This Lesson is part of John’s Gospel Easy Notes Series.
John 19:25 speaks of four women. It included Mary the mother of Jesus. They all showed remarkable courage in being near the cross.
Let us examine our lives. Are we standing near the cross of Jesus?
First of all, Jesus sees you when you are near the cross.
Of course, he sees and knows everybody. But those who stand near the cross are people who are dear to him. Here he sees and especially takes note of his mother Mary and John.
Secondly, those who stand near the cross are united by Christ in sweet fellowship.
We haven’t seen anything of suffering that Christians have seen and experienced in persecuted lands. They are persecuted because of their nearness to the cross all the time. Those dear brothers and sisters are brought near to each other in pure fellowship by Jesus like how he brought Mary his mother and John his disciple into each other’s care.
Finally, standing near the cross is an attitude.
It is like the sword that was predicted to pass through Mary’s soul (Luke 2:35b). Standing near the cross is a death-like experience. To us Paul says, “Count yourselves dead to sin (Romans 6:11a). This is an attitude we need to cultivate and remind ourselves each day. No dead man or woman can be tempted by life’s pleasures. The secret is nearness to the cross of Jesus.
I listened to a retired Reverend speak on Romans 12:1 during a concert. He was speaking about “living sacrifices.” He asked a question to the audience: “When do you think a Kamikaze Pilot dies?” He then answered that question: “The moment he decides to be a Kamikaze Pilot!” At that moment he was already dead in his mind. This is the true attitude of standing near the cross of Jesus.
Note: Kamikaze refer to any of the Japanese pilots who in World War II made deliberate suicidal crashes into enemy targets, usually ships. The pilot had no means of getting out once the missile was fastened to the aircraft that would launch it.