The Positive among the Pessimists

## Joseph of Ramah

Combining all of the Gospel’s accounts about Joseph, he was also a “well respected” council member and a secret Disciple of Jesus. But while the crowds had witnessed Jesus’ miracles of healing and heard His preaching, what had Joseph witnessed and heard? Matthew 2:18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” We believe Arimathea to be the town that Samuel called Ramah. Joseph had witnessed Herod’s decree to kill all the males under two years old. He heard Rachel’s Lamentation. He had held this horrid memory for 30 years now. Then this Jesus came forward in His 30’s showing Himself to be Messiah. Is it any wonder Joseph was a believer? And also, he was looking for the Kingdom of God...

## Eyes for Looking

But Joseph was not the only council member to have seen this event take place. Yet he had not consented to their actions against this One. In fact, there seemed to be a small group believers within the Sanhedrin. John says Nicodemus assisted Joseph and the women with the body of Jesus. I suppose this goes to show we can all witness the same events and have different opinions about what’s going on or what happened. I have friends at church and work and family members who can take the words a person spoke in front of both of us, look right me, and repeat what they just heard with a vocal tone or inflection emphasizing a completely nonexistent point.

WARNING: this is the point where you jump on their bandwagon and feed the pessimism or repeat what you heard in the innocent/positive light your ears heard it with.

## Self-Check

We are all looking for something. Negative pessimists are looking into the darkness expecting the worst thing to always happen. They find it one way or another... Joseph was looking for the Kingdom of God. He found it.

## Best Will