Fearless Believers!




When the centurion, who was standing opposite him, saw the way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” There were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.  In Galilee these women followed him and took care of him. Many other women had come up with him to Jerusalem. Mark 15: 39-41

In the span of a mere 6 hours on a long ago Friday much had happened. In the day leading to the cross, the Lord Jesus Christ, had been falsely accused, hastily tried, Jesus was even preferred over a career criminal to be crucified!

 Compelled to carry his cross, until exhaustion overcame Him, Jesus has had the presence of mind while enduring agony upon agony to:

Take upon himself the sins of the entire world

 Provide forgiveness for a repentant thief

 Ensure that His mom would have a home to live in after his death.

All the while why the prince of life is dying there are observers. To be sure, not many sympathetic people are there, having been stirred up into a frenzy there is a distinct atmosphere that can only be understood as a hate-filled mob, who are not silent in watching Jesus die! It is not enough tom observe his agony up close, they deride him with taunts and insults, and remarks, verbal assaults, hour after hour.

Thankfully there are a few brave souls who have watched through tear filled eyes the proceedings.

Those are the people we will learn from today. What they saw, what they learned, what they offer to teach us today, is insightful and compelling!

*While the male disciples are conspicuously absent from this point in the story on, Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us that many of the women are still present. And John places four of them “near the cross” along with “the disciple Jesus loved” (John 19:25). This smaller group is close enough to have a private conversation with Jesus, which reveals that their nearness is not only positional, but also emotional. 

 Many of the details we have about the death, burial, and resurrection are recorded because these women had the courage to stay near the cross; and after that, to stay near the tomb, even when it seemed that all was lost.

Counting the Cost- We Must Evaluate our own positional closeness to Jesus and to count the cost of discipleship. Will we follow in the steps of those who were “with him”? Will we risk reputations, relationships, even our very lives to follow? Will we stand near, watch from a distance, or run in the other direction? *Gail Wallace 

Looking back you remember how with tender hand He lifted you!

In loving-kindness Jesus came my soul in mercy to reclaim,
and from the depths of sin and shame through grace He lifted me. 
Refrain:
From sinking sand He lifted me,
with tender hand He lifted me,
from shades of night to plains of light,
O praise His name, He lifted me!

What then is the take away from the witnesses, on that long ago Friday?

Stand for Jesus, no matter what, and stay close, and ask Him to make you a Fearless Believer!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Home!

Image
Michelle Robin Hensley November 11th 1969 - September 15th 2009 "We believe as Christians, that when our loved ones die, they go to be with the Lord. The Bible teaches that the Lord is with us. Well if they are with Him, and He is with us...they cannot be very far away" Peter Marshall My Dear Friend's, September 15 at 10:35 pm, my wonderful and Godly 39 year old sister Michelle, stepped into the presence of our Glorious Lord and King . Thank you for your wonderful support and kindness and understanding, our family has felt your care and warmth. I will forever be thankful that I came "Home" to be with her and my mom arriving Tuesday morning. Shell was unresponsive and in a coma all day. She was blessed to be comforted by Mom, my brother Mike, his wife Chrissie, and their two sons Caleb, and Josh. Barbara, my mother in law was there throughout the day, and part of the eveing. Several of Shell's friends came as well. Hospice was great (every step of the way) a...
Read more

How are things at home?

Image
              A year ago today, hearts were breaking, tears were flowing and pain left us nearly breathless.   A year ago we said a teary temporary (Thank God) farewell (Christians, never say goodbye, for the final time) to Michelle Robin Hensley , my sister, my dear friend.  The 12 months that we have walked and sometimes stumbled through, have been difficult.   The Lord has, as He promised, bore our burdens, comforted  hearts....and dried tears.   Oh they still come , often, I think they always will .  There is so much we miss , about you, so much we want to share with you .  I know that in some way you know what we are doing.... maybe in more detail than we can imagine. I still have a lump in my throat from time to time ....and missing you is a pale way to describe the ache.... but I know you are with the Lord ....and I am comforted . There are no words to describ...
Read more

In Honor of Peter Marshall.

Image
In Memory of a Man who was after God's own heart. As a younger minister my heart warmed to His preaching, (From recorded sermons) the soaring diction, the impassioned eloquent proclamation of truth, through a life consumed by Christ! As a middle aged Pastor now, the memory of this incomparable Preacher continues to inspire! I am so looking forward to meeting Dr. Marshall in heaven! Few people in my life's journey have touched me as deeply as the late Peter Marshall. Here is just a sample of his profound way of turning a phrase... • A different world cannot be built by indifferent people. • Give to us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for - because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything. • God will not permit any troubles to come upon us, unless He has a specific plan by which great blessing can come out of the difficulty. • If you hug to yourself any resentment against anybody else, you destroy the bridge by which God would come t...
Read more