Watching

This is little Alana and at this point in life, she
is watching and learning. 

Scripture:

Luke 23:44   It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, ⁴⁵ while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. ⁴⁶ Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last. ⁴⁷ When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent.”  ⁴⁸ And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. ⁴⁹ But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Observation:

Luke has provided us with great detail of these last days of Jesus’ life, however, the final moments of the crucifixion scene are summarized in this brief paragraph. He speaks of darkness and the failure of the sun to shine. There is a kind of cosmic shift that is happening in this moment when time begins to crawl by. The curtain is torn in two, and it seems that in this moment, “two realities, worldly and heavenly, are momentarily conjoined, and Jesus slips silently through the curtain” (Neale, NBBC). Just one cry is uttered from Jesus’ lips in Luke’s account, and this, a quote from Psalm 31. Amazingly, he cried out in a loud voice when he would have had little strength left, even to breathe. 

Interestingly, Luke mentions the centurion who does not declare Jesus as the Son of God, as is recorded in other gospels, but simply states that Jesus was innocent. Some believe that this is intentional, for only those in Jesus’ inner circle have identified Jesus as the Son of God in Luke’s gospel. The centurion is not a part of that inner circle and yet, he has witnessed something this day which makes him believe in the innocence of Jesus. Maybe he is a part of the crowd that begins to beat their breasts in a sign of repentance and grief. 

Luke continually reminds us that Jesus’ inner circle included women. They had followed him, along with the rest of the disciples, all the way from Galilee. They were eye-witnesses to all that happened that day. They were attentively watching and soaking in all that was happening, and some day, they would be able to share their story with the world. 

Application:

From the very opening of Luke’s gospel we find women who are watching, and in the second chapter, Mary who is pondering all of this in her heart. There are events throughout life that do not require an instant commentary. We must recognize that we don’t always understand all that is going on, and that things may be developing in a cosmic realm beyond our comprehension. Sometimes the very best response may be to simply stand back and watch. 

Prayer:

Lord, help me to learn more about you from all that I experience today, tomorrow and into the future. Amen.