Day 25: John 19:17-27 - At the Feet of the Cross
“Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.”
Today’s Reading Passage: John 19:17-27
Jesus was sentenced to death on the cross. The most excruciating and shameful way to execute a criminal.
As He hung to die between two criminals, Jews argued with Pilate on what the sign above His head should say; soldiers sat on the sidelines and gambled off His clothing. Both focused on other things and not on the significance of what had just happened.
Who was there in those moments? Focused on Jesus? Who was at the feet of the cross? It was women.
His mother Mary. She knew all along that Jesus had come to serve His people. To save His people. But to watch it all happen as a mother must have been excruciating. Was she able to handle the mix of emotions between the anguish of watching Him die with the hope and joy His death would bring to the world?
His aunt Mary. She was the wife of Clopas, which made her the mother to Simeon, a man who would one day become a very prominent elder of the early Jewish Christian community after Jesus was gone. Was it her experience at the cross that influenced her son’s devotion to Jesus?
Mary Magdalene. A follower of Jesus, we learn about in Luke 8, that had seven demons Jesus drove out of her. She was personally touched by Jesus. Set free by Jesus. Was it her personal experience with Jesus that drove her to continue to be by His side?
Now don’t go thinking that your name has to be Mary in order to be at the feet of the cross of Jesus. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was right there in the midst of it all. Ready to take on the responsibility of caring for Jesus’ mother. He was committed to Jesus, just as these women were.
Have you come to the foot of the cross?
Have you dealt with the anguish of His death and yet understand the pure joy it can bring you?
Are you passing your excitement for Jesus onto the next generation?
Has your personal relationship with Jesus driven you to continue to pursue Him daily?
We pray that as you reflect on the significance of His death you may also come to realize the joy and understanding of the significant relationship you can have with Jesus. And it all begins by placing yourself at the foot of His cross.
Written by: Heather Erickson