Our brief survey of persons important to Jesus during His Passion would not be complete without an exploration into Mary, His mother.
Prophesy Foreshadows Jesus’ Death.
Mary had known before His conception that Jesus would be the Son of God, and thus holy. [Luke 1:35] But, when she and Joseph presented Jesus (still an infant) at the Temple, she learned that He was also to be an instrument of great sorrow to her. “Simeon…said to Mary…’he is destined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel…and a sword will pierce your soul too…’” [Luke 2:34-35] Of course, she had no idea of what this was to mean, but such a dire pronouncement would surely have remained in her mind as Jesus grew to maturity and began His ministry. We can imagine that with each passing year, her concern about this prophecy grew.
Mary During Jesus Last Days.
The Scriptures don’t speak much of Mary’s locations or movements during or immediately after Jesus’ arrest and trials. We presume that she was either in Jerusalem when Jesus arrived on the Sunday that began His last week, or that she was traveling with Him as He approached the city. We do know that she was in Jerusalem during His trial and crucifixion, because she is accounted among the followers who accompanied Him to Golgotha. There, she would have witnessed the crucifixion and been close enough to Him while He was hanging on the cross to hear Him say to her and “the disciple whom he loved,” ”…Woman, this is your son,” and then to the disciple accompanying her, “This is your mother.” [John 19:26-27]
We know also that she remained in Jerusalem for a while after Jesus’ death. In Acts 1:14 we learn that she was with the Apostles as they prayed before Pentecost.
From these hints, we can deduce that she had been present prior, during, and after Jesus’ arrest, trial and crucifixion. How must she have felt? What could have been going through her mind? What lessons might we learn from her and her example?
Leading into Jesus’ Trials.
We know that Mary was a woman of strong faith who enjoyed a close relationship with God. The story of her selection as the mother of Jesus and her unflinching acceptance of God’s will demonstrates that. Her response of, “You see before you the Lord’s servant, let it happen to me as you have said,” [Luke 1:38] is testament to her faith and acceptance of whatever God had in store for her. That courageous response speaks volumes about the depth of Mary’s faith and the strength of her character even as a very young woman.
As she nurtured Jesus and watched Him grown into a man, things were playing out exactly as the angel who’d visited her those many years ago had said they would. Jesus had demonstrated that He was indeed the Son of God. He had performed miracle after miracle which gave evidence of his legitimacy. His character was on full display as He preached across the depth and breadth of Palestine. The most learned men in Jewish society were first in awe of Him, but then began to be increasingly afraid as He drew more and more of the “common” folk into His circle of influence. Yes, He definitely was the Son of God as the angel had said He would be.
But as His fame and influence grew, and as the Pharisees and the Sadducees became increasingly hostile to Him, the words of Simeon uttered in the Temple as His consecration would undoubtedly have come back to haunt her. For all her pride in her son, for all His success, for all the strength of His message, “…and a sword will pierce your soul too…” would have crept back into her consciousness.
I have to believe that it was with increasing dread that Mary realized just how much the Jewish leadership hated and feared Jesus. And when Jesus was arrested at the climax of Passover week, her worst fears would have been realized. The son she had given birth to, had raised, and who had become the Man among all Men was going to be killed; and killed in the most horrific fashion the Romans could devise! The worst fear of any parent is that something fatal should happen to their child. And now, not only was her worst fear going to be realized, she was going to have to witness it, and stand by helplessly while it happened.
It is said that “God does not give us more to bear than we can withstand.” [1 Corinthians 10:13] Nietzsche observed, “That which doesn’t’ kill us makes us stronger.” But Mary’s faith and commitment to God’s will were about to be tested in ways that even her worst nightmares could not have envisioned.
Trials and Torture.
First, Jesus was seized by the Roman guards and taken to Annas’ palace where he was beaten and mocked. Then, He was taken to the assembled Sanhedrin where He was again beaten and mocked. After a sham hearing, the Sanhedrin agreed that Jesus should be executed. (see Post 42 March 29, 2019) Requiring a Roman verdict to execute someone, the Sanhedrin promptly sent Jesus to the Roman governor, Pilate.
Pilate was initially only interested in avoiding any action against Jesus, so he sent Him to Herod in the hopes that Herod would either surreptitiously kill Jesus or set Him free. His intent was thwarted as Herod was no more interested in dealing with Jesus than he was, and promptly returned Jesus to Pilate.
In his final attempt to keep from having Jesus crucified, Pilate had Jesus scourged hoping that such punishment would be enough to satiate the bloodthirsty crowd that the Sanhedrin had assembled. Scourging is the practice of lashing a prisoner’s back (usually 40 times) with a multi-tailed whip with lead weights attached to the ends of the strands to facilitate increased damage to the victim. It was not unusual for a person being so abused to die before the final lash was administered.
