Joseph of ArimatheaSýnishorn

Pressure 

Joseph of Arimathea . . . took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. - Mark 15:43 

I have been in very tense situations, both personally and professionally, where a decision had to be made, and the wrong decision came about in the end. That’s when the horrible truth dawns that you could have done better. Sometimes emotions run high, and logic and reason become of secondary importance. That’s when the video replay takes place. What more should I have said? Could I have handled it better? Did I do everything I could have done? 

Joseph must have carried that weight with him as he watched the horror of Jesus being murdered. His heart must have been broken when he looked up at the dying Jesus on the cross. He must have felt burdened by the same thoughts that we are so often burdened by: What more should I have said? Could I have handled it better? Did I do everything I could have done? 

Joseph must have felt the pressure building, and yet, as we discover, he was prepared to work through this pressure. 

Pressure draws out the conflict within us, and we become stressed and fearful when we’re unable to see a way in which a decision will be made. Like Joseph, we too have decisions that need to be made and problems we need to resolve. Joseph’s courage and ability to handle pressure well grew as he spent more time meditating on who Christ is and what He’d done. We must do the same. Joseph must have felt the pressure building as he readied himself to ask Pilate for Jesus’ body, and yet, as we too can discover, he was prepared to work through this pressure because he had spent time meditating on Christ’s work on the Cross.