The View from the
Cross
Who was at the foot
of the cross when Jesus was crucified?
3) Mockers
and Priests and 4)The Centurion, the
Women and the Secret Disciple
These
people’s lives were changed because of their encounters with Jesus- even
briefly.
3) Mockers and Priests
There
were passersby at the foot of the cross.
The
priests and scribes plotted the death f Jesus and they too were at the foot of
the cross. They mocked Jesus. “He saved others, but he can’t save himself” They
had been frightened and jealous of Jesus as they had witnessed his teaching nd
blessing the crowds in ways they could never do. So they plotted against him
and they were revelling in the moment as he hung on the cross.
An
unknown man who yells out is also at the foot of the cross. When Jesus calls
out to the Father, the voice heard states,”Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” At
this moment someone runs and fills a sponge with wine vinegar, puts it on a
staff and offers it to Jesus to drink. The voice then states, “Now leave him
alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.” Then Jesus breathed his
last.
4) The Centurion, the Women and the Secret Disciple
After
Jesus’ death, there is no one who abuses, mocks or reviles him. The centurion
was in charge of the soldiers who carried out the crucifixion. When he stood in
front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this was the Son of God.” He
was a Roman soldier, a pagan and likely believed in many gods. Yet to this man
the crucifixion was a mistake- an innocent man of God. There was something about
the way Jesus died that the centurion had never seen before- dignity,
nobility, a force of personality that
transcended the merely human (p. 16)
The
women who cared and loved Jesus included Mary Magdalene, May the mother of
James and Joseph, and Salome. John the other disciple was with Jesus’ mother,
Mary for in the first 3 hours Jesus was on the cross he committed his mother to
the care of John. They have no hope but pray for a resurrection.
Joseph
of Arimathea, a prominent member of Council went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’
body Pilate was surprised that Jesus was already dead but gave the body to
Joseph. Joseph bought burial linens, took down the body, wrapped it in linen
and placed it in a tomb. He rolled a stone in front of the tomb. Mary Magdalen
and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where Jesus body had been buried. Joseph was
a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin and believed in Jesus but was afraid to
profess his faith.
Jesus
cries, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani” My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”
Jesus dismisses his spirit. His death was deliberate and voluntary. He was a
sacrifice. Within the temple wall the veil which enclosed the ‘holy of holies’
was torn from top to bottom. Yet now with Jesus’ death the holy of holies was
exposed. These 3 events tie together to
form the meaningful truth: The way into the heart of God is wide open. All are
welcome.
Reflection Read Mark
15
In sharing the story of Jesus’ death have you ever paid
attention to the role of the bystanders? The centurion’s words and Joseph of
Arimathea? Often we dismiss them because
we are overcome with the death of Jesus. Yet these people played a significant
role in this story. They see the bigger picture. But do you? Often we are bystanders
to a situation and like witnesses to the crime we should tell others.
Prayer
God of grace and love we thank you for Jesus’ death on the
cross for our sakes. Help us to have and kep hope alive because of him. We ask
O God in prayer. Amen.
Resource: (based
upon) Ray Stedman, “A Rumor of Hope: The Good News of Easter” Discovery House
Publishers, Our Daily Bread Ministries, 2017. (p.15-21)
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