As
I reflect on the New Year’s Eve service we attended, the preacher talked about
who was at the cross with Jesus.
According
to the four gospels, these are the people who were at the cross with Jesus:
1.
Mary Magdalene (mentioned by Matthew, Mark, and John)
2.
Mary the mother of James and Joses (mentioned by Matthew and Mark)
3.
The mother of Zebedee's sons (mentioned by Matthew)
4.
Salome (mentioned by Mark) -- Many scholars think that this is the same person
as (3), the mother of Zebedee's sons
5.
Mary the mother of Jesus (mentioned by John)
6.
Mary the wife of Clophas (who was probably Joseph's brother) (mentioned by
John)
7.
An un-named sister of Jesus' mother (mentioned by John) -- Many scholars think
that this is the same person as (6), i.e., the wife of Clophas
8.
The un-named Beloved Disciple (mentioned by John)
But
seriously, who should’ve been there? I would have thought that the people he
healed or at least the people he fed would have been there.
Surely,
Simon’s mother-in-law who was raised from her bed with fever would have been
there.
Surely,
the leper Jesus cleansed would have been there.
Surely,
the man with the withered hand would have shown up at the death of the Savior.
Surely,
Jairus and his daughter would have been on the front row for the crucifixion.
Certainly,
the woman with the issue of blood would have tended to Jesus on the cross.
What
about the 5,000 who were fed with two fish and five loaves of bread…and the
others? The deaf mute man? The blind man
at Bethsaida? The boy with the impure spirit and his father?
But
what about his disciples? Shouldn’t HIS
disciples have been there?
Were
these people fearful? Or were they just
too busy? Or had they gotten what they
needed and moved on?
The
reality is that there will be times in our lives when we think that people
should have been there for us. They should
have shown up in our deepest, darkest moments. (Yes, there will be those people who will be
faithful as our friends and family). Here’s
the thing, as a Christian it is imperative not to depend on people, but to
depend on God. Even Jesus knew that the
Twelve Disciples would not all be there at the cross, yet He still promised
them, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
People
will disappoint us. People will let us
down. People will fail us. But the Word of God says that we must, as Isaiah
26:4 reads, “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting
rock.”
The
ones who should have been there…were there for Jesus. The ones who should be there…will be there
for us too.
Matthew 27:55-56
55 Many women were
there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care
for his needs. 56 Among
them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph,[a] and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Mark 15:40-41
40 Some women were
watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother
of James the younger and of Joseph,[a] and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women
had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with
him to Jerusalem were also there.
Luke 23:49
49 But all those who
knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee,
stood at a distance, watching
these things.
John 19:25-27
25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his
mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his
mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said
to her, “Woman,[b] here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here
is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
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