If you and I had been in Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified, how near to His cross would we have stood? It’s one thing to be able to sing in church ‘Jesus, keep me near the cross’, but something else to actually do it. After all, Jesus was ‘despised and rejected of men’, and it would have taken a great deal of courage and love to stand by His cross.
The Roman Soldiers were standing near the cross because they had to be there; it was their duty. Four women were there, because they all loved Jesus. They were there out of devotion, not duty. They wanted to be with Jesus and so did John, the beloved disciple.
Today, we use the phrase ‘near the cross’ to announce our dedication and devotion to Jesus. Perhaps there have been times when we have prayed and sung: ‘Lord, keep me near the cross’, without stopping to think what we are really praying for and whether we are willing to pay the price if that prayer were answered. The Lord could say to us as He said to James and John, ‘You don’t know what you ask.’ (Mat. 20:22)
Obviously, being near the cross isn’t a matter of physical proximity, but it is a spiritual position, a special relationship to Jesus Christ; a intimate and committed relationship. To be near the cross means to identify with Christ in His suffering and shame. It’s what Paul called ‘the fellowship of His sufferings.’ (Phil. 3:10)
This 2012 Easter season I want us to consider again what it means for us to be near the cross and by doing so, look at Mary Magdalene, Salome, Mary the Mother of Jesus, and the Apostle John.
Mary Magdalene – A Place of Redemption
If we were to have walked up to Mary Magdalene that afternoon and asked: ‘Mary Magdalene, what does it mean to you to be standing near the cross of Jesus?’ I think she would have answered, ‘To me this is a place of redemption.’
Jesus had redeemed Mary Magdalene and set her free from the terrible bondage of demonism. According to Luke 8:2 and Mark 16:9, she had been delivered from seven demons.
When we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ we go from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to the power of God. God begins to control and use our lives. We go from guilt to forgiveness, and from poverty to wealth as an heir of God through faith in Jesus Christ. This is what Jesus did for Mary Magdalene.
The miracle of redemption is a costly thing. When Jesus delivered Mary Magdalene from the power of Satan, it cost Him His life. Standing there at the cross, Mary watched Jesus pay the price of her redemption.
Jesus had to die that we might be set free. For us to move from the darkness into the light, He had to move from light into the darkness. For us to be delivered from guilt to forgiveness, Jesus had to be made sin for us. For Him to make us rich, He had to become the poorest of the poor.
No wonder Mary was standing at the cross! And that’s not all. She was at the tomb when Jesus was buried and she was at the tomb early on the resurrection morning. Mary Magdalene had experienced redemption, and Jesus was precious to her. As she stood near the cross she could sincerely say, ‘The cross to me is a place of redemption’.
Let us ask ourselves; ‘Is the cross a place of redemption for us?’ ‘Is the cross a place of redemption for you?’
Major Glad Ljungholm
No comments:
Post a Comment