One Risk. One Borrowed Tomb. One Day When Everything Changed.

In the shadow of fear, one man took a risk—and found unexpected joy. His borrowed tomb became sacred ground, reminding us that every bold step of faith can lead to joy.

I once spoke to a group of people and asked the rhetorical question,

“Where is the darkest place you’ve ever been?”

Afterward, a guy came to me to share his experience of working in a mine in Colorado. He told me they would sometimes go to the deepest parts of the mine and shut off the lights.

He told me he wouldn’t be able to see his hand even if it was held an inch from his face. It creeps me out to consider how dark that is. I imagine it to be a type of dark, almost tangible, something you can feel between your fingers.

This weekend is the holiest of holy on the Christian calendar — Good Friday, Silent Saturday, and Easter Sunday. Without this weekend, we do not need to gather in fellowships across the world on any other weekend. This Holy Weekend defines what it means to be a follower of Jesus: death, burial, and resurrection.

But it starts in the darkest of dark places; it starts dark and only gets darker.

---

Encounter Jesus (in the dark places)

This week, at Cross Points Church, where I serve as a pastor, we prepared our hearts for Easter by opening our doors from early morning to evening for personal prayer and reflection. We’ve labeled it “Encounter Jesus,” and members and non-members alike have come to seek Jesus on their own.

The theme scripture for Encounter Jesus is the story of the women who meet the risen Jesus at the tomb:

“So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.””
-Matthew 28:8-10 NIV

When I read this short passage of scripture earlier this month, my eyes were drawn to one phrase in particular:

Fear and Joy. These women were seized with fear, but they also felt a thrill of joy. Fear and joy are like being in the darkest place on earth, but seeing a pinpoint of light in the distance.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

---

Fear

One of my favorite (minor) characters in the New Testament is Joseph of Arimathea.

This is not the dreamer Joseph, who was hated by his brothers, thrown into a pit, sold as a slave, and lived as a prisoner in Egypt; the one who saved his family from famine.¹ It’s not the Joseph who acted as the earthly father to Jesus.

This Joseph was kind of a big deal. He is mentioned in all four Gospels, and each shares a little insight into Joseph. Matthew tells us he was rich². Mark and Luke tell us that Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin High Council.³ John says that Joseph was friends with Nicodemus, who was a Pharisee (and one Jesus called a respected teacher).⁴

Joseph was important in the Jewish world, but his power had limits. He was a follower of Jesus but only in secret.⁵ Joseph followed Jesus, but only from a distance and in fear. He opposed the decision to kill Jesus, but it seems in a less-than-overt way.

Fear Ruled the Day

Joseph of Arimathea represents most of the followers of Jesus in those days and weeks leading up to his arrest and crucifixion: FEAR.

Nicodemus only met Jesus at night. Thomas, when heading to Bethany just before Lazarus' resurrection, said, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.” The disciples all ran when Jesus was arrested. Peter denied having any relationship with Jesus the night of Jesus’ arrest and trial. Only a handful (who happened to be women), stuck around to witness Jesus death…and even this was from a distance. After Jesus’ death, the disciples huddled together in a locked room in fear of being arrested themselves.⁶

Fear marked these followers of Jesus in the moments before and after his death, which is why I love this story of Joseph of Arimathea.

---

Moving Scared

In 2019, my Word of the Year was COURAGE, and in 2022, a similar word, BRAVERY. A lesson I took from those years was this simple definition:

Bravery is moving scared.

I wish fear were abolished entirely upon the decision to follow Jesus, but that isn’t how it works. Fear remains, so Jesus challenges us to master our fear. He calls us to move (specifically, go⁷). The women who visited the tomb did the same thing. They were as afraid as everyone else in the narrative, but they were brave; they moved. We master our fear by moving.

Joseph of Arimathea Moved Scared

Good Friday was a dark day. For the followers of Jesus, it was like a Colorado mine, where you couldn’t see your hand an inch in front of your face. The fear was thick, like something they could reach out and touch. For many of those disciples, it paralyzed them, but something inside Joseph screamed to him, “MOVE!”

I love how Mark described it:

“Joseph of Arimathea took a risk and went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body.”
-Mark 15:43

Joseph risked his position in the community, his reputation as a spiritual leader, and his standing among his peers. What was once secret became known to the world.

Joseph didn’t understand that his tomb would be the place where history was forever altered, but it was. History was changed because Joseph moved scared. People around the world remember and celebrate his act of courage year after year.

This Easter, you may fear a health diagnosis, a relationship in crisis, a child you’ve not heard from, the political winds blowing, the state of your 401K, or the demons in your head.

Don’t give in. Move. Take action because there's more to the story than just fear.

---

Joy is coming.

Doing dangerous things is equally terrifying and thrilling.

A few years ago, I visited Glacier National Park. With a group of teenagers and adults, I drove the Going-to-the-Sun Road to what seemed like the top of the world. Then, we hiked the Highline Trail. It was a 15-mile, 8-hour hike through some of the most beautiful country I’ve ever seen.

The hike begins with a stretch along a cliff. One side is a wall of rock that rises straight up, and the other is a drop of hundreds of feet. The path was wide enough for two people to walk side by side, but it felt much narrower when looking down the side of the cliff. The wall side had a rail to hold onto, but it was a harrowing stretch of hiking.

Within 15 minutes of this 8-hour hike, a large portion of our group turned back. The sense of danger was too much for them. However, for those of us who pressed on, while not truly dangerous, that portion of the hike, and the trail in general, gave a thrill I won’t ever forget.

The opening sequence of the Highline Trail at Glacier National Park.

---

The Thrill of Joy

Is that what these women felt as they rushed from the graveyard? They had just encountered an angel and an empty tomb, but even more exciting, they had talked with the risen Jesus! Their path of faith was just wide enough for them to walk…oh, but the thrill of encountering a resurrected Messiah!

There is joy waiting for you as you move forward despite your doubts and fears.

It may seem too dark to take a step, but as you run, leap, or creep forward, joy awaits! These women were just as afraid as their male counterparts, but they took the bold step to go to the tomb and announce themselves as followers of Jesus. Joseph of Arimathea took a bold step out of the shadows to declare himself a disciple of Jesus while offering his tomb to Jesus. Joy was the result!

Friend, can you feel it this Easter weekend? Yes, there are reasons to fear, but the steps of faith we take lead to joy. It is an unexplainable thrill.

If you find yourself in a dark place of fear, take a step of faith, and you'll find that joy awaits. If you are already moving forward, don’t take your joy for granted. Find strength in your joy.

And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” -Nehemiah 8:10 NLT

---

Let me close by thanking you for your subscription. It's humbling to know that you value this information enough to add it to your email inbox.

I continue my quest for 700 monthly email subscribers (I seem to gain and lose at about the same rate), so if you have someone who might value this information, please share it with them.

1. Genesis 37-50

2. Matthew 27:57

3. The Sanhedrin was like a cross between the American Supreme Court and Congress. There were 71 total members, overseen by the High Priest.

4. John 19:38-39; John 3:10

5. Matthew 27:57; John 19:38

6. John 3; John 11:16; Matthew 26:56; John 18:15-27; Matthew 27:55-56; John 20:19

7. Matthew 28:18-20