The Son of Man is Glorified
Luke 23:50-24:12
When you die, where do you want to be buried? In Brunswick, New Jersey, in the 1790s, Mary Ellis fell in love with a sea captain. As he was leaving on a voyage, he left his favorite horse with her, and promised to return to her as soon as he could.
Every day, Mary awaited his return at the exact same spot. Years passed and in 1813, Mary purchased a plot of land by the Raritan River to continue her perpetual watch. Finally, in 1828 she died. She had never been reunited with her sea captain. She was buried on that plot of land along with some of her relatives.
Mary’s family plot sat undisturbed in a beautiful woodland setting for decades, with her grave surrounded by beautiful wrought iron fencing. But communities grow and develop, and the woods and farmland that once housed her family were ripped up and paved over, changing ownership many times. Today, nearly 200 years later, in a setting she could never have imagined, Mary’s grave sits seven feet above the surrounding parking lot of the Loews Theater complex.
Death is a subject many people try to ignore. They don’t want to face their own mortality. As followers of Jesus, you and I may have some fears about the process of dying. But we don’t fear death because we know, ultimately, resurrection will follow.
In John 12, some Greek speaking Jews came to Jerusalem for the Passover, and they asked to see Jesus. When Andrew and Philip introduced these visitors to Jesus here are His words to them. “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.” And then He explained how this would happen by giving them the analogy of a kernel of wheat surrendering its life so that much more fruit can be produced. He was about to demonstrate this truth personally.
And that’s what I want us to think about as we look into the Scriptures today. The title of my teaching is “The Son of Man is Glorified.” And our text is Luke 23:50 to 24:12.
By the ACTIONS of the characters in this text, we see clearly how “The Son of Man is Glorified.”
The First ACTION is,
The Deeds of a Respectable Councilor
In the verses just prior to our text, Jesus has just breathed His last and commended His spirit into the hands of His Father. The other Gospel records tell us how the Roman soldiers pierced Jesus’ side to make sure He was truly dead. And Mark adds that Pilate was surprised that Jesus had died so quickly. Finally, there were many witnesses present to verify that Jesus was dead, including a group of women who had followed Him faithfully throughout His ministry.
Immediately following these events we’re introduced to a man named Joseph. In order to distinguish this Joseph from many others with the same name, the text says, “Joseph, he of Arimathea.” This wording indicates that Joseph was well-known. We know he was a member of the Sanhedrin, and he is described by the Gospel writers as: honorable, rich, good, just, waiting for the kingdom of God, and a disciple of Jesus.
I learned in my study that no one really knows for sure the exact location of Arimathea. But the sources I checked, said the closest possibility would’ve been about six miles north of Jerusalem! Rabbinic tradition tells us that many prominent Jews wanted to be buried near Jerusalem. Why? Because they believed that the resurrection would take place there first.
Remember, the descriptions of Joseph included that he was Jesus’ disciple, and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. As a member of the Sanhedrin, he would’ve been well versed in the Hebrew scriptures. Is it possible that he understood the Messianic prophec...
