March 21, 2001

Reading: Proverbs 8:1-11

 

“She takes her stand on the top of the hill” (2)

 

“And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him” (John 19:17). The place where Jesus was crucified was called ‘The Place of a Skull’ because of its shape. It was a hill outside of Jerusalem, a place that looked down on the City of Peace and also where its inhabitants could look up see the cross.

The Bible tells us that Jesus is “the Wisdom of God” (1 Cor: 1:24), and our text says that “She (Wisdom) takes her stand on the top of the hill”.

It was on the top of the hill called Calvary (Golgotha) where Jesus took His stand against all that is evil. It was there He became sin for us and suffered the vehemence of His Father’s wrath against it. It was on top of the hill where Satan thought He had finally destroyed his greatest enemy but where, he was to soon discover, it was the place of his greatest defeat.

Calvary was the place where “There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome” (Mark 15:40). Soldiers were there guarding the body of Jesus and we know that His mother and at least one of His disciples were there for He spoke directly to them from the cross (John 19: 26,27).

There were tears, sadness and defeat in the hearts of His followers while Jesus Himself hung on the cross bleeding and dying. But we are so very fortunate because we can look back at that time and know it was the greatest victory heaven and earth had ever witnessed and ever will witness. That hill where Jesus died and His followers mourned became the place where Satan was defeated and we rejoice. Calvary is the hill upon which Jesus makes His stand, and it is the place where every one who loves Him must stand by His side and look evil in the face and say, “Let God be magnified” (Psalm 70:4). Evil looks on and mocks, “Aha, Aha” (Psalm 70:3), for to them who do not know Christ the cross is foolishness and a place of defeat.

“For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block, and the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the Wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (! Cor: 1:22-25).

Paul made his stand on that hill, for, he said, “we preach Christ crucified”.

The challenge to us is “Where do we make our stand?” When someone asks “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” (John 18:25), do we deny Him or hide in the crowd and say “No”, or do we take our stand at the foot of the cross and say “Yes, I am His disciple and friend and I would like to introduce you to Him”?

 

“On that hill named Calvary Jesus took His stand,

While the depths of hell vented all of its fury.

But it’s His shout of vict’ry that rings in my ears,

And from this day on it is a different story.

 

I, too, have decided to stand on that hill

By the side of my Savior; to make a new start.

I’ll stand tall and firm, no longer ashamed,

For that look in His eyes has conquered my heart.”