4/18/2020 Alfred Station Seventh Day BAPTIST Pastor Ken “Room At the Cross Of Jesus” John 19:25-27
In this scripture there are three women named Mary:
** Mary Magdalene-
Her name appears 12 times in the four gospels. Her name appears more times than some of the apostles. She comes from the town of Magdala and that’s why she is called Mary Magdalene. If you came from West Palm Beach, you may be called Larry of West Palm Beach. Now Mary Magdalene was one of the women who walked with Jesus and His Apostles and supported them with her own resources-money. She may have been a wealthy person.
Mary Magdalene had also previously been filled with seven demons which Jesus cast out of her. Demons are very real and they work by either having an influence on us or by possession of us. When you are an empty vessel then demons can possess you. Jesus told us a parable of a man who cleaned himself up of a demon but then more demons came back to possess him because he was an empty vessel. When we have the Holy Ghost in us, all that demons can do to us is influence us.
** Mary, the sister of Jesus’s mother-
The word sister means sister, not cousin or friend. She is related by flesh and blood, the sister of Jesus’s mother and the wife of Cleophas. And yes, we know nothing about who Cleophas is or was.
**Mary, the mother of Jesus-
We think of her as Christmas Mary. She is the one that the angel Gabriel went to tell of the birth of Jesus when she was a virgin. This is the Mary that went to the temple with her newborn baby. This is the Mary that searched Jerusalem for the 12 year old Jesus when he stayed behind. This is the Mary that was at the wedding in Cana when she told Jesus that they ran out of wine.
I believe that the “beloved” Apostle is John the brother of James. They were called the Sons of Thunder. This is the same John that was at the Lord’s last supper who asked Jesus who would betray Him. This is the John that stood at the foot of Jesus’s Cross. Jesus is on the Cross and He is going to give a blessing to his mother Mary. He said “woman behold your son”. Look at your son John, who will take on the responsibility for you. Jesus then looks at John and asks him to be a blessing to his mother by taking on the responsibility for Mary. Jesus said “woman behold thy son and man behold they mother”.
Jesus Christ is still offering a blessing today from the Cross. Jesus is calling us to be an instrument of blessing to others. We are all standing at the foot of Jesus’s Cross and He is asking will we be a blessing. There are others who need Salvation and they need to accept the Gift of Life. You, who need salvation, need to say you accept the blessing of Salvation from Jesus. Because right now you are separated from God by sin. There is room at the cross for you. Thank God for this blessing that Jesus has given us today.
AMEN
In this scripture there are three women named Mary:
** Mary Magdalene-
Her name appears 12 times in the four gospels. Her name appears more times than some of the apostles. She comes from the town of Magdala and that’s why she is called Mary Magdalene. If you came from West Palm Beach, you may be called Larry of West Palm Beach. Now Mary Magdalene was one of the women who walked with Jesus and His Apostles and supported them with her own resources-money. She may have been a wealthy person.
Mary Magdalene had also previously been filled with seven demons which Jesus cast out of her. Demons are very real and they work by either having an influence on us or by possession of us. When you are an empty vessel then demons can possess you. Jesus told us a parable of a man who cleaned himself up of a demon but then more demons came back to possess him because he was an empty vessel. When we have the Holy Ghost in us, all that demons can do to us is influence us.
** Mary, the sister of Jesus’s mother-
The word sister means sister, not cousin or friend. She is related by flesh and blood, the sister of Jesus’s mother and the wife of Cleophas. And yes, we know nothing about who Cleophas is or was.
**Mary, the mother of Jesus-
We think of her as Christmas Mary. She is the one that the angel Gabriel went to tell of the birth of Jesus when she was a virgin. This is the Mary that went to the temple with her newborn baby. This is the Mary that searched Jerusalem for the 12 year old Jesus when he stayed behind. This is the Mary that was at the wedding in Cana when she told Jesus that they ran out of wine.
I believe that the “beloved” Apostle is John the brother of James. They were called the Sons of Thunder. This is the same John that was at the Lord’s last supper who asked Jesus who would betray Him. This is the John that stood at the foot of Jesus’s Cross. Jesus is on the Cross and He is going to give a blessing to his mother Mary. He said “woman behold your son”. Look at your son John, who will take on the responsibility for you. Jesus then looks at John and asks him to be a blessing to his mother by taking on the responsibility for Mary. Jesus said “woman behold thy son and man behold they mother”.
Jesus Christ is still offering a blessing today from the Cross. Jesus is calling us to be an instrument of blessing to others. We are all standing at the foot of Jesus’s Cross and He is asking will we be a blessing. There are others who need Salvation and they need to accept the Gift of Life. You, who need salvation, need to say you accept the blessing of Salvation from Jesus. Because right now you are separated from God by sin. There is room at the cross for you. Thank God for this blessing that Jesus has given us today.
AMEN