"A Rich Man Gives His Tomb to Jesus" Station 14 of the 2022 Lenten Video Series Cross Walk
April 14, 2022
The Cross Walk Lenten journey concludes as Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. leads us in contemplating the 14th and final Station – A Rich Man Gives His Tomb to Jesus. Luke 23:50-53
Joseph of Arimathea, a good, righteous, and rich member of the council, is compelled to honor Jesus, his Savior, and Lord, by giving him a proper burial in a new tomb he had built for himself. However, this narrative seems to be out of place for the burial scene, because up to this point, wealth is viewed with suspicion by Jesus in the gospel of Luke. Several times in Luke’s gospel, Jesus speaks on the potential evils of wealth.
The problem Jesus has with wealth is its tendency to displace a life of relationship with God, which is why Joseph of Arimathea’s story is not out of place after all. It shows how God’s friends who are rich are also friends of the poor. The rich do not have to be held in the grip of wealth’s seductive power. They can hold their wealth lightly, give liberally to the needy, and treat people with dignity, fairness, and justice.
Today, we pray for God’s grace to use our wealth, influence, and access to power to improve the lives of the needy and treat others, especially the suffering, with dignity, fairness, goodness, and justice.