JOY COMES IN THE MORNING

(Luke 23:50-56)
November 19, 2017

Read Luke 23:50-56 Things dont look so good, do they? The most
authoritative voice that ever walked on planet earth has been silenced. The
great miracles are now a distant memory. Death has ended the greatest life
ever lived. And God seems absolutely absent. Ever been there? But, Psa
30:5b: Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
God is not absent. In fact, even the miracles continue -- only now behind the
scenes -- miracles of providence. Behind the curtains, but visible to those who
will see, God still reigns.

Whats providence? God ruling thru everyday events. Providence is divine

intervention thru human decisions. So, while it appears Jesus is dead and
gone, He has actually rejoined the Father in heaven, directing events from
behind the scenes to a dramatic climax that reverberates to this day. Einstein
said, There are only 2 ways to live your life. One is to live as though
nothing is a miracle. The other is to live as though everything is a miracle.
Thats providence every human endeavor shaped by God for His greater
purpose. Jesus burial is a prime example.

I. The Prophetic Requirement

As Jesus commends His spirit to the Father, there is a problem -- no burial

plans. The warp speed with which He has gone from presumptive triumphant
Messiah to crucified criminal is mind-boggling. No ones thought of burial.
The Romans usually wouldnt release a criminal. Jewish leaders would have
dictated that a criminal crucified at their insistence be consigned to a common
pit in the Valley of Hinnom. All of that presented a problem for two reasons.

First, if Jesus were really Messiah, His death among criminals was okay --
prophesied. Isa 53:12c: because he poured out his soul to death and was
numbered with the transgressors. But burial was another matter. Isa 53:9:
And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death.
The grave of a rich man? How will that happen? And if any prophecy fails, the
jig is up. If God never lies (Titus 1:2), one failed prophecy topples the
whole Xn faith! One failure, and its all over. Thats problem number 1.

The second problem is while no one knows it yet, a resurrection is coming. It

will be the lynchpin for the whole gospel message. No death; no atonement.
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But no resurrection; no eternal life. I Cor 15:17: And if Christ has not been
raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. No resurrection, no
hope of redemption. But if Jesus is buried in a common grave or privately,
who is going to believe a resurrection story. There would be no way to verify
resurrection from any kind of common or private burial. Even if resurrection
happened, it would be uncertifiable. Thats a problem problem number 2.

Historically verifiable theological truth has always been uniquely at the core
of the Christian faith. Prof. Thomas Arnold, author of the 3-volume History
of Rome and the chair of modern history at Oxford, states the importance of
this: I have for many years studied the histories of other times, to weigh the
evidence, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is
proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, than the great sign which
God has given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead. He could
never have made that statement without a proper burial of Jesus. The church
would never have been born at all without a verifiably empty tomb! So as
Jesus breathed His last there was a problem no plans for a prophetic burial.

II. The Providential Response

So, Gods answer? A miraculous intervention through everyday events and

people. Into the limelight steps Joseph, from Arimathea a most interesting
man -- with a secret sidekick! What do we know of Joseph? Hes rich. Mt
27:57: When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named
Joseph. So a rich man is needed and out of the blue God sends a rich man!
Providence! Better yet, hes a rich man with a grave site. Mt 27:60: Joseph
had his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. Perhaps hes getting
older, but for whatever reason, hes got a ready-made tomb. Providence! But
it gets even better. Jn 19:41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was
a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.
Out of the blue, heres Joseph, a rich man, with a gravesite already cut out,
never occupied, in the same garden where Jesus was crucified. Providence!

But it gets better yet! Lu 23:50b: He was a member of the council. But isnt
that a problem? It means Josephs a member of the Sanhedrin the Jewish
Supreme Court which tried Jesus, and insisted the Romans execute Him in a
unanimous decision: Mark 14:64: And they all condemned him as
deserving death. So why would Joseph help? Providence again! V. 51:
Joseph: had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking
for the kingdom of God. So the council unanimously condemned Jesus to
death but Joseph didnt concur was not there, so didnt vote.
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But just bc he didnt agree doesnt mean he will help, right? Yet watch! V.
50c, he was a good and righteous man. Good refers to his innate sense of
fairness and kindness a good guy. But righteous is something else. When the
Bible speaks of people being righteous, its never their own doing! God
defines righteousness as an imputed or credited characteristic of a believer.
This is made clear as early as Gen 15:6 when God says of Abraham: And he
believed the LORD, and he counted [credited] it to him as righteousness.
Abes righteousness didnt come from him; it was credited to him by faith.

