What About Devotion?

In Riverlawn's young adults group, we have been going through the Gospel of John. And recently, we looked at the crucifixion. In my study of John chapter 19, something caught my eye. Let's take a second to set the scene.

The Jewish leaders have seemingly won their battle against Jesus the Christ and he is crucified. His death has been confirmed, with blood and water pouring out of his side. The Roman soldiers take Jesus' cold, dead body down off of the cross and toss it to the side. Hope is lost. Those who believed in Jesus as the Messiah were confused at how their divine one let himself be killed. There is weeping heard among the people. A shroud of despair covers them. Jesus is dead.

And then we read these two seemingly unimportant verses:

Two relatively minor characters show up in these verses. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Up until this point, we haven't heard of this Joseph guy. Luke's gospel tells us that Joseph was "a member of the council" in chapter 23. This guy was part of the council of Jewish leaders who wanted Jesus dead. Oh, and so was Nicodemus. He was a part of that same Jewish council. But he was still curious about Jesus; we know this from their conversation in John chapter 3. He came to Jesus under the cover of night, hiding from his peers for fear of their rejection.

Yet, these men both greatly honored Christ after his death. Joseph offered a tomb, something reserved only for the wealthy. And Nicodemus adorned Jesus with 75 pounds of oils and fragrances, something done only for loved ones. Their actions in these small moments seem to contradict their earthly affiliations. Why did they do it? It doesn't make sense.

Because they were able to fully see the bigger picture of the gospel while their counterparts were blind.

See, these men understood Jesus' mission. Christ came to earth to 'seek and save the lost'. He came that we might have life, and have it abundantly. He came to redeem mankind from the sin that we continue to live in. Joseph and Nicodemus knew why Jesus had come, and they were on board with it. They were about the kingdom of God, not their personal agendas.

And so they lived as men devoted to Christ. They weren't just followers of Jesus' teachings. Someone who is a follower might be swayed by alternative thinking or teaching. A follower might turn against their leader if he does or says something they don't like. Someone who is a follower might quit following if their leader dies.

But someone who is devoted: That person will follow a leader anywhere. Devotion is something that perseveres beyond death. Joseph and Nicodemus were men who were devoted to Christ, and devoted to his cause. This is why they were able to perform these acts for him after he was crucified, because they had chosen to devote their lives to him.

Devotion is not something you can turn on and off. To devote yourself to something is to give yourself entirely. Nothing is held back. And in this passage in John, we see the example of two men who devoted their lives to Christ.

A life of devotion means sacrifice, and it means doing things that don't seem normal to others around you. It means living with Christ as the sole reason for your existence. Jesus said it himself in John 3, 'Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God'. Joseph and Nicodemus were born again, so they were able to see the kingdom of God!

So maybe we can take some cues from these ancient Jewish leaders who lived 2 thousand years ago. In this busy and crazy season, I would encourage you to live a life for Christ. And not just live your life for him, but live your life devoted to him.