Near the Cross

By Shirley Mitchell

^“Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’  From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.”

John 19:25-27

I’m playing the role of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the Lexington Passion Play this year.  To prepare for the role, I have read every Scripture about her, commentaries, books, and watched movies.  So much about Mary is not recorded in God’s Word and left to our imaginations.  It has been my constant prayer for God to show me how to connect with Mary and to reveal to me her thoughts and feelings.

We know that she was the first to hear the voice of the Son of God, and she was one of the few who heard His last cries from the cross.  She was only a young teenager when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and told her that she had found favor with God, and the Holy Spirit would come upon her and give her a child. 

We can imagine that when Jesus was a child, she probably saw Him meditate on Scripture or spend His time praying in the garden.  She had probably wondered how Jesus would bring redemption to the Jewish people.  How would the angel’s words be fulfilled that “the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32b-33)?

The day finally arrived when the Jewish people welcomed her Son into Jerusalem.  Palm branches were waving, His Name was cried out, and garments were thrown down on the ground for Him to ride the donkey over.  Perhaps after this excited day, she had heard her friends speculate what Jesus would do next.  She might have heard or even seen Jesus’ confrontations with the religious leaders who could not hide their contempt and hatred for her Son.  In the play, I followed the disciples into Jerusalem as the crowd sings Hosanna to their King.  I wonder what Mary thought about that day.  Did she think that the moment was coming when Israel would repent and be delivered from the Roman oppression?

However, she was forced to watch the plan of God unfold in ways that she never imagined.  We are left to wonder when she heard that Jesus was arrested in the garden.  When did she first lay eyes on His battered and beaten face that she had once held in her hands so tenderly?

In the movie The Passion of the Christ, she is there hidden in the mob that demands Pilate to crucify Jesus.  In the passion play, so am I.  I feel the horror of Jesus’ followers when Pilate brings out the beaten Jesus.  I feel the confusion over why Peter, John, or even Jesus doesn’t do something.   The fear of the angry mob with clubs and the Roman soldiers with sharp swords comes over me.  Mary Magdalene and I are bewildered that the same crowd that welcomed and celebrated his arrival to the city the week before is now against Him.  I flinch at His scourging and cannot bear to hear the sound of the whip.

 As hard as that is, it is even harder to be at the foot of the cross as “Jesus” is gasping for His last breaths.  On His head is that nasty crown of thorns, and red “blood” runs down His body.  As I cry openly from deep inside me, I hear moans that are coming from my own voice, and tears fill my eyes to the point where I can’t see.  Then Jesus rises up to take a breath and say, “It is finished.”  And with His last breath He says, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”  Then the ground shakes, and the veil is torn in two.  That is when it happens.  For these few moments through many plays, my heart is connected with Mary.  My heart is pierced with the sword like Mary’s was that day at the cross.  

The disciple John was by Mary’s side at the cross.  Jesus knew what the future held for other possible candidates to take care of His mother.  He knew the other disciples would be martyred, and John would live the longest.  So He made provisions for her while He was dying. 

In the play, John tries to console me at the cross.  When the disciples come, he helps me to my feet as I grieve.  The disciples take Jesus off the cross and pass John the crown of thorns.  Their clothes and hands are covered with the blood.  They carry Jesus’ dead body to the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.  Somehow I stagger to follow them to the tomb.  Through their tears and grief-stricken faces, each one of them hugs me.

I wonder every time whether Mary thought right up until the end that He would come off that cross or that God Himself would come down from heaven to save His Son.  I realized that once again Mary was asked to endure shame.  Word must have spread outside the family about the timing of Joseph taking Mary as a wife and the birth of Jesus.  People most likely found out that He was conceived before the wedding ceremony.  Her reputation was ruined, and she was the source of gossip for years to come.  Now her Son died as the lowest of criminals on a Roman cross.  People would have whispered about how her eldest Son was nothing but a blasphemer who deserved death.  Yet, to Mary, He was her precious Son who had never done anything wrong.  She always knew that He was the promised Messiah.  However, she didn’t know that He came to sacrifice His life until later.  She could not have lived with the knowledge that her sweet baby boy would be nailed to the cross.  Even though she didn’t fully comprehend what was happening that day, she showed her deep love for Him by staying at His side, near the cross.

