In John’s Gospel chapter 19, John mentions two characters that I had missed in reading this part of the story before. Jesus has given up His spirit and His body is still hanging on the crossed wooden beams. The Sabbath day is approaching, and not only is the Sabbath approaching, but this Sabbath was a special day – it was the celebration of the Passover. As the Jewish people are preparing for this special Sabbath day, Jesus’ body is still hanging there. And out come two characters that in my thinking are the least likely characters to tend to Jesus’ body.

As a rabbi, Jesus had twelve apostles that He chose to be His closest apprentices, one would think that it would be these that tended to the body of their master. But no, the twelve (or eleven since Judas had taken his life) were nowhere to be found. Most of them were on the run. So who would tend to the master’s body before the Sabbath?

“38 – Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. … (vs 39) With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. …”

It was not one of the twelve who later became the leaders of the early church in the next book (Acts) that took down and buried Jesus’ body. It was a disciple of Jesus who had followed Him in secret, and the Jewish leader who came to Jesus by night because he did not want others to know that he was talking to Jesus, the controversial rabbi whom others criticized. I’ll admit that the Lord convicted me of this today. As a pastor, in church leadership we normally depend on those that are faithful (at least visibly faithful). I know that myself, admittedly, I would have judged these two followers of Jesus because they were not publicly outspoken or loud about their faith as others.

This is an ominous and unpopular thing that a lot of people will not like, but as I’ve served in ministry for a while now I’ve observed that sometimes the people that are loudest about their faith are the first to run when faced with opposition or the loss of recognition. I’m continuously reminded that God can use and will use anyone He want to use to fulfill His purposes despite our judging opinions. God often uses those that we find the least likely to be used by Him.

So on this Sabbath, I learn to rest even from the weight of making judgements and determinations because I am not the God of the universe. I can rest even from judgement and let God be God. As Jonathan McReynolds says in on of my favorite songs, “This is your world, I’m just living in it.”