From the time of the Annunciation Mary knew that Jesus was the Messiah. But she didn’t really understand what was told to her by the angel. “…. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. He will rule over the house of Jacob forever and his reign will be without end.”
….or the apparent contradiction by Simeon in the Temple, “This child is destined to be the downfall and the rise of many in Israel, a sign that will be opposed- and you yourself shall be pierced with a sword …”(Luke)
Mary continually pondered these pronouncements. She knew the marvelous miracles that Jesus performed were consistent with the Angel’s predictions. But she was disturbed at how many people berated him, especially the scribes and Pharisees. She was particularly disturbed by the later trends in his preaching; predicting his own death. She, like most Israelis, thought the Messiah would indeed take over the kingdom of Israel. Yet Jesus told his disciples in Caesarea Philippi that he was going to Jerusalem to suffer and die at the hands of the Great Sanhedrin. She heard how he reprimanded Peter for not accepting this and for not understanding God’s plan.
She was further amazed that Jesus on the one hand could talk about his death at the hands of the people while on the other hand he had the supernatural powers that he showed in Bethany, where Lazarus had died and he raised him from the dead. She thought his glorious entrance into Jerusalem to the shouts of Hosanna from the people was more appropriate than his talk of his death.
Her heart sank when she saw him being led away by the mob from the garden of Gethsemane after the Passover supper. She was amazed that he was betrayed by one of his apostles, Judas. She and his other disciples could only stand by and watch as he was dragged before the chief priests and kept overnight in the dungeon.
She was in the crowd as they brought him before Pontius Pilate. And she was devastated as the crowd screamed for Pilate to “crucify him.” Her grief mounted as Pilate presented him to the crowd after scourging and as they mocked him by dressing him in Royal clothes and crowning him with a crown of thorns.
But, as Simeon had predicted, her heart was really pierced with the sword of grief when she heard Pilate’s final decision to crucify him and watched as they loaded him with the beam and dragged him off to be crucified. She walked along the road with him and wanted to scream every time he fell under the weight of the cross and as the soldiers whipped him like cattle until he got up. Only once was she able to get close enough to see him face to face and exchange loving glances.
As they stripped him and nailed him to the cross, she suffered with every blow, but refused to turn away. She agonized with him as a loving mother; not understanding why her son was being unjustly executed. She stood at the foot of the cross for the hours of his agony. John the apostle, his mother Salome, Mary Magdalene and Mary of Clopas were also looking on in grief, and at the same time trying to console Mary. (Speculative)
As he was dying, …. Seeing his mother there with the dis¬ciple whom he loved, Jesus said to his mother, “Woman, there is your son.” In turn he said to the disciple, “There is your mother.” From that hour onward, the disciple took her into his care. (John)
After Jesus died, Joseph of Arimathea with the permission of Pilate and with the help of Nicodemus lowered the body from the cross and placed Jesus in his mother’s arms. They prepared the body for burial, wrapping it in a fine linen cloth, along with a mixture of myrrh and aloes. They placed him in a tomb that Joseph had prepared for himself. Mary, with her own hands, arranged his body in the tomb. A large stone was placed at the entrance of the tomb to seal it, and soldiers were placed to guard it.
Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene on Sunday morning putting all the disciples into a state of confusion. Then that evening, Jesus appeared to the disciples locked in the upper room, where they had had the Last Supper. He assured them that he had arisen from the dead. He also appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. (Based on Canonical Gospels)
For the next 40 days Jesus made repeated appearances to his disciples and finally said to them “..You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes down on you; then you are to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, yes, even to the ends the earth.” No sooner had he said this than he was lifted up before their eyes in a cloud which took him from their sight.
…. After that they returned to Jerusalem … they went into the upstairs room where they were staying … there were some women in their company, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. (Acts)
Ten days later the disciples were gathered in the upper room, and the Holy Spirit appeared to them as tongues of fire.
Finally, Mary understood the mystery: her son, Jesus - the Christ - King of Kings - Lord of Lords - God and man!
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