John 19:17-27 Were You There; Would You Have Been

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.

Every year at Good Friday, a very small crowd gathers at Zion to remember our Lord's death with a Tenebrae Service. We sing a verse of "Were You There?" with the snuffing out of each candle. 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?

God's Peace - Pr. J

Matthew 27:58-66 - Disciples Absent From The Funeral

I have officiated at hundreds of funerals and even more graveside committals. Only a handful of them have had fewer people in attendance than at the burial of Jesus. That would be less than three. Joseph of Arimathea, a follower of Jesus; and the two Marys seem to be the only ones present. Where were the chosen twelve? We know from scripture that Judas committed suicide, so we're down to eleven and what about the hoards that had been following him around in order to be healed? This was a most unusual burial for one who had such a following while he was alive. Where were all these friends and followers?

The Sabbath was fast approaching. In just a few hours the law required no funerals, not even much movement on the part of the Jews. Maybe, the disciples were just trying to follow the Sabbath laws or maybe they had all run in fear for their own lives. As Peter had at the trial, maybe they were all so worried about their own lives, burying their friend; their teacher, was the least of their concerns. But, here we have a man who was willing to put himself out there for Jesus. Joseph was not afraid to have his name connected with the Name of Jesus. He approached Pilate, who had condemned Jesus in the first place, and asks for the body for burial. Then he takes, out of his own holdings, a clean linen cloth and with his own hands buries Jesus on his own property; in his own tomb.

Alone, with the women, Joseph is willing to align himself with Jesus, even after Jesus has been declared an outlaw by the church and state; even after he has been executed for perceived crimes.

May God grant that we never be ashamed or in fear for our lives because we dare to be associated with or praise the name of Jesus.

God's Peace - Pr. J