Were You There

Matthew 27:32-35, 59-60, 28:6-8

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when He rose up from the grave?
Were you there when He rose up from the grave?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when He rose up from the grave?

We were there. Maybe we were caught in the moment. Maybe we were caught up with the wrong crowd. Maybe we believed the lies. Maybe we bought in to what the Pharisees were saying. Some of us secretly believed, few openly for fear of our life. Some of us had been healed. Some of us had been blind, deaf, dumb, and crippled. But there we stood...with restored eyes...we saw it all, with healed ears...we heard it all, and with new tongues...we joined in with the chorus of animosity.

We are here. We’re not there anymore. We are here some 2000 years later. We have sixty-six books of the Bible that cry out Jesus’ name. We have the Holy Spirit testifying of Christ. We have the Heavenly Father still sending Jesus where the sinners are. And we have Jesus still saving, still changing, still turning hearts and lives to Him. ...Some of us have been healed...some of us have experienced miracles...some of us have been made free from addictions...some of us are in marriages that were saved from divorce...some of us are the product of answered prayers...some of us have been saved.

He was there. Jesus was the center of attention. He was the reason for the day that now stands out as a turning point in history. The world changed that day...and somehow we did too. He had lived thirty-three years. He was finishing the mission for which he was sent. He was dying for all who ever would believe. He was shedding blood that could never be shed by a ram, bull, or goat. On that day, Barabbas went free, and so did we who believe. He was not forced to die – He gave his life. He was not killed – he died. He was not held to the cross by nails – He was held there by love. He bore the cross and then He bore our sins. He sealed the devil’s fate and secured eternal salvation for sinners who believe.

He is here. He died. He arose. He ascended to Heaven. But we are not left as orphans...as children with no father and mother. He is in our midst. He said He would send the Holy Spirit...His spirit to guide us, lead us, and convict us. That’s why, on days like this we feel especially close to Him. We gather to remember, to repent, and to rejoice....in the Hope we have. We rejoice in the reality that there’s more to this life – There’s eternal life. That’s why we feel compelled to do better – to do more – to do the only thing we can do. Surrender.

The Woman at the Well...She was probably there. I have no way of proving this...but why wouldn’t she? She had been known for her inability to stay married. She was already making wedding plans with husband number six when she met Jesus...At a well...Drawing water. She tasted water like no other and then left her bucket at the well. Many people had believed Jesus because of her testimony. Wow. .....I like to imagine she was there. I like to imagine she had her water pot with her. I like to think she pushed her way through the crowd to where Jesus was being led to His death...and she offered Him water. I imagine she was pushed away and the water spilled on the ground... A glimpse of what Jesus was about to do... spill His blood. Jesus saw something in her no one else had ever seen. Jesus loved her in a way no one else had ever loved her. She didn’t know it at the time – But Jesus was going to the cross for her. To take her sins away. Completely. Like the words to an old song.. “When He was on the cross, she was on His mind.” And so were we.

Zacchaeus...He was probably there. He had been the fella up the sycamore tree when Jesus passed through Jericho and called him by name. Was he there? I’d bet my wallet. He had been hated, despised, mocked. But Jesus came along and treated him as if he were somebody. Invited Himself to dinner at Zacch’s house. After that visit Zacchaeus was willing to give away everything if it pleased God. ....I imagine that just as Jesus had called out his name on that unforgettable day not so long ago...not Zacchaeus runs through the crowd calling out Jesus’ name. Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Some Roman guard probably shoved him out of the way... treating him like any other old hired hand of the Roman Government. Zacchaeus was there. Representing all of us who have ever put our hope in riches rather than Jesus.

Blind Bartimaeus...He was probably there. No longer hearing Jesus only and stumbling along and being led by someone else...this man who used to be blind now saw it all. Jesua had asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” Now Bartimaeus is willing to do whatever it takes to save Jesus from death. But he really didn’t understand because even though he could see, he was still blind to the reason for the cross. Blind to the necessity of Christ’s death. Blind to the only hope for all the world. Jesus had given him sight...but was now headed to a cross to give the world salvation. I’m afraid we’re a little like blind Bartimaeus...we’ve had our eyes opened, but we’re still blind to the bigger picture – the grander scheme. Jesus didn’t come to open blinded eyes, or give speech to the dumb or hearing to the deaf. He didn’t come to feed the thousands or heal the sick or even raise the dead. He didn’t come for a nation He came to save the world...at least all who will believe.

Nicodemus...He was probably there. I just have to believe he was there. He had never gotten over that fateful night when he met Jesus in the darkness. He had felt something he had never known. He was moved in a way he had never been moved. And even though he was a part of the Jewish elite, most likely a part of the Sanhedrin, and a very respected ruler of the Jews, something inside him believed. He defended him when they began to falsely accuse him...and he would be there along with Joseph of Arimethea to help bury him... But on this day I believe he was still lurking in the shadows. Still wondering. Still skeptical. Still not fully believing. But he would never be the same. Nicodemus is alive and well. He wants to believe. But what will everybody think? He may go from being a somebody to a nobody. What will he do? Believe...or blend in?

Peter...He was probably there. He was brought to Jesus by Andrew. Jesus called him a rock. He was a fisherman who had walked away from his boats and nets to follow Jesus. He had been on the Mount of Transfiguration. He had boldly proclaimed that even if following Jesus meant prison or death he would never turn back. He would deny the Lord three times...then would run out and weep bitterly over his unbelief. He would be one of the first to see the empty tomb. And he would choose fishing over seeing the resurrected Savior. But Jesus would intervene and Peter would be called out to feed His sheep. And that he would do. On the day of Pentecost Peter told about the death, burial, and resurrection. He preached, as he said, from the viewpoint of an eyewitness of His glory. Peter saw it all....and told it all...and wrote it all down.
Peter is where many of us are...or at least have been. We’ve made big promises in the past but today we’re following Jesus at a distance. Peter was there, reluctantly.

Jesus died for the woman at the well. He died for Zacchaeus. He died for Bartimaeus. He died for Nicodemus...and for Peter. Maybe we weren’t actually there, but we were well represented. And today we are here – with hope in God that all we know is true. That Jesus came and died and rose to take away my sins.
We were there.
We are here.
He was there.
He is here.