Reflecting on Mark 15:42-47
"Joseph... who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God." (Mark 15:43)There is irony in this statement about Joseph.
If his hopes were in Jesus, his hopes were now dead.
I can imagine him struggling, questioning, grieving, despairing.
I can imagine others snickering at Joseph as he did this.
‘So much for your kingdom hopes, Joe, where’s your king now?’
This irony is felt every time Christians celebrate Christmas or Easter.
‘Where is this Messiah now whose advent and birth you celebrate?’
‘Where is this Messiah now whom you claim came back to life’.
“Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.'” (2 Peter 3:3-4)
To say ‘He’s invisible’ feels weak, maybe even pathetic.
How many thousands of years do we still have to wait?
Why isn’t God’s kingdom turning out differently?
For Joseph, Jesus represented the best hope for the kingdom.
We know that in three days he would see that hope restored.
But in the moment he didn’t know that, he only saw death.
He was honouring the hope of the kingdom in Jesus.
Though it seemed futile and pointless, he did it anyway.
This is why I hang on to Jesus, despite His invisibility and delay.
Jesus remains the best hope for the kingdom, God’s better world.
The kingdom of God is this world under God-like human leadership.
Where have you seen any better hope for that?
Every human leader that has risen to the top has eventually fallen.
Despite their great claims, and the power to back it up, they failed.
Which current leader will we put our hope in?
Do we really think any current or future leaders will do any better?
I cling to Jesus, and proclaim His death, because He is different.
He doesn’t push Himself to the top to make Himself ‘king of the hill’.
He humbles Himself, down on His knees, to serve the least and the lost.
He embodies the character needed to make earth like it is in heaven.
His way remains our best and only hope for a better world.
I will continue to honour this Jesus, BECAUSE I am waiting for God’s kingdom.
Let those who prefer to hope in other human leaders do so.
Those who think Carney, Trump or Putin can do it better, let them hope all they want.
I guarantee you, they will be burying their hopes too.
If love doesn’t win in the end, then hoping for a better world is in vain.
Jesus and the Jesus Way is our only hope for paradise on earth.
I’ll stick with Jesus, even though He seems dead, gone, invisible.
“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26)
In a sense, Joseph is proclaiming the death of Jesus.
He is not denying the death of Jesus, but honouring it.
This is what we do when we celebrate communion.
We proclaim Jesus’s death because it is different.
His death is different than Caesars, Charlemagne’s, Hitlers, Kennedy’s.
His death represents the triumph over pride, power, cruelty, injustice.
His death reveals the victory of love, grace, compassion, goodness.
Let us honour the death of Jesus while we wait for the kingdom.
For Jesus remains our ONLY hope for a better world.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, people may scoff our hope in You, but our hope in You is still the best hope of all. You did not climb to the top and fall and fail (like all other leaders), You went down to the bottom to love and serve, and You succeeded. Your love triumphed in defeat, and hope for love is restored.
You are the only hope for a better world. I will proclaim Your death until You come again!