The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

John 19:38, “After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus,

but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the

body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body.”

Mimi, my maternal grandmother, knew how to keep a secret. I’ve often

heard her reply, “Well, I just couldn’t say…” That could be taken two

ways: 1) I don’t know, or 2) I won’t say. So, we never knew exactly

what she meant when she replied in that manner. The word “secret”

(?????? krupto) is found in 21 verses in the New Testament. It can

mean “concealed” or “hidden”; thus, it was a secret. In our verse above,

Joseph of Arimathea was called a “secret disciple.” His secrecy existed

because he feared the Jewish religious leaders. Imagine being put out

of your church! –not just in membership, but in being able to assemble

with others in worship. And if your church’s leaders were killers, like

the synagogue leaders in Joseph’s day—Wow! With all his good

intentions about caring for the body of Jesus, Joseph was scared to

let people know he was a Christian. Someone has said, “Secret

discipleship is an oxymoron, a self-contradictory term, because either

the discipleship will destroy the secrecy or the secrecy will destroy

the discipleship.” Think about it! Is your discipleship a secret?

We continue to love you –and, oh, notice the attachment for you

thoughts and archived files.

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas