Last week, we left Mary Magdalene watching Joseph
of Arimathea who had overcome his fear and
his secrecy and boldly come for the body
of Jesus.
A year ago, we left Mary Magdalene in
Britain thirty years later helping Boadicea Queen of
Isoni, die.
And this morning, I hope that we can
bring these two scenes together.
Joseph of Arimathea, part two.
When all of Joseph's tears were spent and
all the secret love long pent behind the
bars of fear was loosed and like a
swelling flood reduced this polished nobleman to sobs
and left him weakened and with throbs behind
his eyes at last he lifted up his
hands and passed his fingers up and down
the stake where Jesus hung as if to
make the gibbet like a lover's face and
somehow feel the cost of grace.
The women watched behind the sword and spear
between them and the Lord and Mary Magdalene
was on her knees with all her longings
drawn to Jesus and somehow she feared to
this strange person who revered the Lord with
fearlessness and pain.
Then Joseph stood and raised his plain and
heavy ladder high and placed it on the
bloody beam and braced it just above the
Savior's pale gray arm.
He bound with rope the frail limp body
of the Lord on beam and post and
then against a scream from Jesus' mother stifled
in her hand he slowly cut through skin
and ligament beside the spikes with heads made
flat by many strikes from Roman mallets then
he clenched the knife between his teeth and
wrenched each hand of Jesus off its rough
and jagged nail through tendons tough but careful
not to break a bone.
He came then to his feet they'd grown
to twice their size with blood and swelling
they were caked with mud from walking barefoot
to the place of execution Joseph's face was
ashen as he put his back between the
women and the rack where Jesus' feet were
nailed and when he moved the feet hung
free again he climbed the ladder tied a
rope around the Savior's chest with hope that
it would bear the weight cut free the
other cords and tenderly began to lower Jesus
to the ground.
With all this in view the sword and
spear could hold their ground no more and
Mary dashed around the soldier to the cross
and held her arms up toward the corpse
and smelled the stench of death but Joseph
paused with muscles taut what if he caused
the death of this young girl he saw
the soldier lift his spear and draw his
sword to threaten John and hold old Nicodemus
back from bold and reckless deeds but then
it seemed she would be spared and no
one deemed her worthy of their vigilance but
Joseph stared as if a trance had gripped
his mind sir Mary said I just would
like to keep his head from lying on
the ground you know he said I think
you'd better go if not you'll be unclean
tonight when Sabbath comes and I've no might
to save you from his enemies but Mary
waved her hand oh please sir even if
a thousand men with swords should come not
now or then would I depart and leave
you here with cords already cutting near the
bone in your strong hands and see the
face of my king Jesus be defiled by
lying in the dirt and as for me
I would invert your warning sir if I
should leave my bloody Jesus here and cleave
to law to make me pure then I
would be unclean with darkest dye not just
tonight but every day sir lower him to
me I pray and as the rope slipped
through his hands he said to her your
heart demands an older frame than what I
see you must have known much misery your
hardship has not been in vain God does
not waste the gift of pain and as
she cradled Jesus' head the man picked up
the precious dead and at the start of
Sabbath day they carried Jesus Christ away by
morning Joseph realized that Caiaphas had prized his
death at 20 silver coins and so he
girded up his loins and fled Jerusalem before
the Sabbath dawn for more than 30 days
he hid alone in Galilee when it was
known that Jesus had appeared one day near
Joseph's secret hideaway he took the risk and
found a crowd about 500 strong all bowed
in reverence before the prince of life he
knelt as once long since a distance far
yet good to gaze upon the man that
30 days ago he carried dead down to
his grave and prayed it would be true
that he should live now suddenly the Lord
was silent he could see across the field
a man and knew that he must speak
with him and through the crowd he walked
until he stood by Joseph then he said
I would please speak with you alone come
let us go apart and there he set
his riven hands on Joseph's head and spoke
this blessing I was dead and now I
am alive with all authority and there shall
fall not one small word of what I
say nor any purpose I display in 10
days I will leave the earth and then
10 more and I will birth a mission
that can never fail nor is there one
with larger scale nor ever will there be
and I will make the hearts of kings
comply for my renown and pagan queens will
yield to me in final scenes of death
and as my lifeless frame you carried once
so now my name with that same courage
to the place that I appoint and with
the grace of that same helper Mary do
not fear that she is young and you
are twice her age or that she was
a concubine I know these flaws and I
have chosen her she waits for you outside
the city gates and has a word from
me for you now go and learn what
you should do you will receive the power
you need and I will be with you
Godspeed in two days Joseph came to her
and said your hands still smell of myrrh
she smiled so you were wrong that I
would be defiled by touching my dead king
Joseph marveled at this maiden's youth and wisdom
that she carried in her soul and then
he said I know that other men are
younger and there must be one whom you
desire she said no none what I desire
is Christ and all that he appoints for
me before what may I would be his
above all others Joseph said and love could
you then fall in love I could she
said if Jesus calls it good the silence
was as full and deep and rich as
any words might reap and you she asked
I longed to see you every day in
Galilee he said and I was saying your
face she said here in this frightening place
then Joseph asked did Jesus make it plain
to you the path we take and where
we are to bear his name the way
we bore his lifeless frame together to the
grave he told me you would have a
word be bold now Mary tell me where
we are to go she said it will
be far nor will we ever come again
to Israel he said and when one of
us dies the other will remain and do
the mission till we lie together in the
grave he said that we should both be
brave and travel to the island of Britannia
and there to love the tribe of Isoni
and show and teach them everything we know
of Christ and so the two were wed
they packed what they could use and shed
the rest among the poor and sailed with
Christ into a future veiled three thousand miles
away ten fruitful years went by and they
were given two sons and a girl two
jagged diamonds and a pearl they used until
one day in winter time God took it
all away they couldn't keep the children warm
and all three died during the storm and
now her husband trembling lay and Mary cradled
him the way she had the Christ and
saw the face of death and when the
final trace of life was gone before she
said goodbye she bowed her head and said
Lord why and this time Jesus answered breath
death dear Mary is a gift and death
its measure on the earth not so it
is with life death does not show the
measure of a life nor length nor breadth
nor depth nor height nor strength nor its
effect in 20 years or centuries all that
appears in coming days and finally in heaven
where no more you see through smoke and
glass but this much i will say i
mean to save and by your word convert
a pagan queen and she will ask you
if you've seen or tasted loss and when
you tell her of these days the jaws
of hell will shut without her soul because
you still believe a long long pause
then Mary Magdalene replied you mean oh lord
my husband died and all my children too
to free a pagan queen from hell i
see she wrapped her husband in a shroud
and then she knelt kissed him and vowed
i promise since she can't remain i will
not let you die in vain nor now
as we light candle too dare we to
waste our grief in view of this the
loss is what we see but seldom what
the good may be a man can know
the fruit of breath but only God the
fruit of death