And we read about the Lamb in John
chapter 19, beginning at verse 17 and reading
through verse 27.
And he bearing his cross went forth into
a place called the place of a skull,
which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha, where
they crucified him and two others with him,
on either side, one and Jesus in the
midst.
And Pilate wrote a title and put it
on the cross, and the writing was Jesus
of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.
This title then read many of the Jews
for the place where Jesus was crucified was
near to the city, and it was written
in Hebrew and Greek and Latin.
Then said the chief priests of the Jews
to Pilate, write not the King of the
Jews, but he said, I am King of
the Jews.
Pilate answered, what I have written, I have
written.
Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus,
took his garments and made four parts to
every soldier apart, and also his coat.
Now the coat was without seam woven from
the top throughout.
They said, therefore, among themselves, let us not
tear it, but cast lots for it, whose
it shall be, that the scripture might be
fulfilled, which saith, they parted my raiment among
them, and for my vesture they did cast
lots.
These things, therefore, the soldiers did.
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus
his mother and his mother's sister, Mary, the
wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus therefore saw his mother and the
disciples standing by whom he loved, he saith
unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son.
Then saith he to the disciple, behold thy
mother.
And from that hour that disciple took her
unto his own home.
If you and I had been in Jerusalem
that Passover afternoon when our Lord Jesus was
crucified, I wonder how near we would have
been to the cross.
It's one thing for us to sing, Jesus
keep me near the cross, and it's quite
something else to practice it.
It took some courage for those people to
be near the cross.
The soldiers were there out of duty.
The four women and John were there out
of devotion.
And it wasn't the easiest place to be,
and it wasn't the most popular place to
be.
But it's the place where their hearts took
them, near the cross.
What kind of a place is that?
Of course, I'm not talking about geography.
No one today can stand near the cross
because the cross is not there.
Were you to make a trip to the
Holy Land, they would show you two locations,
possibly one of them is the correct one.
But no one has a spiritual blessing from
a geographical position.
We're talking about spiritual geography.
We're talking about a step of faith that
takes us near to Jesus Christ.
We're talking about what it means spiritually to
be near the cross.
I think this third word from the cross,
woman behold thy son, behold thy mother, helps
us to understand the distinctives of this place
near the cross.
And I'd like for us to interview four
of these persons who were standing near the
cross, and I want to ask each of
them one question.
What kind of a place is it near
the cross?
What are its distinctives?
Let's begin with Mary Magdalene.
And we ask her, Mary, what kind of
a place is it near the cross?
And Mary Magdalene looks at us and she
says, to me, it's a place of redemption.
What do we know about Mary Magdalene?
Well, not a great deal.
We're told in Luke chapter 8 and verse
2 that Mary Magdalene at one time had
been possessed by seven demons.
There was a time when modern society raised
their eyebrows and smiled at things like demon
possession.
Now they don't do that anymore.
We're having a multitude of books come off
the press written not by evangelical Christians, but
by people who make no pretense of evangelical
theology talking about demon possession.
Mary Magdalene at one time had been the
home of seven demons.
And one day she came to Jesus Christ
and Jesus Christ set her free.
He redeemed her.
And someone is saying, oh, I'm glad that
I'm not the home of seven demons.
And yet I read in Ephesians chapter 2
that all of those who have never trusted
Jesus Christ as their Savior are indwelt by
and possessed by the spirit that now worketh
in the children of disobedience.
In other words, it's possible that someone is
listening to me right now who is in
the same condition spiritually as Mary Magdalene was,
and you desperately need to come near the
cross because that is the place of redemption.
A modern world sometimes laughs at a concept
of Satan, but I would read to you
from Acts chapter 26 verse 18, what our
ministry is today, what Jesus does for people
like Mary Magdalene.
God said to the Apostle Paul, I'm sending
you to open their eyes, to turn them
from darkness to light, from the power of
Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness
of sins and inheritance among them who are
sanctified by faith that is in me.
Now, this verse describes for us what happened
to Mary and what happened to many of
us and what can happen to some of
you.
