Blessings dear siblings in Christ
Have you ever been present at someone’s death? I have. It’s not for the faint of heart. Especially when that person is deeply loved by you. But what about being a witness to murder, the murder of your own child? I can’t imagine that. I was almost a witness to murder, and it was gruesome. Fortunately, I was able to find the presence of mind to stop it, but that wasn’t my own family. Siblings, let’s ponder this some more, as we consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
John 19:25, 30 AMP
[25] So the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, His mother’s sister [Salome], Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
[30] When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and [voluntarily] gave up His spirit.
Standing at the Cross
This was a public execution, for when treated like an ordinary, highly dangerous criminal, Y’shua Jesus would have been crucified as a public example, hence Him being crucified at Golgotha, a hill, where executed criminals would be visible from the plains. Anyone could attend, even the criminal’s immediate family (this holds true, even today). In this instance, Y’shua’s mother and aunt were there, perhaps walking along the Via Dolorosa, and unable to try to rescue Y’shua.
Self-Check
How do we feel when we face situations that we cannot prevent from negatively impacting others?
Application
She probably wasn’t the first parent to witness the death/execution of her child. There are places even today where parents are intentionally invited to a person’s execution. She’s likely to have been one of many mothers who believed their child was innocent of charges levied against them, whether in a legal space such as Jesus was tried, in community, at school, or in professional contexts. The difference with Mary, mother of Y’shua Jesus, however, is that her son was innocent.
What might have passed through Mary’s mind, knowing that her son was innocent – knowing that He was the promised Messiah – yet the world was rejecting Him by condemning Y’shua to death? I wonder if she had flashbacks about all the many things she’d pondered in her heart about Him over the years. Did she remember the Magnificat (her song of praise in Luke 1), and did she find comfort in it? Was she studying the meaning of her name, and thinking that she wasn’t so much beloved as she was bitter? Could it be that she needed to be there for herself to confirm that what was happening was true? Was she taking counsel from God and the angels to give her strength in that moment?
Considering that this was the last time we hear of Mary in direct relation to Jesus, did she survive the trauma?
Siblings, we are blessed in knowing how the story ends. Jesus rose, ascended and sits at the right hand of God (Romans 8:34 says He is also interceding for us there). That is what keeps us going. It’s what we offer to others facing their own agonies of living, or dying. I pray that we are able to move beyond the pain of the cross we bear, knowing that there’s resurrection coming.
Point to Ponder
How we cope with the cross we bear has the potential to change others’ outlook on Jesus.
May all we seek be found in Christ
