off his clothes, prophesied, and danced. So, in the Bible, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" I have something to say. This means that the prophetic quality is lowered. If you are a king, then you are a king and prophesy as if you were a prophet. It means that you do not have the qualifications to be a prophet.
Let us apply this saying, ‘He was also a disciple of Jesus’.
I have to be a person who deserves this kind of atmosphere and this kind of treatment,
If any one person is questioning his tone like this, it makes Jesus' position difficult.
Passing Yongsan Station and going to the banks of the Han River in Seobu Ichon-dong, there is a site for the martyrdom of Catholics called Saenamteo. Father Dae-Gon Kim was beheaded there. At that time, the atmosphere in this country was great. The security for the beheading site was also great, because if Catholics were publicly beheaded, this might cause Catholics to rise and throw the country into chaos. So, he quietly killed him and made the security tight.
However, one of the police officers left Father Kim Dae-geon's severed head as it was, rolled up her body in a bale, pretended to be a peddler, and ran off at night to Yongin, Gyeonggi-do. When I visited the tomb of Father Kim Dae-geon, the mountain was rough and it was not readily visible like a basin, and it was buried there.
People usually raise their voices to show respect for good things. But it's usually not hard to roll your arms around a difficult task. Especially if it's not your business. Jesus was crucified by the heinous men, and the disciples were scattered. In such a situation, Joseph of Arimathea threw a buoy during the last parliamentary session and proudly said, "Give me the body." Then he said, "Give it to me" without saying anything.
Then, when Joseph of Arimathea decided so and put it into practice, did he do it alone? Probably not. First, the closest wife would have agreed. If the wife had said no, it might not have been possible. Even in faith, the couple were of one heart.
We talked enough beforehand and prayed with tears of blood, so the family members and maybe even some residents would agree. Not only the family members, but also some residents would have agreed. So, with them, Jesus' body was carefully gathered, wrapped in clean linen cloths, and buried in a new tomb in a rock that he had prepared for his own use. There is a saying in Proverbs, "The heart of the wiser than a house of feast goes to a house of portraits." It's a good thing to help with the dirty work.
Everyone, let's step up and help out when our neighbors are having a hard time.
Don't ask for an immediate reward. However, 10 years later, 20 years later, or even decades later, the fruits of the fruit will be plentiful without even realizing it.
In Philippians 1, Paul said of Philip, “I am my servant.” You don't know what a blessing it is to be called this henchman. In Acts 13:22, it says, "I found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart." He is a person who is pleasing to God.
It is good to carry many positions in the world and use any plausible title, but the best titles are ‘A man after God’s own heart’, ‘I am my servant’, and ‘He is also a disciple of Jesus’. In this way, on the occasion of Palm Sunday, I bless you in the name of the Lord to become members of our Senate Church who receive the Lord's approval. Amen. (1991.7.14)