The first three “trials” had been conducted in near-secrecy. The Jewish leadership was concerned that if the populace learned that they’d arrested Jesus a riot might ensue. So, they took the time between His arrest and His second appearance before Pilate to scrounge up a crowd that could be easily manipulated to adopt the attitude they wanted; which was to have Jesus killed. Now they were ready for the coup de grace. Jesus’s second trial before Pilate was open to the public, and the scourging was done for all to see.
Mary’s Torment.
It is likely that this was the first time Mary had seen her son since His arrest the night before. Imagine her horror and heartbreak at watching Jesus tortured in this barbaric manner!
After He was scourged, Jesus was then required to carry the top cross-piece (called the “patibulum”) from Pilate’s palace to Golgotha (approximately one-third of a mile away). It’s impossible to tell, but estimates are that the piece could have weighed as much as 90 pounds. And He was required to do this after having had no sleep, water, or food for nearly 24 hours, and after he’d been lashed nearly to death.
Upon arriving at the place of crucifixion, He was nailed to the cross and suspended approximately six feet off the ground. From this elevation everyone surrounding the cross could see Him, and He could see them.
Mary was probably present for the entire brutal ritual. We know that she was at least present during the crucifixion and Jesus’ slow passage into death. What anguish and agony of spirit must Mary have felt as she watched her son’s torment?
I’m sure that she felt each lash and each punch that Jesus endured. She would have cringed as the nails were driven into His wrists and feet. And she had to see and hear the crowd, which only a few days prior had lauded Him as King, now mock Him and gamble for his clothes at His feet.
Pain unimaginable. Anguish enough to drive someone from their senses. Humiliation and degradation suitable for only the most despicable persons. All for her son, who she’d raised, taught, loved, and then followed as her Savior, and who was totally innocent of the crimes he’d been charged with to boot.
For Mary to have withstood such an onslaught to her son’s and to her own being would have required nearly inhuman strength and personal fortitude. I strongly suspect that few of us could have witnessed the abuses that Jesus received without fleeing as the Apostles did.
Mary’s Response.
But this was not just anyone. This was Mary. This was the woman who had, years before, pledged to God that she would accept any trial, pay any cost, and bear any burden that God asked her to. Despite the ramifications of her acceptance now becoming horribly clear Mary did not buckle.
I’m sure that she cried for her son’s pain and suffering. And I’d be shocked to learn that she didn’t ask God to forbear to ease Jesus’ plight. Any parent would have felt what she felt and prayed as I’m sure she prayed.
What was different about Mary though, was that these horrific things did not shake her belief in God or move her to rescind her pledge to accept His will. Many people have had their faith crumble under the weight of great personal tragedy. Many of us are “Happy-Day Christians.” When our lives are going well being a Christian is easy. We praise God for His providence and gladly celebrate the good fortune He’s delivered to us.
But when the clouds darken and life’s inevitable troubles begin to mount, too many of us quickly turn from God, wailing “Why me?” or blaming God for our misfortune. Our faith is shown for what it really is, a feel-good emotional response to life’s ease. It’s easy to love someone when things are great. It’s much harder to do so when they aren’t.
Mary has long been lauded for her quick acceptance of and acquiescence to God’s call when she was a young woman. And, there is much to be said for her example in that instance. But for me, that’s not Mary’s most important legacy. I believe that her truest test came when she was standing at the foot of the cross. To stand there and watch her son perish, and to remain God’s faithful servant throughout His Passion and ordeal, shows, to me, a much deeper commitment and faith than we’d seen in her before.
Our Response to Mary.
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going” is a popular contemporary saying. I believe that phrase describes Mary to a tee. Her faith was sufficient not just to bear Jesus as His mother. It was also strong enough to watch Him die in agony and to still glorify God in the midst of her pain.
We know this was her response because we’re told in Acts 1:13 that she was still in Jerusalem with the Apostles, praying after Jesus’ burial. Another person of lesser commitment and faith could well have “run for the hills.” A grief-stricken mother would surely have gone home to be with her family and loved ones. But that was not Mary. Instead of turning away from God, she turned toward God and joined the Apostles in prayer!
For me, that’s the real lesson to be learned from Mary. Her example is there for all of us to follow. When things aren’t going well, we should move even closer to God, not distance ourselves from Him. That’s an easy thing to say. It’s harder to put into practice. But I suspect that if Mary could do it, we could as well.
I pray that, like Mary, we’re all able to turn life’s difficulties into opportunities for greater closeness to God. For, as Scripture says, “With God, all things are possible.” [Matthew 19:26] And we have Mary’s example to guide us.
God’s Blessings on You All.
Richard
April 12, 2019
