Good Friday: Sacrifice

"There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him..." [Matthew 27:55]

I know this story.

This story is about sacrifice. Jesus. The cross. His death. My sins. The earth shook... the rocks split... then silence...

Sometimes when I'm driving in my car, I choose silence over music, and I let my thoughts come freely to the surface. Tonight was one of those nights. A silent drive from my house to a friend's. Tonight, i chose to give up my own plans to go "out on the town," in order to accommodate and serve my friends in a time of need.  I was thinking to myself that really, I wished I could have been in two places at the same time tonight. But i "sacrificed" my initial plans and here I am, bags packed and headed in a different direction.  This silent drive prompted a wrestling of thoughts, engaging my own understanding of what today is really all about... a day focused on sacrifice.

Now, hear me out... I am by no means equating my choice of evening plans with what Christ did on the cross... my decision cost me nothing. My decision was an easy one... I didn't even think twice about changing my plans.  But still, it prompted me to consider how great of a sacrifice was made on that cross. Tonight, my choice was easy: I would rather serve, than be served. and as I pulled out the book of Matthew to remind myself of the sacrifice that Christ made so many years ago, there were new words that stuck out..."there were also many women there... who had followed Jesus... ministering to him..."

What a legacy! How have I not noticed to these words before now? How crucial these women must have been, to have their ministry written down and remembered in the very midst of the most important sacrifice in history.  My mind is currently reeling with so many questions about how these women would have served Jesus and supported his ministry. Did they make sure he was fed? Wash his feet after a long day of walking? Provide him with something to drink? Did they help to care for those who came to sit at Jesus' feet? Did they support him with encouraging words?  Were these all single women, or did they leave their families to follow Jesus?

I don't have answers to my own questions, but oh, how I wish I knew! I can only imagine what sorts of sacrifices these very women would have made in order to follow Jesus as he traveled in ministry, up until his death on the cross. They followed him in order to serve him.

Bottom line, I want His Sacrifice to result in my service. To follow Him... to leave everything else behind...to care for those that He cares for... to serve those that He sacrificed for. I want to be listed as one of "the many women" who followed Jesus. I want to be a crucial part of this story. This story of sacrifice.