Righteousness is not a quality we merit; not an inward result of our goodness.

Its a gift! Luther called it eustisium alien, an alien righteousness a foreign
righteousness, one that is extra nos from outside us. It is the righteousness
of Christ given to cover my own unrighteousness. Luke hints at this. In Lu
23:47 the centurion calls Jesus innocent. Except the word is actually
righteous. Then he uses the same word to describe Joseph in v. 50.
Both are righteous. But theres a difference. Jesus is righteous by nature;
Joseph is righteous by grace. In calling Joseph righteous, Luke is telling us
hes a believer a good and righteous man in the Sanhedrin! Providence!

But theres still a problem. Jn 19:38: Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but
secretly for fear of the Jews. Josephs an undercover believer! And if hes
keeping his faith a secret before Jesus died, why expose himself afterward?!
Thered be no point. Its over. But -- Providence! Tho Josephs hopes are
crushed, God moves in his heart to reveal his faith, claim Jesus body and
bury Him. He even brings his more famous sidekick with him. Jn 19:38 After
these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for
fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and
Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body.
39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night. Amazing! God

had 2 secret moles inside the Sanhedrin. And now, when they have the most
reason to fear, Joseph courageously asks Pilate for Jesus body and He gets
it! Whats happened? Providence! God moved him to take a stand just when
all seemed lost. God knew what Joseph and Nic didnt. All was not lost.
Victory was just around the corner, and they were about to play a critical role.

Arent you glad God uses flawed instruments? Arent you glad even a fearful
faith can be a genuine faith? God doesnt want us to live in the closet. But
when we see how the disciples ran when the chips were down how Peter
denied his Lord out of fear, how Joseph and Nicodemus lived lives of covert
faith for a time, doesnt it give us hope? We cant live in undercover forever,
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Beloved. Paul says in II Cor 13:5: Examine yourselves, to see whether you
are in the faith. How can we do that? Jesus gives the greatest answer of all in
Mt 10:33: but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my
Father who is in heaven. Is that the Word that got to Joseph? We dont know,
but somehow God prompted him to take his stand when the odds were all
against him, and here he came to claim and bury the body of the Lord.

God uses imperfect people. You dont need all the answers. Flaws must not
stop us. God uses imperfect people. Like the help-wanted ad in the Miami, OK
News-Record: Bartender-Waitress. We need honest, sober, reliable help.
Would settle for any two of the 3. Like God -- not looking for perfect;
looking for available. Not flawless, but genuine. II Cor 12:9? My grace is
sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Our weakness
can be Gods showcase, He uses flawed but growing people. Thats no excuse
for not growing. But we wont make perfection in this life. So, dont let flaws
or past failure stop you. Get in the game, even if it looks hopeless. Have faith!

Theres a story about a meeting of 2 of Gods choice servants. D. L. Moody

was preaching in London and wanted to meet his hero, Spurgeon. He found
the house and knocked on the door in great anticipation. Spurgeon answered
complete with the large black cigar he often smoked! Taken aback, Moody
asked, How can a servant of the Lord and smoke that cigar? Spurgeon
poked his hand into Moodys ample midsection and asked, And why are you
so fat? Listen, God uses us, flaws and all. Move out and you will find like
Joseph and Nicodemus, faith exercised becomes faith growing. God used
their anxious faith to fulfill His own Word and get Jesus buried. Providence!

III. The Preparatory Reaction

55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the
tomb and how his body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices
and ointments. Throwaway info? No -- providence preparing the greatest
discovery in history. Background: Jesus is on the cross until 3:00 on Friday
afternoon. Sabbath begins at 6:00. For Jews new days started at 6:00, not at
midnight. Joseph and Nic had 2-3 hours to claim Jesus body, prepare and bury
it. 53 Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a
tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. Jn 19:39b tells us
Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds
in weight, an amount fit for a king wrapped in a linen shroud around Jesus.