Pray with me:  Oh, God, when we don’t understand Your plan, give us the fortitude to stay near the cross no matter what.  Lord, how beautiful of You to choose sweet Mary.  She was so brave.  How great that Your plan was not just to establish an earthly throne in Jerusalem in Israel for that was too small a thing, but it was to establish a throne in the hearts of men for Israel and for the world.  Mary’s hopes have come true in so many ways grander than she ever imagined.  Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  It’s in Your Name, Yeshua’s Name, we pray.  Amen.

Near the Cross

Near the Cross

"Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, 'Dear woman, here is your son,' and to the disciple, 'Here is your mother.' From that time on, this disciple took her into his home."

John 19:25-27

I'm playing the role of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the Lexington Passion Play this year. To prepare for the role, I have read every Scripture about her, commentaries, books, and watched movies. So much about Mary is not recorded in God's Word and left to our imaginations. It has been my constant prayer for God to show me how to connect with Mary and to reveal to me her thoughts and feelings.

We know that she was the first to hear the voice of the Son of God, and she was one of the few who heard His last cries from the cross. She was only a young teenager when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and told her that she had found favor with God, and the Holy Spirit would come upon her and give her a child.

We can imagine that when Jesus was a child, she probably saw Him meditate on Scripture or spend His time praying in the garden. She had probably wondered how Jesus would bring redemption to the Jewish people. How would the angel's words be fulfilled that "the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end" (Luke 1:32b-33)?

The day finally arrived when the Jewish people welcomed her Son into Jerusalem. Palm branches were waving, His Name was cried out, and garments were thrown down on the ground for Him to ride the donkey over. Perhaps after this excited day, she had heard her friends speculate what Jesus would do next. She might have heard or even seen Jesus' confrontations with the religious leaders who could not hide their contempt and hatred for her Son. In the play, I follow the disciples into Jerusalem as the crowd sings Hosanna to their King. I wonder what Mary thought about that day. Did she think that the moment was coming when Israel would repent and be delivered from the Roman oppression?

However, she was forced to watch the plan of God unfold in ways that she never imagined. We are left to wonder when she heard that Jesus was arrested in the garden. When did she first lay eyes on His battered and beaten face that she had once held in her hands so tenderly?

In the movie The Passion of the Christ, she is there hidden in the mob that demands Pilate to crucify Jesus. In the passion play, so am I. I feel the horror of Jesus' followers when Pilate brings out the beaten Jesus. I feel the confusion over why Peter, John, or even Jesus doesn't do something. The fear of the angry mob with clubs and the Roman soldiers with sharp swords comes over me. Mary Magdalene and I are bewildered that the same crowd that welcomed and celebrated his arrival to the city the week before is now against Him. I flinch at His scourging and cannot bear to hear the sound of the whip.

As hard as that is, it is even harder to be at the foot of the cross as "Jesus" is gasping for His last breaths. On His head is that nasty crown of thorns, and red "blood" runs down His body. As I cry openly from deep inside me, I hear moans that are coming from my own voice, and tears fill my eyes to the point where I can't see. Then Jesus rises up to take a breath and say, "It is finished." And with His last breath He says, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." Then the ground shakes, and the veil is torn in two. That is when it happens. For these few moments through many plays, my heart is connected with Mary. My heart is pierced with the sword like Mary's was that day at the cross.

The disciple John was by Mary's side at the cross. Jesus knew what the future held for other possible candidates to take care of His mother. He knew the other disciples would be martyred, and John would live the longest. So He made provisions for her while He was dying.

In the play, John tries to console me at the cross. When the disciples come, he helps me to my feet as I grieve. The disciples take Jesus off the cross and pass John the crown of thorns. Their clothes and hands are covered with the blood. They carry Jesus' dead body to the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. Somehow I stagger to follow them to the tomb. Through their tears and grief-stricken faces, each one of them hugs me.

I wonder every time whether Mary thought right up until the end that He would come off that cross or that God Himself would come down from heaven to save His Son. I realized that once again Mary was asked to endure shame. Word must have spread outside the family about the timing of Joseph taking Mary as a wife and the birth of Jesus. People most likely found out that He was conceived before the wedding ceremony. Her reputation was ruined, and she was the source of gossip for years to come. Now her Son died as the lowest of criminals on a Roman cross. People would have whispered about how her eldest Son was nothing but a blasphemer who deserved death. Yet, to Mary, He was her precious Son who had never done anything wrong. She always knew that He was the promised Messiah. However, she didn't know that He came to sacrifice His life until later. She could not have lived with the knowledge that her sweet baby boy would be nailed to the cross. Even though she didn't fully comprehend what was happening that day, she showed her deep love for Him by staying at His side, near the cross.

