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.”
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 were with
him. The soldiers who nailed him to the cross were there. 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. Did they read the
words "JESUS OF NAZARETH. THE KING OF THE JEWS" as he struggled to
carry his cross to his death?
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? Peter was probably still in hiding. But, John was
there. John, the disciple who loved Jesus, was there.
This afternoon at
Christ Lutheran we will gather to 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. Over the years, the Good Friday Services that I have
attended have not been all that well attended. This 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 you have been too afraid of being found a
sympathizer to be found near him at his death? Or, would you have found
something more pleasing to do instead?
God's Peace - Pr. J
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