Compassionate Confrontation

“Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night.” [1]

Joseph and Nicodemus were members of the Sanhedrin, which was a judicial council made up of leading citizens, including the chief priests, elders and scribes, and presided over by the high priest. They were responsible for keeping public order and were answerable to the Romans.

Actually, many in the Sanhedrin believed in Jesus but were afraid to come out in the open, because the Pharisees had threatened that any disciple of Jesus would be put out of the synagogue. [2]

Joseph and Nicodemus honored Jesus.

During His earthly ministry, Jesus continuously confronted the religious leaders of their sins against God and people, so much so, that some said He was the prophet Jeremiah. [3] Jesus called them blind guides. [4] He called them vipers and children of hell. [5] These were not “mean tweets” as one might falsely suppose but acts of compassion. He could have avoided them. He could have chosen to say nothing, but instead, like the prophets before Him, Jesus spoke the Words of God that they needed to hear.

The Words of Jesus to the religious leaders were divine assessments of where they stood in their relationships with God. They needed to be convicted of their sins. They needed to repent and believe in God’s Messiah. Jesus let them know it.

Compassionate Confrontation! Two Pharisees named Joseph and Nicodemus were with Jesus in the hour of His death. Serving Him! All the mistreatment Jesus endured for speaking to the evil religious leaders about their sins had prevailed for them.

Paul the apostle testified that he had been a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisees before Jesus confronted him. But since He met Jesus and believed in Him, the things he previously counted for gain, he now counted as dung for the sake of knowing Christ. [6]

Knowing Christ! That’s it! It’s not where you’ve been, or what you’ve done in the past, but receiving Jesus Christ now. Ask Him to forgive your sins. Believe and receive! He is your Savior. He is the Son of God and Messiah.

Our Lord’s discipline is love. He doesn’t want us to be lost. He wants you and me to be with Him and with His Father forever. Praise the Lord!

[1] John 19:38-42
[2] John 12:42,43
[3] Matthew 16:14
[4] Matthew 23:16, 24
[5] Matthew 23:15, 33
[6] Philippians 3:5-10