Pray with me: Oh, God, when we don't understand Your plan, give us the fortitude to stay near the cross no matter what. Lord, how beautiful of You to choose sweet Mary. She was so brave. How great that Your plan was not just to establish an earthly throne in Jerusalem in Israel for that was too small a thing, but it was to establish a throne in the hearts of men for Israel and for the world. Mary's hopes have come true in so many ways grander than she ever imagined. Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It's in Your Name, Yeshua's Name, we pray. Amen.

The Other Criminal

The Other Criminal

"One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: 'Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!'
But the other criminal rebuked him. 'Don't you fear God,' he said, 'since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.'
Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.'
Jesus answered him, 'I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.' "

Luke 23:39-43

Jesus was crucified with two thieves fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 53:12, "He was numbered with the transgressors." Jesus died with the criminals and was counted as one of them. He was identified and regarded as a criminal. Scripture does not tell us these criminals' specific crimes, but Mark 15:27 describes them as robbers. It merely tells us about their last day on earth and leaves us to wonder about their lives before this day.

Just like Jesus, both criminals carried their crosses on their backs from the prison through Jerusalem streets to the hill called Golgotha. Just like Jesus, both men were in a horrible state of torment. Both the condemned men saw how the crowd snarled at Jesus, threw rocks at Him, and spat at Him. Unlike Jesus, they took the wine mingled with myrrh offered by the soldiers to deaden some of the pain of crucifixion.

In only four recorded verses in God's Holy Word, we see that one of the two thieves was different from the other. Scripture simply calls him "the other criminal." He saw no fear in Jesus' face and no accusation. He could feel Jesus' sorrow.

He saw the soldiers' cruelty that took the spirit of Jesus' followers. He saw the religious leaders with their arms folded. He heard the rulers sneering at Jesus, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One" (Luke 23:35). He heard the soldiers mocking Him and saying, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself" (Luke 23:36). He heard the women weeping at a distance in an eerie tone. When he heard the other thief join in hurling insults by saying, "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us," he could no longer keep silent. Although he, too, was struggling for every breath, he rebuked the insulting criminal. He knew that both of them were getting exactly what they deserved for the crimes they had committed. He knew that Jesus had done nothing wrong. He saw the injustice. Jesus had never spoken one word that was untrue nor had He ever hurt anyone like they had.

Then gasping for more breath to get out the words of faith that saved his life as he was dying, he declared words of faith in Jesus. I find it very interesting that the darkness had not yet come over the land when the thief professes his belief in Jesus. The Roman centurion had not declared yet, "Surely, this was the Son of God." Jesus had not yet risen from the grave. There were still extraordinary things to behold; yet, from what he had seen, it was enough for the thief to believe in Jesus.

He also believed in Jesus when it appeared to others that Jesus was helpless to save Himself and completely unable to save another. He turned to someone whose hair was matted with blood and beard was ripped out by its roots. His body and face were beaten until unrecognizable. At the apparent worst moment of Jesus' entire time on this planet, when He was dying and not looking like the promised Messiah, this robber said to Jesus in humility and belief "remember me."

The thief only gives us one clue in his words as to what was at the root of why he was able to believe in Jesus. Remember his first words to the unrepentant thief. He wondered why he was lashing out to Jesus and rebuked him by saying, "Don't you fear God." There it is. There is the difference between the two men. This one feared GOD! He had not faced the final Judge yet. He was afraid to stand before the Holy God.

Because of his faith in Jesus at his dying breath, this "other criminal" is in heaven today with God! He didn't have to perform a single good deed to inherit eternal life. He simply is there because he believed that Jesus was the King. He would come with Jesus into that kingdom that very day! Oh, precious one, we don't have to strive to get to heaven on our own power or our own works. We simply have to believe that Jesus is the KING! May His kingdom come on earth! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Pray with me: Oh, God, You are the God of Grace. It doesn't matter how sinful we have been, if we come to You in faith of who Jesus is and entrust our lives to You, then You accept us into Your kingdom. You throw Your arms open to us and usher us into the kingdom. Praise You!

Thank You for this criminal who knew that Jesus was not like them. Help me to have his courageous faith. Help me to defy those who stand against You. Help me to have a healthy fear of You and remember that You are the final Judge that one day we will all stand before You. It's in the Name above all names, in Jesus' Name, Yeshua's Name, I pray. Amen.

