Pastor Shaun Marksbury

Last week, we spoke about the irony of the mockery Jesus faced ( you can listen to that sermon here ).  Toward the end of that message, we noted the irony of the unsuspecting disciple, Simon of Cyrene.   He just happened to be in Jerusalem for the feast when Romans forced him to pick up a cross and follow Jesus. So, we have Jesus, a near-eastern or Palestinian Jew in Israel.  Simon's hometown in modern day Tripoli, Libya; he's Jewish, but from North Africa.  Later, in the Book of Acts, we meet the Ethiopian Eunuch, another African who was likely of non-Jewish descent.  As the early church carried out its missionary journeys, converts and churches appeared in diverse cultures throughout the ancient world. Such an important heritage reminds us that the gospel and worship of the early church transcended any particular people group.  However, some have wondered if the doctrines of worship found in Reformation Europe too restricted the church to "white" preferences. 

It’s not a sin to be religious.  Here is a man, like Paul, who is a Pharisee and yet a believer.  The problem Jesus called out in the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin was hypocrisy — claiming to follow God and displaying piety while holding onto unrepentant pride and worldliness.  In the case of Joseph, we are reading about a man who is concerned with cleaning both the outside and the inside of the cup! It’s not a sin to be powerful.  This was a man of true religious conviction who also held authority.  He was a member of the Sanhedrin and a prominent one at that.  He even used his influence to dissent and not condone the death of Jesus.  It may be that Joseph’s position is what swayed Pilate to turn over Jesus’s body.  Just as the Scripture calls on elders to rule “well,” God allows men authority that requires righteous execution.  He was concerned with the kingdom of God, not building his own fiefdom.  It’s not a sin to be wealthy.  If Joseph had not made his family tomb available,