v 57 “When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:”
v 60 “And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.” {Matthew 27:57 & 60}
Joseph of Arimathaea was a rich man according to the world, and must have known that he was coming to the end of his days on earth or he would not have commissioned a new grave hewn from a rock for as a youth or even a young to middle aged adult our thoughts are not on death and the grave, we think we’re invincible. Yet even as a disciple of Jesus he knew that all his riches were nothing compared to the riches of the man that he was laying in his tomb.
Something to think about; knowing what the Jews knew then, would you be willing to give up your grave to someone that you thought was the promised messiah, when all those around you are telling you that this was just another great rabbi but not the messiah, the son of God, or can you believe and trust on this “man” that you will be raised from the grave and given a new body and will have eternal life with him and His Father?
As Paul said I don’t know if I’ve attainted it yet but I continue to strive for the mark of the high calling. This is me in this day and age, I’m not even close to Paul but “I know I haven’t attainted it yet but I continue to strive for the mark of the high calling.“
Are you striving with me?