There was a time when she was blind,
but then her eyes were open and she
could see.
There was a time when she was in
darkness, but then she was translated out of
darkness into light.
There was a time when Mary Magdalene was
possessed by Satan, but now by faith in
Jesus Christ she experiences the power of God.
There was a time when she was weighed
down by the guilt of sin, but she's
been moved from guilt to forgiveness.
There was a time when she was poor.
Satan always makes people poor.
The thief cometh not but for to steal
and to kill and to destroy, but there
was a time when Mary trusted Jesus Christ
and she was moved out of poverty into
the inheritance that belongs to those who are
Christians.
And all of this happened by faith.
Someone listening to me right now is guilty
in darkness.
Your eyes are blinded.
Satan has enslaved you.
Guilt has weighted you down and you're getting
more and more spiritually poor.
Your spiritual investments are zero and the only
wages you are receiving are the wages of
sin.
And I say to you, why don't you
come to the cross?
Mary says that near the cross is the
place of redemption.
And if the Son shall make you free,
you will be free indeed.
No wonder Luke chapter 8 verse 3 tells
me that after Mary was redeemed, when her
eyes were opened and her burden was lifted
and she moved into the light, no wonder
she ministered to Jesus Christ out of her
means.
I don't know what means she had, but
everything she had she gave to Jesus Christ
because he'd redeemed her.
And her unsaved friend said, Mary, why are
you doing that?
Because I'm not my own.
I've been bought with a price.
But Mary, why are you giving him that?
Because it's his.
He redeemed me.
And when Mary stood there near the cross,
she saw her redeemer and she realized that
for him to be able to deliver her,
he could not be delivered.
He saved others himself he cannot save.
Mary's eyes were opened, but our Lord's eyes
were blindfolded.
Mary was moved out of darkness into light,
but Jesus went out of light into darkness.
Mary was moved out of the kingdom of
Satan into the kingdom of God, but Jesus
had to have all the waves and the
billows of judgment go over him.
Mary's guilt was washed away, but Jesus bore
on his body our sins.
Mary became rich because Jesus Christ became the
poorest of the poor on the cross.
Near the cross, it's a place of redemption.
Let's talk to Mary's sister who was standing
there.
Her name was Salome.
She was the mother of James and John,
the wife of Zebedee.
And she was standing there with Mary.
And we say to her, two of your
sons are disciples.
Yes.
They forsook all to follow Christ.
Yes.
You're standing here near the cross.
Is it because you want to be near
your sister Mary?
Well, partly.
Why are you standing here?
What is this place like near the cross?
And Salome says to us, to me, it's
a place of rebuke.
Rebuke.
Yes.
Do you remember one day this woman came
up to the Lord Jesus and she bowed
before him and she said to him, I
would that you'll give to me whatever I
ask.
And Jesus said, what do you want?
She said, Lord, I want that these two
sons of mine, James and John, sit on
either side of you on thrones in the
kingdom.
Now let's give credit where credit is due.
She believed in a kingdom.
She believed in prayer.
She believed that Jesus would one day reign.
But it was a very selfish prayer.
Now, don't criticize her.
You and I have prayed selfish prayers.
You and I have lived long enough to
be thankful for unanswered prayer.
Lord, I will that you put my two
sons on thrones.
And when the other disciples heard about it,
they were angry and there was an argument.
You know why they were angry?
Because they didn't think of it first.
And Jesus said to her very quietly, you
don't know what you're asking.
Can you drink the cup that I'm going
to drink?
That's how you get to the throne.
Can you experience the baptism that I'm going
to experience?
That's how you get to the throne.
James, you want a throne?
Then go find a cross.
John, you want a throne?
Go find a cross.
And as Salome stood there near the cross,
it was a place of rebuke.
As she saw Jesus wearing a crown of
thorns, as she saw the Lord Jesus reigning
not from a throne, but from a tree,
she must have shed some very hot, bitter
tears and said, Oh God, how selfish I've
been.
James indeed did drink of the cup.
