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But Standing by the Cross of Jesus Were His Mother and His Mother's Sister, Mary Wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.”

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But Standing by the Cross of Jesus Were His Mother and His Mother's Sister, Mary Wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.” At the Foot of the Cross Palm Sunday John 19:25 March 20, 2016 Pastor Keith Johnson www.redeemerlutheran.us John 19:25, “but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.” Today is celebrated throughout the Christian world as "Palm Sunday." We remember that day when Jesus made His "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem. The crowds that lined the streets welcoming Him were large and enthusiastic. They threw flowers. They spread their cloaks on the road as a carpet before Him. Following the traditional method of welcoming kings, they cut palm branches & waved them in the air before Him. The Pharisees who had been plotting against Jesus cried out in despair, "Look how the whole world has gone after Him!" But you also know how quickly everything changed. In just a few days the shouts of "Hosanna!" turned into "Crucify Him!" And crucify Him they did. Crucifixion was a slow & horrible way to die. It was reserved for only the worst of criminals. It was saved for those whose death could serve as an example to the people of the futility of defying Roman might. As we talk about the cross, we picture the terribleness of that scene. We speak of the nails being driven into His hands & feet. We see Him hanging there. He is suspended between heaven & earth, as the crowd passes by laughing & mocking at Him. The cross is the answer to the question: Does God really love us? Look to the cross. It says yes. -By every thorn that punctured His brow. -By every mark of the back lacerating scourge. -By every bruise which heavy fists made upon His head. God said, "I love you!" -By all the spit that landed on his face. -By every drop of sinless blood that fell to the ground. -By every breath of pain which Jesus drew upon the cross. -By every beat of His loving heart God said, I love you!" But as Jesus hung there, He was not alone. 4 women were there with Him. "Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, & Mary of Magdala They were there because they loved Jesus. They loved Him so much that they were willing to risk their lives to be with Him as He hung there upon that cross. They were bewildered. They were heart-broken. They were filled with sorrow – but they were there. They were there because they loved Jesus. For them, as for so many, perfect love had cast out all their fear. William Barclay wrote, “Love clings to Christ even when the intellect cannot understand. It is only love which can give us a hold on Christ that not even the most bewildering experiences can break.” The cross is God’s way of uniting suffering with love. God’s way of uniting suffering with love. If you & I had been there, would we have wanted to be near the cross? Would we have dared to climb that hill? To stand by Him as He died? Or would we have been where most of the disciples were? Hiding. Fearful that we, too, might be arrested & crucified along with Him? Would you have watched from far away? Or would your closeness to the cross have forced you to look up? Look up because you were with Him all the way...so close that drops of blood spattered upon you? If we were there at the foot of the cross, we would have heard things no one else did. Hammer on nails. T Centurion's whip. A thud as the cross was dropped into a deep hole. Intense, anguished moaning. Screams of unfathomable pain. Mocking & taunting. Cursing & reviling. We talk and sing about Kneeling at the Cross. “Beneath the Cross of Christ I glory.” “Lead Me to Calvary. “When I Survey the wondrous cross. “There's Room at the Cross.” “There is a Fountain.” “There's Pow'r in the Blood.” But what does it truly mean? We are not talking about a literal physical presence at the cross. We are referring to a spiritual position of proximity. We are talking about a special relationship to Jesus Christ. HOW CLOSE TO THE CROSS ARE YOU? Four women were there. They were a very diverse group. There is one, "Mary the wife of Clopas" of whom we know nothing. But we do know something about the other three. FIRST, WE SEE MARY, THE MOTHER OF JESUS. We know her story well. We know the angel appeared to her. He told her she would be the mother of God’s Son, the promised Messiah. We know of His miraculous birth. We know of the amazing events that accompanied it as God protected & provided for His Son. We’re told Mary "treasured all these things in her heart." Mary had a heart that was completely surrendered to the will of God. Mary, the chosen mother- to-be of Jesus, responded to the angel Gabriel's startling announcement with the words, "I am the Lord's servant... may it be to me as you have said." That’s obedient faith! We do not know all Mary went through after she conceived the Christ Child by the Holy Spirit. Certainly she must have looked forward to that day when her son would proclaim Himself to be the long awaited Messiah, the savior of Israel. She must have longed for him to then usher in the great & wonderful "Day of the Lord" all Israelites hoped for. Then everything she had gone through: the gossip in Nazareth. The flight into Egypt. The years of hardship after Joseph was gone. Even the loneliness of Jesus leaving home to proclaim His message thruout Israel. It all would be worth it when Jesus became the divine King of the Jews. But suddenly her world came crashing down around her. Had she been wrong all along? Wasn’t He really the Son of God? Why then was He hanging on a cross? What is happening? Is this the way it’s supposed 2 B? Is this t will of God? How, then, is He to be the Savior of nations? Maybe Mary didn’t understand, but Mary could love. Her presence there at the cross was the most natural thing in the world. Jesus might be a criminal in the eyes of the law, but He was her son. The eternal love of a mother is seen in Mary at the cross. Countless times over the years she had held the hands that now were held in place with nails. She had bathed and caressed the skin that now hangs in ribbons. She would remove every splinter He got in the carpenter's shop. Now large thorns have been driven into His skull. She was, for years, privileged to gaze into the eyes of the Son of God for hours on end, and now she could hardly recognize Him. Mary’s presence there speaks to us. It tell us that "If we dare to stand close to the cross, we’ll discover that even though there are times when things don’t go the way we would like for them to go; & times when life seems to be crumbling & falling apart around us; & times when there are burdens that seem too heavy for us to bear that if we’ll not become discouraged & stay close to the cross, God will take care of us. The truth is that the Spirit of the living God is guaranteed to ask you to go somewhere or do something you wouldn’t normally want or choose to do. The Spirit will lead you to the way of the cross, as He led Jesus to the cross, and that is definitely not a safe or pretty or comfortable place to be. The Holy Spirit of God will mold you into the person you were made to be. This often incredibly painful process strips you of selfishness, pride, and fear. BUT IT IS THE WAY TO LIFE. Alexander Whyte wrote this about the atoning work of Christ on the cross. "It is a picture of violence, yet the key to peace. It is a picture of suffering, yet the key to healing. It is a picture of utter weakness, yet the key to power. It is a picture of capital punishment, yet the key to mercy and forgiveness. It is a picture of supreme shame, yet the Christian's supreme boast. It is a picture of death, yet the key to life. It is a picture of vicious hatred, yet the key to love.” It is the power to transform. It is the power to heal. It is the power to make all things new. Are you ready, with Mary, to stand at the foot of t cross? SECONDLY, WE HAVE SALOME: SISTER TO MARY, THE MOTHER OF JESUS. John doesn’t give her name. He simply tells us that she is the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. But both Matthew & Mark make it quite clear that she was Salome, the wife of Zebedee. The mother of James & John, the apostles of Jesus. This was John’s own mother. By the way, this would also tell us that Jesus & James & John were first cousins. Now, we don’t know a whole lot about Salome. But there is one brief event in Matthew that shows that she once received from Jesus a very definite & stern rebuke. Once, when Jesus was near the height of His ministry, Salome & her sons, James & John, had come to Jesus to ask of Him a favor.
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