Mary at the Cross
I recently heard the term “split the baby,’’ and although I know vaguely the origin of that saying, I did a little digging for clarification. The expression, albeit gruesome in reality, is typically used to bring truth to light. It originated when two women came to King Solomon, both had given birth but one child had died. Each claimed to be the living child’s mother, so Solomon ordered for the boy to be cut in half. One woman cried out, “No, let him live and give him to her.” Solomon knew then that she was the “real” mother, because a mother would rather lose her child to another than to lose him in death.
I like watching crime drama and medical drama shows on TV. When kids are arrested, mothers come forward vehemently defending their children; whether they’re guilty or innocent, they don’t want to see their kids go to jail. On medical shows, you see parents pacing the floors, desperate to get word from the doctors about their child, sometimes getting emotionally violent when they receive a bad report. I prefaced all of that to say this—why was Mary silent at the cross?
I’m not talking about crying…I’m sure she was weeping, but why was she not screaming for a second opinion; why was she not shouting for Him to be released to her; why was she not demanding that He receive a fair trial? I can’t find anywhere in the bible where it talks about her actions at the cross, and had she, I’m guessing one of the four, Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, would have recorded it. I think it’s because she knew at that point in time, it was no longer about her being His mother, it was about her being a believer of the Messiah. She understood His mission, and though it grieved her deeply, in the depths of her heart maybe she had some sense of pride, knowing her Son would save the world through His death. At that moment, sacrificial love became evident, and as a true believer, there is no other real response other than to acknowledge what Jesus did in His last dying moment, “not My will, but Thy will be done.”
As we approach Easter, let us not dwell too heavily on the horrific things Jesus endured, but instead ponder the love of a Father who would send his Son to die a sinless death so that we could have everlasting life and that our sins could be forgiven.