If you and I had been in Jerusalem that Passover afternoon when Jesus was crucified, I wonder how near the cross we would have stood. It is one thing to sing, "Jesus, keep me near the cross," and it is quite another thing to actually stay near the cross. Roman soldiers were there because of duty. Others were there, however, because of devotion.
When we speak today of drawing near to the cross, obviously we are not talking about literal geography. The cross upon which Jesus died is gone and you and I cannot go outside the city wall of Jerusalem and stand near the cross. No, we are speaking about a spiritual position; we are talking about living with a sense of awareness of what Christ did for us at Calvary and what that can and should mean for our lives.
This third word from the cross helps us to understand what it means to live our lives under the shadow of the cross. Let’s think about each of the persons who, out of devotion to the Savior, drew near to the cross that day and what the cross possibly meant to each of them.
1. For Mary Magdalene, The Cross Was A Place Of Redemption.
Mary Magdalene had been delivered by the Lord Jesus Christ. She is mentioned in Luke 8:2 as a woman out of whom Jesus had cast seven demons. She had been in bondage to Satan, but had been delivered by the power of the Savior. No doubt, as she stood at the foot of the cross that day, she contemplated the depth of the Lord’s love for her as He willingly paid the penalty for her sin, so that she might be set free!
Some of you today also need to find a place of redemption. You are in need of a fresh start as was Mary. To you the Holy Spirit would say, "Draw near to the cross!"
Draw near to the cross and recognize that God came in human form in the person of Jesus Christ for one purpose - to pay the penalty for your sin and make possible a way whereby you might have forgiveness of sin, freedom from guilt and eternal fellowship with God!
None of us can go back to the beginning of our life and make a brand new start; but by the grace of God and because of the cross, we can start from where we are and make a brand new end.
No matter who you are or what you have done, when you come to the cross, you will find a place of redemption.
2. For The Wife Of Cleopas, The Cross Was A Place Of Resolve.
We know nothing else about the third Mary at the cross except that she was the wife of Cleopas. This, however, tells us something significant about her.
The fact that John mentions Cleopas by name, indicates that he was a person known to the recipients of John’s gospel. The recipients of John’s gospel were, in all likelihood, believers for whom John was seeking to pass down his Holy Spirit inspired recollections about the life and ministry of Jesus. That Clepoas was known to them indicates that he too, was a believer, perhaps of some renown.
If indeed, this is the case, the question arises, where was he, while his wife was at the cross? Our conclusion would be that either he was an unbeliever at the time, who later came to Christ by the time John wrote his gospel; or he was a believer at the time whose devotion was much less than that of his wife’s, but who later developed a great level of commitment to the Savior.
In either case, we can see how Clepoas’ wife, Mary, was a lady whose resolve to remain devoted to Jesus regardless of what others might say or do, eventually had a positive impact upon her husband. No doubt, as she stood at the foot of the cross that day, witnessing the lengths to which Jesus was willing to go for her sake, she was inspired to go to whatever lengths were required in living for His sake! For her, the cross was a place of resolve!
Perhaps the need some of you have today is for renewed commitment to live for the Savior. Perhaps you find that your family, your friends, or those with whom you work or attend school are not supportive of your devotion to Christ. To you the Holy Spirit would say, "Draw near to the cross!" Draw near to cross and find inspiration and motivation to keep on living for the one who died for you.
William Tanner, former president of the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, tells the story from his boyhood in a small town in Texas. There, he would sneak off every week to see a display which an insurance salesman would put in his store window. This was during World War II and the salesman would put a different display about the war effort in his window each week. He himself had four sons in the war (all of whom returned safely). Once Tanner rounded the corner of the building and was greeted with the shocking sight of a picture which had been blown up to a size of about three feet by three feet. It was a picture of a soldier lying face down with his hel¬met blown off of his head, his arm outstretched, seemingly reaching for the weapon which laid just beyond his grasp. But the caption caught even more attention: "What have you done for your country today that a soldier should die for you tomorrow?" That’s a question we should still be asking.
As you draw near the cross, let it be a place of resolve for you to remain faithful to live for the One who died for you!
3. For Salome, The Cross Was A Place Of Rebuke.
Salome was the name of Mary’s sister, the mother of Jesus’ cousins, James and John, and the wife of Zebedee. We remember her most of all, for the request she made of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 20:20-22.
“It was about that time that the mother of the Zebedee brothers came with her two sons and knelt before Jesus with a request. ‘What do you want?’ Jesus asked. She said, ‘Give your word that these two sons of mine will be awarded the highest places of honor in your kingdom, one at your right hand, one at your left hand.’ Jesus responded, ‘You have no idea what you’re asking.’ And he said to James and John, ‘Are you capable of drinking the cup that I’m about to drink?’ They said, ‘Sure, why not?’” - Mathew 20:20-22 (The Message)
I believe Salome didn’t understand what Jesus was referring to until she stood at the foot of the cross. There, at the foot of the cross, she was rebuked for her selfishness. There, at the foot of the cross, she finally understood that life in the kingdom of God has nothing to do with seeking one’s personal
preferences, or having one’s own way. It has, instead, to do with entering into and sharing our Lord’s passion for seeing a world that is lost in sin find forgiveness through His love! As a follower of Jesus Christ, we are called to "share in His sufferings" (1 Peter 4:13; Colossians 1:24), we are called to "drink the cup He drank” (Matthew 20:22), which simply means that we should become so passionate about seeing others come to Jesus that we are willing, as Jesus was, to suffer whatever might be necessary to see that happen.
