WATCHWORD:
20 When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified. 21 A passerby named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. (Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.) 22 And they brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). 23 They offered him wine drugged with myrrh, but he refused it. 24 Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross. They divided his clothes and threw dice to decide who would get each piece. Mark 15:20-24
12 Give my greetings to Tryphena and Tryphosa, the Lord’s workers, and to dear Persis, who has worked so hard for the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own. Romans 16:12-13a
Meditation:
Watch the Lamb
I believe we all have had experiences in our times of worshipping the Lord when something stands out and it leaves you with an unforgettable memory that returns to you time after time in ways that deepen your faith. One of mine occurred several years ago when I attended a Good Friday service at the Methodist Church in North Manchester. One of the leaders of that service was a friend of mine. At an appropriate point in the service, in this the saddest day of Holy Week, my friend stood and slowly made his way up the aisle and back, singing the hymn “Watch the Lamb”. I was not alone as we were transported to Calvary, listened to the words, and wiped tears from our eyes.
In the Mark passage, Simon of Cyrene is the man who carried Jesus’ cross, and his two small sons are named, Alexander and Rufus. More than 20 years later, Paul wrote his letter to the church in Rome and singled out a man named Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own. At least one theologian has concluded that this is the son of Simon of Cyrene, and apparently, the young man has followed his father’s advice to “Watch the Lamb”. It is a marvelous Christian ballad, and I offer the lyrics for your prayerful Easter consideration:
Watch the Lamb
Walking On the Road To Jerusalem, The time had come to sacrifice, Again,
My two small sons, They walked beside me down the road, The reason that they came, Was to watch the lamb…
And they said, “Daddy daddy, What will we see there, There’s so much that we don’t understand, ”
So I told them of Moses, And Father Abraham, And I said dear children,
“Watch the lamb….
When we reached the city, I knew something must be wrong, There were no joyful worshippers there, No joyful worship songs,
And I stood there, With my children, In the midst of angry men, Then I heard a crowd cry out,
“Crucify Him!”
We tried to leave the city, But we could not get away. Forced to play in this drama, A part I did not want to play.
Why upon this day were men condemned to die, Why were we standing right here, Where soon they would pass by,
I looked and I said, “Even now they come,
“The first one cried for mercy,
The people gave him none,
The second one was violent, He was arrogant and loud, I can still hear his angry voice, Screaming at the crowd.
Then someone said, “There’s Jesus,” I scarce believed my eyes, A man so badly beaten,
He barely looked alive, Blood poured from His body,
From the thorns on His brow, Running down the cross, And falling to the ground.
I watched as He struggled, And I watched Him when He fell, The cross came down upon His back,
And the crowd began to yell.
In that moment I felt such agony. In that moment I felt such loss. Till the Roman soldier grabbed my arm and screamed,
“YOU! Carry his cross!”
At first I tried to resist him, But his hand reached for his sword. So I knelt and I took The cross from the Lord
I put it on my shoulders, We started down the street. The blood that He’d been shedding, Was running down my cheeck.
They led us to Golgatha. They drove nails, deep in His feet and hands,
And on the cross, I heard him pray, “Father, forgive them.”
Never have I seen such love In any other eyes “Into thy hands I commit my spirit,” He prayed.
And then He died.
I stood for what seemed like years, I lost all sense of time,
Then I felt these little hands holding onto mine.
My children stood there weeping, And I heard the oldest say,
“Father, please forgive us, The lamb, Ran away…
Daddy daddy, What have we seen here, There’s so much that we don’t understand,
So I took them in my arms, We turned and faced the cross,
And I said “Dear children, Watch the Lamb.”
Amen.
Note:
Were you in the Methodist Church and witnessed this part of the Good Friday Service? I know the singer, and I know his name, but I have no contact information. Without attribution I will not include names. If you know the singer, please ask him to contact me (Stan Escott, bosworthescott@gmail.com). Thank you.
Easter Prayer:
Lord God, you love this world so much, that you gave your one and only Son, that we might be called your children too. Lord, help us to live in the gladness and grace of Easter Sunday, every day. Let us have hearts of thankfulness for your sacrifice. Let us have eyes that look upon your grace and rejoice in our salvation. Help us to walk in that mighty grace and tell your good news to the world. Help us to guide our hearts always to watch and follow the Lamb, your Son ,our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
