His Mother Stood Nearby
We normally see pictures of the empty tomb or a sunrise and the cross on a hill. But the image that sticks out to me and literally gives me chills was the scene that happened between the hours of noon and three in the afternoon the day Jesus was crucified.
Three of the four gospels of the New Testament describe this scene.
”From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all of the land.” Matthew 27:45
Can you imagine what that was like for the disciples, for the friends and family of Jesus, and specifically His mother Mary. My heart goes out to her and aches as I read the story of the crucifixion of her son. I can almost picture the clouds rolling in and the sky darkening. There she stood nearby in agony and with a pit in her stomach as she watched the darkness take over. As she looked upon her son I sometimes wonder what went through her mind. We aren‘t told a lot of Mary’s reaction but we know one thing and can connect deeply with her on…. she was a mother. She was His mother. This distinguishes her from everyone else there.
Go there with me for a second…it becomes dark. Her motherly intuition kicks in as she knows something is about to happen. What was her prayer?
As mothers we always pray to take on the pain of our children so they do not have to feel an ounce of sadness or hurt. But she could not take this one on. Can you imagine the struggle and the dialog she must have been having with God? As her heart ached did her thoughts take her back to the manger, to the day she held her baby for the first time. Her sweet baby boy.
She stood nearby and listened to people mock her son and she heard the nails being driven into his hands. She then heard his voice as he loudly cried out and gave up his spirit.
Do you ever wonder how long she stood there after his death? What was the walk home like? Even Mary who knew her son did not foresee what was about to happen. The amazement and the miracle about to take place. There was no way to prepare for how her sorrow was going to be turned to joy in a matter of moments.
I am fairly certain in my heart that Mary remembers the sunrise the morning of that third day. I can not fathom how her heart must have burst with absolute joy that was now made complete as she was told of her son and the tomb found empty.
Two days prior she was in despair and then came that beautiful sunrise. Sunday had arrived on that third day. I believe in my heart she carried that sunrise with her from that day forward. After all it was not just any ordinary sunrise….it was her son rise! It was the sunrise of the morning that the tomb was found empty. It was the sunrise of victory…victory over death.
So when Sunday comes lets remember that sunrise. Let’s remember the victory over sin and the promise we have in store because Jesus rose again.
Her Love For Him
