[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Ftoo-close-for-comfort":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Ftoo-close-for-comfort-surround":66},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":10,"columnName":48,"date":49,"description":16,"extension":50,"image":51,"meta":52,"minRead":53,"navigation":54,"path":55,"postType":56,"publication":57,"publicationUrl":51,"seo":58,"stem":59,"topics":60,"__hash__":65},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Ftoo-close-for-comfort.md","Too Close for Comfort",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9],"Matthew",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":44},"minimark",[13,17,20,23,26,29,32,35,38,41],[14,15,16],"p",{},"\"Jesus, keep me near the cross.\" It's easy to sing or say those words. But if we had been there when Jesus died, would we really have wanted to be near the cross? What was it really like that day? What would we have seen and heard?",[14,18,19],{},"Blood splatters on the ground. A taunting, unrepentant thief punctuates his moans with curses. Bored soldiers gamble for a seamless robe. Self-righteous religionists make a mockery of justice while mocking the Son of God. A grief-stricken mother watches her pride and joy gasp and groan in the throes of death. Who wants to be near all that?",[14,21,22],{},"And that's not all. An eerie, unsettling darkness settles in at midday. Hammers and nails pound on human flesh. The air is heavy with the stench of blood, sweat, and tears, and sour wine mixed with gall. The words from Jesus' parched lips—kind, forgiving words—somehow sound out of place on this unforgiving hill called Golgotha. Other sights and sounds that day make strong men nauseous. The crack of leg bones snapping. The thud of a spear pushed firmly into Jesus' side. More blood—and water flowing from a ruptured heart.",[14,24,25],{},"Yet another scream. \"It is finished\"—finally. And it is silent—almost. \"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit\" and Jesus' body goes limp. The Lamb has been sacrificed.",[14,27,28],{},"Bystanders cry out in fear as an earthquake suddenly shakes the ground. An awestruck centurion speaks words of faith—another strange sound coming from the lips of a military officer callused by close encounters with countless other crucifixion victims.",[14,30,31],{},"As twilight settles in, two disciples take Jesus' body down from the cross. They wince as they pull out the nails, and cry softly as they wrap his body in linen and spices and place it in a tomb nearby. Another sound can be heard in the streets of Jerusalem as well: the footsteps of 11 other terrified disciples, running for their lives. And the muffled clank of a chain as those same disciples, now with no one to disciple them, lock themselves inside an upper room. Afraid of the death mob that killed Jesus, they spend a sleepless night trying to comprehend what has happened.",[14,33,34],{},"It's easy to sing, \"Were you there when they crucified my Lord?\" It's harder to think we'd really have wanted to be there.",[14,36,37],{},"In fact, if the crucifixion of Jesus Christ were the end of the story, it would be a story we would never want to read.",[14,39,40],{},"Yet this was the story Jesus chose to tell, over and over again. \"The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life\" (Matthew 17:22, 23). The disciples were filled with grief and wondered exactly what Jesus meant, not realizing that he meant exactly what he said. It was why he had come—not just to teach in parables or unmask the false piety of the Pharisees. Not even merely to heal the sick. He had come to die and live again—and to call us to die and live again.",[14,42,43],{},"Jesus calls for uncompromising commitment: \"Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.\" He also offers redeeming grace: \"Come to me and I will give you rest.\" Commitment and grace come together at the cross. That's why we need to be near it. Near the site of God's own suffering. Near the sacrificial Lamb of God. Near enough to discover the depth of God's love, the joy of the resurrection, and the fellowship of a Suffering Servant who is always close enough to comfort.",{"title":45,"searchDepth":46,"depth":46,"links":47},"",2,[],"From the Editor's Desk","2000-04-16","md",null,{},4,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Ftoo-close-for-comfort","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":16},"articles\u002Ftoo-close-for-comfort",[61,62,63,64],"Biblical Theology","Perseverance in Suffering","Discipleship","Christian Unity","0_Qs9Fx3UMEVpYMnOSgM6w7fBfQSpE4D-NzxdLLX3tQ",[67,72],{"title":68,"path":69,"stem":70,"description":71,"children":-1},"When Tolerance Goes Too Far","\u002Farticles\u002Ftolerance-thyatira-rc2","articles\u002Ftolerance-thyatira-rc2","The Lord sent letters to seven churches in the book of Revelation. Thyatira was the smallest and least important of the cities, yet it received the longest letter from the Lord.",{"title":73,"path":74,"stem":75,"description":76,"children":-1},"Too Good to Be True","\u002Farticles\u002Ftoo-good-to-be-true","articles\u002Ftoo-good-to-be-true","A letter arrives in your mailbox with exciting news: You may have won a million-dollar sweepstakes! A telemarketer phones during your dinner hour with some more good news: You are qualified to win an all-expenses paid trip to Hawaii. A street vendor selling jewelry from a folding table offers you a watch for $35. \"It's a genuine Rolex,\" he assures you. An advertisement pops up on your computer monitor while you're on-line, offering you a fabulous deal. All you have to do is submit your credit card information."]