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But there was no time to anoint the body and add other spices. The body had
to be in the tomb prior to 6:00. So according to Mt 27:61 and Mark 15:47, at
least two of of the women, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, mother of
Jas the Less and Joses, followed to see exactly where the tomb was. Its a
critical point because Mark 16:1 informs us these two women went to buy
additional spices when the Sabbath was over after 6:00 on Saturday. Then
next morning, while it was still dark, these two and others, came to finish the
burial process. But they had a concern. Mark 16:3: And they were saying to
one another, Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the
tomb? They knew the tomb, the seal and the difficulty of the stone.

What they found, of course, was the most stupendous discovery in history.
They found the stone already rolled away; they found an empty tomb; and
they found a living Lord. Now think about the providence involved in that.
Had they not been rushed on Friday night, burial preparation would have
been complete. But they were not. Had these women not determined to finish
the job, whod have come on Sunday morning? The disciples certainly werent
coming, and neither would anyone else. Thered have been no reason. Without
all these details occurring just as they did, one of the great evidences for the
truth of Jesus resurrection would have been lost. What evidence is that? The
fact that women were the first to find the empty tomb.

Why is that important? Because women were considered unreliable as

witnesses in that culture. They were not even allowed to give testimony in
court. Luke 24:11 tells us that when the women came with their story, even to
the disciples, these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not
believe them. So, if you were making all of this up, as some claim happened,
you would never put women at the center of the discovery. Yet all 4 gospels
give the women center stage for this event when writing about it later. Why?
Because thats the way it really happened. Bc its true! It really happened.
Even the womens preparation of further spices for anointing the Lords body
was part of Gods providence -- preparing irrefutable evidence of the greatest
event in human history for those who would believe.

Conc We serve a great God, Beloved. Hes either active in every detail of
our lives, or He is not on the throne at all. Eph 1:11 assures us In him we
have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the
purpose of him who works ALL things according to the counsel of his will.
That doesnt always guarantee a great result humanly speaking. When OT
Joseph was sold into Egyptian slavery by his own brothers, it probably didnt
feel like Gods providence. Later when he was thrown into prison for doing
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the right thing and rejecting the illicit advances of his masters wife, it
probably didnt feel like Gods providence. And when the cupbearer whom
he helped left him to rot in prison, it probably didnt feel like Gods
providence. But remember what he later told his brothers about their evil
intentions? Gen 50:20: As for you, you meant evil against me, but God
meant it for good. God always means it for good. Trust Him. Gods knows
what Hes about. And the miracles of providence are everywhere, every day.

Joseph Bayly and his wife lost a child to leukemia at age 5 one of 3 children
they lost before the age of 18. Someone asked him shortly afterward how he
would feel if a cure for leukemia were suddenly found. He replied, I am
convinced that God decides the issues of life and death. I knew a doctor
once who administered a several-times-lethal dose of morphine to a severely
damaged infant and the infant did not die. I think God did not want it to
die. If a cure for leukemia were found, Id be thankful, but would be
irrelevant to the death of my son. God determined to take him to His home
at the age of five; the means was incidental. Providence doesnt always
guarantee a good human result! One lives who should not; another dies
whom we want to live. But providence guarantees that ultimate good will
always result; Gods will cannot be thwarted. Resurrection is just around the
corner if not in this life, then in the next.

Wm. Cowper said it like this after unsuccessfully trying to take his own life 3
different times: God moves in a mysterious way, / His wonders to perform: /
He plants His footsteps in the sea, / And rides upon the storm. I dont know
what your challenge is today. But if the Savior seems absent, hang on.
Whoever God has put into your life whatever parents; whatever children;
whatever acquaintances; Hes done it for your good. Whatever circumstances
for your good. Trust Him alone. Youll find what Joseph and these women
found: Psa 30:5b: Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the
morning. Providence guarantees it. Lets pray.