Do What You Can

Friday, July 17th, 2026

6:27 am

Good morning! Today I am in Matthew 27:57-61, Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:50-56, and John 19:38-42. As evening approached, a man named Joseph from Arimathea, took a risk and went and asked Pilate for Jesus' body. Joseph was a rich man who was an honored member of the high council. He was a secret follower of Jesus and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come. Pilate was surprised that Jesus was already dead, so he called for one of the Roman officers to confirm. The officer confirmed, and Pilate told Joseph he could have the body. Nicodemus was also with him, and he had brought 75 pounds of perfumed ointment made out of myrrh and aloes. They took Jesus' body to Joseph's tomb, that he had carved out of rock, which was near a garden close by. They wrapped Jesus' body with the ointment in a linen cloth that Nicodemus had brought. Then they rolled a large stone in front of the tomb entrance. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, had followed the to men to see where Jesus was buried. Once they saw where He was buried they went home to prepare the spices and ointment for Jesus' body. By the time they were finished preparing the ointment, the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by law.

Joseph and Nicodemus were members of the high council, but they were also secret followers of Jesus. Nicodemus did try to defend Jesus before the high council in John 7:50-52. But they were afraid of the other religious leaders, so they followed Jesus in secret. But when Jesus died, they stepped out courageously, and asked for Jesus' body. They had good reason to be scared to step out in support of Jesus, they knew the high council was wanting to kill Him, but in the end they did what they could for Jesus. They took His body, anointed it, and buried it. Honoring His body.

The two Mary's, also did what they could. Because they were women, they could not stand up for Jesus in court. So all they could do was watch from the sidelines. And when they had a chance, they went to get the spices and ointment ready for His body. They stood by Jesus, and in the end, they did what they could for Him. Because of the two Mary's love and devotion to Jesus, they were the first people to know about Jesus' Resurrection.

These 4 people couldn't do anything to stop what was going to happen, but they did what they could out of their love for Christ. Joseph and Nicodemus took Jesus' body, anointed it, and buried it. And the two Mary's watched to see where Jesus was buried so they could anoint Jesus' body as well. All 4 of these people used what they had to show how much they loved Jesus.

We too are given that same opportunity to show our love and support to our Lord and Savior. We may not have been there for the death and burial of Jesus, but we can choose what we do with the knowledge that He has given us of His death. With that knowledge we can either refuse to believe that all this happened and that Jesus was who He said He was. Or we can believe. If we believe, we can use what the Lord has blessed us with to share the Good News with the world. Everything that God has blessed us with can be used to share His love. There are so many ways that we can share Jesus' love with the world. Don't ever think there is nothing you can do. Just telling other people about Him is enough. If you are alive today, you can still tell other people about Jesus and how He can help them. Believe and know that you are still alive because God has a plan for your life. And that plan is for you to use what you have been given to share His love. Don't be afraid to speak up for Him. God is on your side.