OFFERING - MATTHEW 27:57-66
57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:
58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
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.
61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.
62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,
63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.
64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.
65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.
66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch. KJV
In the Apostle's Matthew testimony of the burial of Jesus Christ we notice that Joseph of Arimathaea was rich according to verse 57. This would explain why he had the resources to give this type of "offering" unto the Lord Jesus. The Lord God is very knowledgeable about who can afford what. That is why it is foolish to extend your offerings beyond your level of income and/or tangible assets. Joseph had this on his heart because he could obey the prompting from the Holy Spirit to lay Jesus in his own personal tomb. In verse 58 we see that Joseph actually had to beg for the body of Jesus which means Joseph recognized the authority of the ruler and stayed submitted to Pilate’s decision. Thankful, Pilate gave consent to take the body of Jesus down from the cross. We firmly believe that God will give you favor with men when you need it to do His Will upon the earth. Joseph took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, which speaks to us about the priesthood of Jesus. The Jewish priest were always dressed in clean linen clothes when entering into the Holy Sanctuary of God to fulfill their priestly duties.-Refer to Exodus 39:27-29 Since Jesus was about to go into the presence of God after He was raised from the dead this linen dressing was a perfect type of God's righteousness. It is very interesting that Joseph laid Jesus in his own new tomb that was hewn out of a rock because we all know that Jesus came into the earth with a humble beginning, but His last day on the earth as a man he was buried like a rich man. Although, the Lord bare the curse of poverty (2 Corinthians 8:9) for us His burial site still represented wealth and prosperity. It was symbolic for Christ to be placed inside of a rock because we all know Jesus is the Rock of our Salvation. Joseph exerted great effort to wrap-up Jesus, lay Him in the tomb and then to roll the great stone upon the entrance of the sepulchre. Verse 60 states that after Joseph had faithfully given his offering to Lord in the preparation of Jesus body and the gift of the sepulchre he departed. This reminds us to only do what we believe in our heart that we should do according to our ability. Your gift unto God is accepted according to what you have (what you can give), not according to what you have not (your offering should not be based upon future money). Joseph had a specific part that only he could do, so when he accomplished his portion of ministry he could walk away from his “offering” with a clear conscious. We can be sure that Joseph did not know how many millions upon millions would be blessed by the story of his offering but God knew Joseph would be faithful to complete the task in excellence. This demonstration of love, good works and offerings reminds us to always do our best because we don't know when we could be used as an example in the Kingdom of God. We learn in verse 61 that word travels fast because both Mary's were already at the sepulchre apparently that same night. They represent the faithful Disciples of Christ that will be with Him no matter what His present condition. Since they consistently enjoyed close fellowship with Jesus even death could not brake their bond. However the next date according to verse 62 the chief priest and the Pharisee who did not enjoy the fellowship of Jesus went to Pilate in an attempt to discredit the Lord's disciples. The great thing they (the Jewish religious leaders) did for the Gospel of Jesus Christ is inform the Gentile ruler, Pilate, that it was stated that He would rise from the dead on the third day. This means they fully understood the words of Jesus they just chose not to believe Him. Not only did they propagate this truth to Pilate but also all the soldiers and government officials that partook of the actions to seal the tomb would be additional witnesses to this event. This gospel truth which is the foundation of Christianity proved to the Jewish leaders and the Gentile leaders that the Word of Jesus will always prevail over the evil plans of men. In verses 65 and 66 we understand that Pilate gave them liberty to secure the tomb to the best of their ability and the chief priests and Pharisees set a watch upon the sepulchre. We can only imagine that the soldiers on duty for the watch thought this to be a pretty trivial task unto the third day in which we know they got the surprise of their life. Since Pilate already feared Jesus this only added to his personal convictions that he himself was a sinner that needed to be saved. I am sure that while many around us sense the conviction of God within them when confronted with righteousness their lack of repentance can not stop the power of God from penetrating their heart. Joseph did his part to put Jesus in the tomb his offering of love (property, physical assets, time and effort) established a holy ground for God to bear witness to the truth. Likewise, when we do our part to give an “offering” for the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ we can rest assured that truth will penetrate the hearts of all those who are in God's presence, but it is up to them to humble themselves and except Jesus as Lord. So give freely to the ministry of Jesus which is the message of Christ rising from the dead and you would have done your part in making Jesus alive to those who are dead. Amen!
In His Love, Eric & Angela Foster