He was the first of the apostles to
be slain.
John did indeed go through the baptism.
He lived the longest and spent his latter
years in exile on the Isle of Patmos
working in the Roman salt mines.
Salome tells me that near the cross is
a place of rebuke.
And we need that rebuke today.
Salome could have stood there and sung, When
I survey the wondrous cross, On which the
young prince of glory died, My richest gain
I count but loss, And poor contempt on
all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save
in the cross of Christ my God.
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.
The cross rebukes our worldliness.
It rebukes our cheap values.
It rebukes our selfish ambitions.
It rebukes our Christian competition.
It rebukes our blessed bragging.
Near the cross is a place of rebuke.
And whenever you hear someone telling you how
great he is, you mark it down.
He's not been near the cross.
When you have someone showing you all that
he has accumulated and all that he is
worth, you mark it down.
He's never been near the cross.
Much that passes for glamour in our evangelical
world today would disintegrate into garbage if we
would just get it near the cross.
Let's talk to Mary.
Our Lord Jesus did not speak to Salome
and he did not speak to Mary Magdalene,
but he spoke to Mary.
Mary, you're standing here near the cross.
What kind of a place is it?
What are the distinctives of this place where
you're standing?
And Mary quietly says, it's a place of
reward.
Reward, yes.
John begins his gospel, chapter two, with Mary
and Jesus.
And John, as he draws his gospel to
a close in chapter 19, brings us Mary
and Jesus.
And what a contrast.
Chapter two, a wedding.
Chapter 19, a funeral.
Chapter two, joy.
Wine is flowing.
And to the that was a symbol of
joy.
Chapter 19, sorrow and blood is flowing.
You first meet Mary in the gospel of
John, and there's a miracle and he reveals
his glory.
There's no miracle.
There's weakness, not power.
There's shame, not glory.
In John chapter two, Mary speaks to him.
In John chapter 19, Jesus speaks to Mary.
The silence of Mary at the cross is
significant.
The only person in all of Jerusalem who
could have delivered Jesus from the cross was
Mary.
All she had to do was walk up
to the priests and the leaders and say,
I am his mother.
What he has told you is not true.
But she didn't say that.
She knew he was the Son of God.
She knew he was the Messiah of Israel.
She knew who he was and what he
was and what he came to do.
And her silence says to me, I can
believe who he is and what he is.
Now she was not standing by the cross
to assist him in redemption.
She was standing by the cross because years
before a prophecy had been given.
Do you remember when Joseph and Mary took
Jesus into the temple to have him registered
and they met Simeon?
And Simeon took that baby and he said,
Lord, now permit your servant to depart in
peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.
And he looked at Mary and said, yea,
a sword shall pierce through thine own soul
also.
And it did.
From the very conception of Jesus through to
the crucifixion of Jesus, Mary was experiencing that
sword of sorrow, the shame of his conception.
Mary and Joseph had to get married.
And then when he's just a little infant,
because of him, innocent babies were killed in
Bethlehem.
When Jesus was 12 years old, for three
days he stayed away from his mother and
foster father.
They found him and Mary said, why is
it we have been seeking you sorrowing?
And then he came down to the Jordan
River and he was baptized and he left
the carpenter's shop.
And his brothers thought he was crazy.
One day Jesus was teaching a group of
people and the room was so jammed nobody
else could get in.
Someone said, your mother and your brethren are
outside.
And Jesus said, who is my mother?
Who are my brethren?
Whoever does the will of God, the same
as my mother and my brother.
And she was seeing a growing alienation from
her firstborn son.
Psalm 69 puts it, I have become an
alien unto my mother's children, a stranger unto
my brethren.
Now he's dead.
The last of the cords is going to
be cut.
The sword is going to pierce deeper than
ever.
Now he's dying.
It's bad enough that he's dying, but where
he is dying, out in public, how he
is dying, on a cross like a criminal,
why he is dying, because his own people
are so ignorant.
And Jesus, in all of his agony and
pain, notices Mary.
That's unusual.
You know, when you're going through pain, you
are selfish.
