Tuesday, December 23, 2025
This camel found a way! Or better yet, God found a way for this camel to get through the eye of a needle! (cf. Matthew 19:24)
We normally don't think of many of the followers of Jesus as rich. There surely weren't many who were rich; at least, there weren't many who were openly his followers. But a few were. Not only was Joseph rich; he also had access to the Roman governor. But, what is amazing here is that Joseph picks the absolutely worst time to show his allegiance to Jesus! Joseph is identifying himself with one who was now viewed as the scum of the earth, a man apparently cursed by God, a supposed criminal executed by Rome, and a Jew condemned to death by the religious ruling council and the high priest. There is nothing to gain by his identifying himself with Jesus, at least nothing apparent. But that didn't stop Joseph! He was a follower, and he was willing to follow Jesus all the way through the cross. He was willing to become unclean for Passover by handling the dead body of Jesus. Joseph did for Jesus what was decent, loving, tender, and right. And he did it when there appeared to be nothing to gain in doing so.
I don't know about you, but I want to be like Joseph. While there is so much talk about the apostles - their power and their authority, Joseph did what none of them did, and what none of them had the financial resources to do. I'd surely like to believe that I would do the same!
What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.
What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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