I believe Christ is calling our church to be willing to drink from the cup He drank from, he is calling us to become passionate about reaching out to our community in relevant ways, to be willing to get out of our "comfort zones," to reach as many people as we can, anywhere we can, in anyway we can for Christ. To truly be a Great Commission church. To respond to this call, however, will require a willingness to make whatever adjustments are needed, a willingness to sacrifice our personal preferences if need be, in order to reach people for Jesus.
"We don’t exist as a church for ourselves. We exist for the people who are not yet here. That has implications in every aspect of church life: everything from the parking lot, buildings, schedules, programs, everything. Everything needs to be geared to those who are not yet in our church. In most churches it is just the opposite. They are geared to accommodate the people who are there." - Michael Dean, Pastor Travis Avenue Baptist Church, Ft Worth
Yes, it will require a willingness to set our personal preferences aside if we are going to reach people for the Lord and for His church. And it will also require adjustments on our part once we see those folks come into the church fellowship. Such is the price we must pay to be a Great Commission church. Such is the price we must be willing to pay to be a church that is "alive" rather than "dead."
Live churches have space problems: parking, classrooms, etc.; Dead churches have no worry about space. Live churches are always changing things; Dead churches don’t have to, they just stay the same. Live churches have noisy children and young people; Dead churches are fairly quiet and serene. Live churches have a shortage of staff; Dead churches usually have a surplus. Live churches are always overspending their budgets; Dead churches maintain large bank accounts.
Live churches struggle to remember new names; Dead churches, everybody knows everybody, for years! Live churches have a problem developing new leaders; Dead churches don’t. They just use the same ones over and over. Live churches spend much on “mis¬sions”; Dead churches keep it all at home. Live churches are filled with givers; Dead churches are filled with tippers. Live churches operate primarily on Faith; Dead churches operate totally on Sight. Live churches strain to learn and serve; Dead churches seek rest and comfort. Live churches Evangelize; Dead churches Fossilize!
“We count how many people came to church. God counts how many didn’t show up.” - Sam Williams, Innovative Church Growth Conference
To some of you the Holy Spirit is saying, "Draw near to the cross!" Be reminded of why Jesus came and what the church of Jesus Christ is all about! Jesus doesn’t call us to be comfortable within the four walls of a building, He calls us to fulfill the Great Commission. Come to the cross today, and replace your promotion of self with a passion for souls!
4. For Mary, The Cross Was A Place Of Reward.
As Mary stood at the foot of the cross that day, perhaps she recalled the words of Simeon.
"This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too." - Luke 2:34-35 (NIV)
How she must have suffered to see her son wrongly accused, unjustly tried and horribly put to death!
As one thinks about it, she could possibly have spared her son’s life by protesting to the authorities that He was insane. As a mother, it would have been natural for her to make some attempt to see her son’s life spared! But she didn’t. Why? Because she chose to submit her will to God’s will. Yes, Mary suffered as she saw the WAY her son died; but she was silent because she knew WHY her son died! Mary lost a son, but she had found a Savior!
Mary was willing to die to her desires and submit to God’s desire. As a result, she was rewarded with a blessing far greater than she could have ever imagined! God wants to bless you as well! That’s why Jesus died for you, to bring about good things in your life as you submit to his will for you! To some of you the Holy Spirit is saying, "Draw near to the cross!" Be reminded of the fact that Jesus died so that you might live. Submit yourself afresh to His will for your life today!
5. For John, The Cross Was A Place Of Responsibility.
As John stood at the feet of the cross, he was given a responsibility. He was more than willing to assume this responsibility in light of the sacrifice Jesus had made for him.
Just as surely as the Lord had an important task for John to perform, He has a task for each of us today. In light of the task Jesus performed on our behalf, you and I ought to be more than willing to accept whatever task He might assign us.
To fulfill the mission that God has given us as a church, we need many who will say, "Because of my love for Jesus. 1 will labor in the field for the cause of Christ."
Laborers are few. They were few in Jesus’ day and they are few today. Churchgoers are many. But laborers are few. Why does this situation persist year after year? Why are there never enough laborers? The devil no doubt attacks us at the point of laboring for Christ.
Try to imagine the impact of a church on a community if every member of that church was a dedicated laborer, totally given over to Christ and His cause.
Our church needs people whose greatest desire is to discover and fulfill God’s will for their lives. Laborers who upon leaving the sanctuary each Sunday go out into the world with the consuming desire to know Christ and to make Him known to others.
“He who is not with me is against me and he who does not gather with me scatters.” - Matthew 12:30 (NIV)
To some of you the Holy Spirit is saying, "Draw near to the cross!" Hear the voice of the Savior as He assigns you a specific task to do, then go and do it!
Conclusion; The Holy Spirit is saying, "Draw near to the cross!" As you do, some of you will find it a place of redemption, others a place of resolve, others a place of rebuke, others a place of reward, and to others a place of responsibility!
