Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.
Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of The jews. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”
Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
“Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” So this is what the soldiers did.
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 her, “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 19:17-27 NIV)
Who was there? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Who had the courage to witness the crucifixion of Jesus? The two criminals who were crucified with Jesus witnessed it. They had no choice. The soldiers who nailed him to the cross were there. They had no choice. Many of the Jews may have witnessed his crucifixion, from a distance, as Golgotha was not too far from the city. They were able to read the sign. They could read the words "JESUS OF NAZARETH. THE KING OF THE JEWS" that were written on the instrument of his execution.
The three Mary's were there to witness his death; Jesus' mother, Mary, and her sister Mary and Mary Magdalene were there. Where were the close disciples whom he had called? Was Peter still in hiding? But, John was there. John, the disciple who loved Jesus, was there. The crowd of Jesus' followers was not quite as large as the crowd that had followed him around looking for healing, looking to be delivered from multitudes of maladies. He had been there for them. Where were they now?
I began this Holy Week with the reading of the entire "Passion" on Sunday. I always do because I know that by Maundy Thursday and Good Friday the crowd of worshippers will be off doing other things. They will not be there to remember our Lord's death; the giving up of his body, his life, for them, for you.
Tonight we will remember our Lord's death with a Tenebrae Service. We will sing a verse of "Were You There?" with the snuffing out of each candle. I expect, as it has been in years past for multitudes of Christian churches, the crowd will be small. Many will be missing. It causes me to wonder how many would have been there at his death. Would we have made it to his crucifixion had we been there? Would we have been too afraid of being found a sympathizer to be found near him at his death? Or, would we have found something more pleasing to ourselves to attend instead?
Remember, there is no Easter with out Good Friday! There can be no resurrection if death does not occur. Will you be there with your brothers and sisters in Christ when times are not going according to your will; when they are not so joyful, or will you be there only when the remembrance and celebration might lift you up?
May God help us to rightly and reverently observe the lifting up of Jesus on the cross for us.
God's Peace - Pr. J
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