Hello everyone! Heyo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Miles, a podcast where you read the daily Gospels and the saint of the day.
Let’s get started! Today is Friday, April 18th, and we’ll be reading John 18, 1-19, and verse 42.
Follow along in your Bible if you have one.
Now let’s read John 18, 1-19, and verse 42.
Jesus went out with his disciples to a garden.
Judas, his betrayer, also knew the place.
The band of soldiers seized Jesus.
Pilate said to him, Then are you a king?
Jesus answered, I came into the world to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.
Pilate said to him, What is the truth?
And Pilate said to him, Behold the man.
When the chief priests and the guards saw him, they cried out, Crucify him! Crucify him! So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross himself, he went out to what is called Golgotha, where they crucified him.
Standing by the cross of Jesus was his mother.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there, whom he loved, he said to his mother, Woman, behold your son.
Then he said to the disciple, Behold your mother.
Jesus said, It is finished.
And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
Good Friday is a time to think about Jesus' death and what he did for us.
He chose to die for our sins because he loves us very much.
I can’t even imagine hanging on a cross to die.
It must have been very painful.
But that just shows you how much Jesus loves us.
Take time to reflect today, especially on what Jesus did for us.
Because if we weren’t for him dying on the cross, we wouldn’t have a future in heaven, or even have the joy of living today and choosing to be a follower of Christ.
Heyo! Today’s saint is Saint Joseph of Arimathea.
Now let’s read his story.
Saint Joseph of Arimathea is a disciple of Jesus who is mentioned in the gospel story of the Passion of Christ.
After the Passion of the Lord, Joseph, a member of the Jewish council, went to Pilate and asked for permission of the body of Jesus.
After receiving this permission, Joseph had Jesus laid in a nearby tomb.
The gospels tell us that Joseph was a just and devout man waiting for the kingdom of God.
He followed Jesus' public ministry but feared the reputations from the other members of the Jewish tribal.
Saint Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy, influential member of the Sanhedrin.
He carried Jesus' body to his own tomb, and there Jesus was buried.
Joseph is often seen as a symbol of compassion and a testament of love and respect that continued for Jesus even in death.
Saint Joseph of Arimathea chose to be a follower of Christ and stood out to those who persecuted Jesus by taking the time to care for Jesus' body and laying him in the tomb.
He was a part of a special story of Jesus' death and resurrection.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, thank you so much for dying on the cross for us, and for loving us so much that you suffered death.
Help us to take time today and every day to remember all that you have done for us and what we can do for you.
Saint Joseph of Arimathea, pray for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back next week scattering more flowers.
See ya!