Have you heard a rich person cannot be a follower of Jesus? Or have you heard it is hard for a rich person to follow Him? Is it a reason for you to dislike rich people? Have you known someone who is rich and is a disciple?
Yesterday, we saw that Jesus said it was hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yet Jesus did not say it was impossible. It is a matter of attitude in the person. Many rich people worship money rather than Jesus.
Today, we see there was at least one rich man who was a disciple of Jesus. Joseph, though we are not told much about him, had evidently been a follower of Jesus for some time. He was known by Matthew. He likely had heard Jesus speak on several occasions. He believed Jesus was the Messiah.
I’m sure Joseph was as confused as the apostles when Jesus died. He may have even wondered if he had mistakenly put his trust in Jesus on the day of the crucifixion. At a minimum, he held Jesus in high enough esteem to give him a proper burial, using his own tomb, one he had recently carved out of the rock.
Joseph, though rich, had made following Jesus a priority. He was willing to pay for a new tomb to be carved out for himself so he could bury Jesus in the tomb he had recently carved out. We might jadedly think Joseph could afford it. Yes, he could. But he also put Jesus higher on his priority list than his money. Even those of us who are not rich can learn this lesson from Joseph.
I pray we all make Jesus our top priority. I pray we are willing to sacrifice of ourselves for Him. I pray each one of us will set aside our money and time to be followers of Jesus. Make Jesus your priority. Be willing to sacrifice for Him. Designate a portion of your money for Him. Set aside time to spend with Him.
Matthew 27:57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus.
Marty Pressey 