When Faith Becomes Public

When faith becomes public.
John 19:31-42

At the arrest of Christ, all his followers fled into the obscurity of night. The threat to their safety and the fear of being identified with Christ led to their denial and desire for anonymity. When Christ died on the cross, he died alone. Yet, at his death, two unlikely individuals came forward and identified themselves as followers of Christ. Remarkably, these two individuals were not the known disciples or any who had been a part of Jesus' ministry. Instead, it was two individuals who had previously been fearful of being seen with Christ or identified as a follower of Christ. These individuals had the most to lose, for they were part of the group that had condemned Jesus to death. To now identify with Christ risked expulsion from the Sanhedrin and perhaps even death.
The first was Joseph of Arimathea. Joseph, as a member of the Sanhedrin, would have been present at the trial of Jesus. We also discover that he was a man of great wealth and thus would have been a man of high position in society. As one looking for God's kingdom, he had become a secret disciple of Jesus. Yet, because of his apprehension of rejection by the other Jewish authorities, he had remained silent in his affirmation of Jesus.  
Equally unlikely was the participation of Nicodemus. Like Joseph, he also was a member of the Sanhedrin, and like Joseph, he hid his faith in Jesus from the public eye because of fear. His only previous interaction with Jesus was when he visited Jesus in the night because he feared being seen with Jesus (see John 3).   Yet, now Nicodemus would demonstrate his loyalty to Christ by purchasing the spices necessary to prepare the body of Jesus for burial.  
While all others had abandoned Jesus in fear, these two unlikely men, who had every reason to remain in the shadows, chose to reveal themselves to be followers of Christ in the darkest, most dangerous circumstances.   For them, the death of Christ did not destroy their faith; instead, it affirmed it. While others were questioning their faith, Joseph and Nicodemus discovered their faith.  
The essence of faith is revealed in our willingness to identify with Christ in times when it is not popular, in times when it may be costly. Throughout the Bible, we discover that genuine faith involves personal surrender to Christ and public confession of Christ. In Matthew 10:32, Christ states, "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is heaven." We read in Romans 10:9 Paul writes, "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." 1 John 4:2 states, "By this, you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God."  
Genuine faith is public and visible, not hidden and silent. However, we can become hesitant to acknowledge openly that we are followers of Christ. Christ never delineates "silent-closet Christians" from public Christians. We are called by God not only to believe in him and obey him in all things but also publicly proclaim Christ to the world in which we live. In the death of Christ, Joseph and Nicodemus were forced to make a stand. Whether they were followers of Jesus or not, there was no longer a middle ground they could hide. Either they must join in the condemnation of Christ or affirm their loyalty to Christ. When confronted with the choice, they declared their faith. This becomes the challenge we face today. Are we willing to publicly proclaim our faith in Christ regardless of the cost or the ridicule we might receive?