Hi friends,
In a new assignment, this Friday, I shared a devotional with a men’s ministry in the Atlanta area. Given the context, the devotional focused on how a business leader changed history on the day that Jesus was crucified — through his faithful response to Jesus.
I’ve slightly updated the talk for our community.
Today is Good Friday, the day we remember Jesus’ death on the cross.
I trust you’re going to hear a powerful Good Friday sermon at your church later today. It’s a day for solemn reflection on the crucifixion.
But since the focus of these devotionals is the marketplace, I wanted to look at one of the most hopeful and inspiring stories of Good Friday.
To orient us to the passage, the only place I can start is by telling you about the absolutely hardest season of my life.
In 2020, I was working for Ravi Zacharias at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. As I read the reporting, talked to friends at the ministry, and prayed about all that was going on, I got more and more confused. I even created a Google spreadsheet to try and make sense of it.
Eventually, I realized there had been a pattern of lies and manipulation. I was faced with a terrible choice: speak up and lose my job, or keep my head down, and try to find a way to keep my career alive.
Have you ever had to make a career-defining decision that risked your reputation, your relationships, and your future?
Have you ever been in a position where doing what’s right meant publicly opposing the influential people in your network?
Has making the right decision ever cost you a tremendous amount of money?
We know these questions aren’t hypothetical. You might be facing them today.
With that in mind, let’s look at a story from the gospels about one of the most influential businessmen in Jerusalem. His courageous decision changed history. His name?
Joseph of Arimathea.
And on Friday, April 3rd, AD 33, he stepped out of the shadows at a critical moment.
Matthew 27:57-61
If you’ve got your Bible with you, turn to Matthew 27:57-61.
Let’s get into the moment. The spectacle and talk of all Jerusalem is Jesus’ crucifixion — he and two criminals have spent six long, agonizing hours suffocating to death in the beating sun.
At this moment, Joseph, a rich man, and a member of the Sanhedrin, steps forward to bury Jesus. Think about this: he’s influential with the Jewish community, he can get an audience with the Roman governor, and he has considerable financial resources. He’s a man of influence.
To add even more drama to the story, in the Gospel of John, we’re told that, because he was so afraid, he had been secretly following Jesus.
Yesterday, we saw how Peter abandoned Jesus because of his fear.
But in this story, we see that Joseph of Arimathea overcame his fear to stand with Jesus.
We can only speculate, but I wonder how much it cost him to give Jesus an honorable burial. Surely he was cast out of the Sanhedrin. His business connections dried up. And then, perhaps he used whatever remained of his wealth to help fund the early church. After all, Acts 2 tells us that some in the early church sold property to meet the needs of others.
Pilate has just executed Jesus for treason. Now Joseph is using his last bit of influence to ensure that Jesus, who has been publicly shamed, receives an honorable burial:
- He wraps Jesus’ body in fine linen, and covered the bruises with a mixture of myrrh and aloe — the kind of expense used to memorialize kings
- He places Jesus in his own, new tomb, cut out of solid rock - a major expense
- He secures Jesus’ body with a huge stone to protect him from further disgrace
Whether he knew it or not, Joseph was also fulfilling Isaiah 53:9, which tells us that the Suffering Servant, or the Messiah, “was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Application for Business Leaders
What can we learn from Joseph of Arimathea?
First, Joseph teaches us about courage in the face of professional risk.
His action was essentially saying, “I disagree with the highest council in our nation.” It was career suicide.
And think about the timing. Joseph chose to identify with Jesus in his greatest shame – when he appeared to be a failed messiah. From any rational business calculation, this was not the time to go public with your support.
Remember, this is before anyone knew that Jesus would rise again. To Joseph’s mind, he must have thought he was giving Jesus his final resting place.
Yet this successful businessman was willing to put everything on the line because his conscience demanded it.
It’s unlikely that you’ll need to give Jesus a proper burial - He is Risen!
But what does it look like to imitate Joseph’s faith?
It might mean speaking up when your company is making money in an unethical way.
It might mean treating people with dignity — and not as disposable.
It might mean reporting a colleague for fraud — instead of ignoring what you heard.
The path of least resistance is always to stay silent, to blend in, to protect yourself.
But Joseph inspires us with his courageous decision to honor Jesus in spite of the cost.
Second, Joseph shows us that position and resources are a stewardship, not an entitlement.
He leverages everything for God:
- His position and influence gave him access to Pilate
- His wealth provided the fine linen, expensive myrrh, and a costly tomb
- His reputation and standing made his request credible
He knew how to leverage these for his own benefit. But perhaps in seeing Jesus give up everything for the sake of others, he realized that getting ahead meant falling behind.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, God has given us our influence, resources, and connections for kingdom impact.
For disciples of Jesus, that’s an everyday way of life.
But when the pressure rises and others are abandoning their principles?
That’s when it matters the most.
Joseph’s courage has changed the world. He’s given millions, maybe billions of people confidence that Jesus truly died, in a known location, that was secure and safe.
His courage set the stage for so many to believe, just three days later, that Jesus rose from the dead.
Who knows what difference it will make when you pay a supplier on time instead of making them wait a couple of months?
When you tell the truth instead of exaggerating?
When you don’t fudge the numbers in your expense report?
As we wrap up our week together, I invite you to take some time over the next few weeks to meditate on the faith of Joseph of Arimathea.
He’s an amazing example of a business leader, a civic leader, and a connected leader, who knew how and when to steward his life for God’s glory.
We might feel — or want to believe — that our faith and our businesses are separate compartments. But Joseph’s example says otherwise.
Your position of influence in the business world is precisely where God wants to use you.
As you reflect on the cross today, ask God to show you one way you will honor Jesus — even if it is costly.
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray together.
Lord Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice on the cross. Thank you for Joseph of Arimathea, who shows us what courage and stewardship look like in the marketplace. Forgive us for the times we’ve chosen safety over faithfulness and self-protection over standing with you.
Give us courage to leverage our position, our resources, and our influence for your kingdom. Help us to make the hard decisions that honor you, even when they come at personal cost. And remind us that no act of faithful stewardship is too small to matter in your economy.
In your name we pray, Amen.
One sentence response:
“Because Christ gave everything for me, I will give all that I have for Christ.”