At the Cross

Many gathered to witness this strange scene firsthand. They came to see one crucified person, unlike all others.

There, at the Cross, the world gathered with its various types and ideas. There were spectators. The people stood watching, as hundreds of thousands of people flocked to the city, present in almost every place. Now, the opportunity was available for many to watch the Galilean suffer the pain of the cross. The prophecy truly said of them:

"They gazed and stared at me" (Psalm 22:17).

Today, too, there are those for whom the death of Christ means nothing more than a spectacle to contemplate for entertainment and to pass the time... How unfortunate! Among them were the chief priests who mocked, along with the scribes and elders. There were also mockers. They were the leaders of the people, the chief priests and religious leaders, whose hearts were filled with mockery and ridicule as they lashed out at him with their cutting tongues, calling him a destroyer of the temple... a person who relied on God, and other words laced with sarcastic tones and looks of arrogance. They challenged him to come down from the cross so that they would believe... These are the well-known conditions that those in high positions and with dissolute shoulders boast about: If God does such and such, then I will believe in Him... What a loss. A third category is the enemies, of whom it was said:"A company of evildoers surrounded me; they pierced my hands and my feet."These are the soldiers who poured out their wrath on that gentle man, piercing his hands and feet, piercing his side with a spear, and even dividing his garments, which they had stripped off, and casting lots for his clothing. Thus, with all cruelty and contempt, people transgressed against the Holy and Righteous One, tearing apart his body, though he had come to heal them. They stripped him naked, though he had come to clothe them… How amazing! The fourth group is the believers... these are his beloved ones, despite their small number and weakness. They came with broken, loyal hearts and tearful eyes to take one last look at those who loved them and who loved him. Among them were his acquaintances and women who had followed him from Galilee, standing afar off, but their hearts were closer to him than all others.

He was afraid, he fled, he denied, but these beloved ones stood firm and did not depart. How could they not, when they had touched the love of his compassionate heart and came to show him their loyalty, even if only for the last time?

Allow me to ask you: "Which group do you belong to?" You might say, "How can I leave the majority and be with a small group who follow him?" A valid question I invite you to hear Christ answer:

"Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter by it. For narrow is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few find it."(Matthew 7:13-14)

Written by Brother/Makram Mashraqi