After yesterday's sermon, I've been really thinking about what Jesus did for me and us on the Cross...the suffering He endured, the ridicule He had to listen to, the betrayal that took place...all for no reason (except to save us from eternal death)..He was innocent yet He suffered for us, for ME..and I am so undeserving...the scene from the movie "The Passion of the Christ" that moves me beyond words is the one of Mary, his mother, after He has died and she is holding Him in her arms (see below) and the look of utter loss and numbness and grief...I can't watch that scene without crying..it is so emotional for me, perhaps because I am a mother and love my son beyond words..I cannot imagine having to stand by and watch my innocent son go through what Jesus went through for us..sometimes it's hard to imagine the people in the Bible being real people (does anyone else feel like this) as opposed to characters in a "book"..but the people in the Bible WERE real and had the same emotions/connections/weaknesses/strengths/temptations/wants/needs, etc as we do today, they just lived in a different time and culture...that scene reminds me of this..Mary loved Jesus just as I do Chaz..she watched Him grow up from a baby to a toddler to a child Chaz's age and on..and they had the same bonds and memories like we do..and then she had to watch her son go through THAT? for people that didn't understand WHY (and still don't) or appreciate it the least bit? The exact people that tortured and beat Him and nailed Him to the cross were the same people He was taking the place of? Seriously? How must have Mary felt? and how much did Jesus probably want to say "No way, this is too painful, too hard, I want out of this plan"?...and yet, He didn't...
This movie made it real for me...you can read the story over and over, and it not really have the same impact as seeing something similar..and the scary thing is, I'm sure in real life, what Jesus endured was so much worse and more graphic than what they could show on a movie screen..it is uncomfortable and disturbing to watch, but maybe that's what I need to remind me of the price He paid for me..and I need to start being a bit more aware of that...so this week, I am thinking about the Cross and the awful suffering that was endured for me...and that maybe I need to share that with somebody..
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