Did you know that?
We're all made this way.
When you and I have pain, we don't
care about anybody else's problems.
We hurt.
Jesus hurt, but he had shown love to
his enemies.
Father, forgive them.
They know not what they do.
And he showed love to a repentant sinner.
Today you'll be with me in paradise.
And he showed love now to his own
family.
And he rewarded Mary.
He said to her, woman, now that was
a title of address.
He was not being disrespectful.
It's a good thing he didn't say mother,
because someone would have caught that and said,
you are his mother.
Hey, there's his mother.
He would spare her the shame and the
pain.
Woman, behold thy son.
He wasn't talking about himself.
He was talking about John.
And then he looks at John and says,
behold thy mother.
Salome could have raised her hand and said,
Lord, I'm his mother.
But she kept quiet.
It was all part of the rebuke.
You know what he's saying?
He's saying, woman, John is the closest thing
to my heart.
This is the disciple that I love.
He's the one who was always close to
my heart.
Now I'm going back to heaven.
And you can no longer know me after
the flesh.
All physical human relationships now end, and we
move much higher into spiritual relationships.
But Mary, woman, my brethren don't believe in
me.
I can't turn you over to them.
And so I'm giving you John.
All of her suffering was rewarded.
I would love sometime to talk with you
about the greatest gift that God can give
us next to salvation.
You know what that is?
People who love us.
When you've got that, you've got everything.
The greatest gift in the world is not
riches, it's relationships.
And Jesus said to her, woman, I'm going
to establish from this cross a whole new
relationship.
Here's a whole new family.
Here's my choice disciple.
He'll care for you.
To Mary, being near the cross meant being
in a place of reward.
You've suffered.
You felt the sword.
You misunderstood.
You've questioned.
You've wondered.
But you're standing there by the cross.
And I say to you, don't get bitter.
He'll reward you.
He felt the sword.
Near the cross is a place of reward.
Now let's talk to John.
John, you're the only one of the disciples
standing here.
Yeah.
We all forsook him and fled.
Oh, he told us that we would.
He said this night they're going to smite
the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered.
This night, all of you are going to
be scandalized because of me.
But where's Peter?
Peter had said, Lord, I will go with
you to prison and to death.
Oh, says John, I didn't say that openly,
but we all said that in our hearts.
Don't criticize Peter.
All of us are to blame.
But John, you came back.
Yes, I came back.
John, what kind of a place is it
that you're standing at near the cross?
To Mary Magdalene, it's a place of redemption.
And to Salome, it was a place of
rebuke.
And to Mary, it's a place of reward.
What is it to you?
It's a place of responsibility.
He has asked me to take his place.
He was the son who was caring for
the mother.
Now I am the son who's caring for
the mother.
He has given to me the greatest responsibility
anybody ever could have.
I am taking his place on this earth.
And so we glibly sing beneath the cross
of Jesus, I fain would take my stand.
Don't you sing like that unless you know
the feeling of responsibility.
Many Christians today don't know the meaning of
responsibility.
Fun?
Yeah.
Enjoyment?
Sure.
Praise?
Yes.
Responsibility?
No.
We're paying other people to do it.
I'm not responsible to witness.
We pay people to do that.
One of the great weaknesses in the evangelical
church today is that Christians don't get near
enough to the cross to feel their responsibility
before God.
I'm not responsible to pray.
I'm not responsible to witness.
I'm not responsible to give.
When I was privileged to minister in Kenya
a few weeks ago, I sat and listened
to a national evangelist, one of the converts
in the Kenya church, give a message.
I do not understand Swahili.
I don't know one word he said, except
that the fellow sitting next to me was
quickly and occasionally giving me highlights.
I said, what's he talking about?
He's so enthusiastic.
And the other man, there were five or
six hundred of them were saying, hey man,
how are you?
They were happy with the message.
And he's talking about giving, giving, giving.
He's saying to these pastors and church leaders
that if they don't lead the way in
giving, nobody can.
I looked at the crowd and nobody was
well dressed.