Copyright 2009 © Christ Compels

Cry of Forgiveness

Cry of Forgiveness

“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.”

Luke 23:34

Jesus’ first cry from the cross was, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:24). He was laying down His divine authority and identifying with our humanity because of His great love for you, me, and all mankind. The Son of God was being sacrificed as the Lamb of God.

His pain was so excruciating that it was enough to make any man pass out. Yet, when every nerve ending was screaming in His body, when His flesh was opened, and when the pain was at the fiercest after being beaten and walking through the city of Jerusalem, what did He do? He prayed for the forgiveness of His executioners. He prayed for both the ones physically crucifying Him and the ones in power who called for it or ordered it.

Pilate was so weak that he gave into the crowd’s prevailing cries to crucify Him even though he “found in him no grounds for the death penalty” (Luke 23:22). Judas, who knew the place where His Master and Friend would be that night, betrayed Him with a kiss. The guards spat at Him, blindfolded Him, mocked Him by shouting “prophesy,” struck Him with their fists, and beat Him (Mark 14:65). The chief priests and Sanhedrin, in their search for a way to put Him to death, brought in many who testified falsely against Him, but their statements would not agree (Mark 14:59).

All of these people knew what they were doing was not right. Yet, they were led by their desires for money, peace, or their position of power and standing amongst the people that they played a role in killing the Son of the Living God. There is no greater offense than this! While they knew they were not earning a medal for righteous behavior that day, they had no idea of the expanse of the horror they had committed. They didn’t understand the atrocity. They didn’t see Jesus as Messiah or believe Him to be the Son of God. He was just a troublemaker of whom they must dispose.

Paul talks about how they didn’t grasp the atrocity that they were committing in 1 Corinthians 2:8, “None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” They would not have touched the Lord of glory if they knew who He really was. At Pentecost, Peter also told the crowd gathered for the feast - which probably contained many of the people who had been there at Passover time, too - in Acts 3:13-15, 17 what they did. He said, “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this…Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders.”

The Prince had slipped out of His palace and masqueraded as a common man to identify with man in every way. These people did not know that by Him all things were created and without Him nothing was made that has been made (John 1:3). They didn’t know that He was the One who had given them life and that He was the Author of life. He had every right to use His sword, His mouth, and chop off their heads. Yet, He didn’t. He didn’t have to be restrained by the Father. He exhibited the mercy of His Father. The Lord of glory forgave His killers of their wickedness and role in His death while He was dying. It makes me want to respond in worship when I see how He forgave them.

It makes me wonder when you and I are willing to forgive someone. A new friend and I were talking about forgiveness. We connected very quickly since we are sisters in Christ and both soccer moms. She shared about being divorced for over 10 years now, but she still needed to forgive her ex-husband. I told her that there may be layers to our pain that we have to work through, and forgiveness may be a process. This is why Jesus said to forgive 70 x 7 times. We are to forgive as many times as it takes until we are different. And always, always remember that when we forgive, it does not have the same power as God’s forgiveness to purify someone from his sins and wash him white as snow. When we forgive, we do just like Jesus did. In 1 Peter 2:23, Peter says, “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” We entrust our situation with the person who has wronged us, whether he wants forgiveness or not, to the one who judges justly. God was on the throne that day when he committed the sin and every day since when he had a chance to come to Him. At some point, whether he wants to or not, he will come before our Father, the Judge. This knowledge and His power release us from holding onto any grudge.

What about you, beloved? Who do you need to forgive? Is there a grudge or bitterness that you are still wearing? Our faces show it whether we want to accept it or not. Ask the God, who forgives and empowers us to forgive, to move on your heart so that you can forgive whoever has wronged you.

Pray with me: Oh, God, so many of us are holding grudges and living in bitterness. We bring You our wounds from the people who treated us wrongly or maybe didn’t treat us in the manner that we wanted. We are in bondage to the people whom we cannot forgive. They bring out the worst in us and can make us look like fools instead of like Christ.

Praise You, Jesus, that Your own death made it possible for these sinners, for us, and for every person who has every lived to receive the forgiveness of God. You set the example for us so that we can forgive some very horrid things, too. We cry out to You! Move on our hearts and empower us through the Holy Spirit so we can forgive those whom we need to forgive and release and entrust them to You because You judge justly. It’s in the Name above all names, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, I pray. Amen.

Copyright ©2009 Christ Compels