Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council, but he had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other religious leaders. He was from the town of Arimathea in Judea, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come.

Luke 23:50

After Jesus died on the cross, a man named Joseph came forward to bury his body. The Romans often left crucified corpses out so that they might be further dishonored by being consumed by animals. But Joseph wanted to be sure that Jesus had a proper burial.

We don’t know much about Joseph. Luke tells us that he was a “good and righteous man” (23:50). Matthew adds that he was “rich” (Matt. 27:57). Both Matthew and John identify Joseph as a follower of Jesus (Matt. 27:57; John 19:38). All four Gospels note that he was from the town of Arimathea, a small village in Judea. It’s likely that he had settled in Jerusalem, where, as a man of means, he owned a home with a garden in which a tomb had been carved into the rock. Joseph had intended this tomb for his own burial (Matt. 27:60).

Perhaps the most surprising fact about Joseph was that he was a member of “the Jewish high council,” that is, the Sanhedrin (23:50). This included many of the Jewish leaders who had instigated the plot that led to Jesus’ death. Yet, as Luke notes, Joseph “had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other religious leaders” (23:51).

To this point, I have neglected what the title of this reflection promised: “Advent in the Passion Narrative.” We find it in one of Luke’s details concerning Joseph: “he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come” (23:51). The verb translated here as “waiting” can also mean “welcoming” or “looking forward to.” It suggests an eagerness to receive the kingdom of God. The form of the verb emphasizes the ongoing duration of Joseph’s expectation. He was waiting and waiting and waiting for the kingdom.

Now you see the connection to Advent. This season of the Christian year emphasizes waiting, hoping, longing. We put ourselves back into the place of people like Joseph of Arimathea and imagine what it was like for him to wait for the kingdom. And we get in touch with our own waiting for Christ to come again, when he will establish the kingdom in all of its fullness. We long for the day when God will reign over every facet of life, when the hungry will be fed, when violence will be abated, and when all people will flourish in the shalom of God.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: Are you like Joseph of Arimathea? Are you waiting for the kingdom of God? What aspects of God’s future kingdom are most attractive to you?

PRAYER: Thank you, gracious God, for the faithfulness of Joseph of Arimathea. Though we don’t know much about him, we see his commitment to Jesus and are thankful for the risk he took in order to make sure Jesus was properly buried.

Today, I am particularly grateful for Joseph’s Advent mindset. He waited for your kingdom. He longed to welcome you as king. May I imitate Joseph during the season of Advent. May I also long for your kingdom. And may I welcome your kingdom even now as I seek to live under your reign in every part of life. Reign over me, Lord, at work, at home, in my relationships, in my finances, in my public life, and in private.

Thy kingdom come; thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

Advent in Us

“But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace” (1 Cor. 15:10).

The grace of God through Christ Jesus is not a passive presence in our lives. The grace of God is at work in us, building us up and moving us to action and growth, to good work and worship. Everything we accomplish and all we become is because of the grace of Christ. In this, the first week of Advent, let’s remember Advent in Us, the gift of grace through our Lord Jesus. Let’s consider ways to discover anew the work of grace in our work, our lives, and our relationship with God.

Featured image by Cindee Snider Re. Used with Permission. Source via Flickr.