Nobody looked as though he had very much
to give.
And yet he gave a message on giving
that brought revival to the conference.
That man had been near the cross.
He knew the meaning of responsibility.
You say I want to get near to
the cross.
All right.
Expect responsibility.
Our Lord is going to say, I've got
something for you to do.
You're going to take my place.
I'm no longer there on earth.
I'm up here in heaven.
I'm going to give you the Holy Spirit's
power, but I can't go to those neighbors.
You go.
You're taking my place.
I can't go to Nigeria, but you go.
By the way, right now they're crying for
thousands of teachers to come to Nigeria to
help.
Responsibility.
Our response to his ability near the cross.
And sometimes I think the heart of our
Savior must be broken the way we flippantly,
joyfully, carelessly glide through life and let everybody
else carry the burden.
Jesus Christ gave to John the greatest privilege
anybody could have, the privilege of taking his
place in the world.
And we beseech you in Christ's stead, be
reconciled to God near the cross.
That's an easy theme to sing about.
It's a difficult experience of faith.
How do we get near the cross?
I don't mean geographically.
I mean spiritually.
Perhaps you need redemption.
You've never been saved and you say, I
want to get near the cross.
I need a Savior.
What do I do?
You reach out by faith and you say,
look, you died for me.
I am a sinner.
It's hard to find guilty people today.
Very few people want to admit that they're
sinners.
And so if I speak to a lost
sinner and you say I need redemption, I
say to you, reach out by faith, come
by faith and receive Jesus Christ and you'll
be near the cross.
That is the place of redemption.
I speak to some selfish saint.
This last week you were hurt because you
had selfish plans and it didn't get fulfilled
and you're hurt.
Somebody hurt your pride and somebody stuck your
ego and you need rebuke.
I would just simply say, come to the
cross.
Come to Jesus Christ by faith.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast.
I speak to some Christian who's been suffering.
You've been faithful.
You've been true to God, but you've been
suffering.
And Satan is saying to you, oh, you're
one of God's children.
How come you're suffering so much?
I say to you, by faith, come near
the cross.
That's the place to come.
Share in the fellowship of His suffering.
It's a place of reward.
Now, if you've never experienced it, don't criticize
it.
But if you've known the fellowship of His
suffering, you also experience the power of His
resurrection.
Don't ask me how.
It's the strange chemistry of the grace of
God that you come to the cross and
suddenly suffering turns to glory and burdens take
wings and become blessings.
It's a place of reward.
Perhaps you're a careless, indifferent, lazy, undisciplined saint
and God wants to put some responsibility on
you.
Then come near the cross.
You say, that's a place of shame.
Yes.
Let us therefore go without the camp bearing
His reproach.
But I'd rather share in His shame today
and have His praise tomorrow than have the
praise of men today and be ashamed before
Him tomorrow.
And so would you.
You come near by faith.
The Lord's Supper doesn't bring you near only
as you apprehend Jesus.
My sermon doesn't even bring you near.
It's possible for someone to have a sentimental,
emotional kind of an experience that will just
evaporate when it hits the cold air.
The thing that brings us near the cross
is honesty and submission and surrender in faith
and a willingness to bear His reproach and
feel His sword.
But oh how wonderful it is when He
speaks to you.
He reigns from the cross.
He was running their lives from the cross
and I want Him to run my life
from the cross.
He's the Lamb upon the throne.
He bears upon His body the marks of
Calvary.
He has a right to run my life.
How near are we to the cross today?
Heavenly Father, I pray that these next minutes
will not be dissipated by distraction, will not
be wasted by argument, and will not be
poisoned by disobedience.
Father, may these next minutes bring about spiritual
revolution in our lives.
Help us by faith to come to the
cross.
Help that lost sinner to come.
Help, oh God, those of us who are
Christians who are selfish and irresponsible to come.
Help the suffering to come to the cross.
And I pray, Father, that as a result
of our faith and obedience, you might use
us to accomplish the work that you have
for us to do in this world.
For Jesus' sake, amen.