Reflection<\/strong><\/p>\n Though most of the men who followed Jesus deserted him at the cross, His female followers remained to observe his death. All four New Testament gospels mention this striking fact (Matt 27:55-56; Mark 15:40-41; Luke 23:49; John 19:25). John alone specifies that Mary the mother of Jesus was among the women who remained near him until the end.<\/p>\n
In the Gospel of John, Mary was standing next to \u201cthe disciple whom [Jesus] loved,\u201d believed traditionally to be John, one of Jesus\u2019 closest disciples and the source of the gospel that bears his name. Observing these two, Jesus said to His mother, \u201cWoman, here is your son,\u201d and to the beloved disciple, \u201cHere is your mother\u201d (19:26-27). The writer of the gospel adds, \u201cAnd from that hour the disciple took her into his own home\u201d (19:27). The basic meaning of Jesus\u2019 statement is clear. He was entrusting care of His mother to one of His most intimate friends and followers. He was making sure that she would be loved and cared for after Jesus\u2019s death. Jesus knew He could trust His beloved follower with an extremely important responsibility. (We don\u2019t know much about the relationship of Jesus and His natural siblings at this point. Earlier in his ministry they seemed to have been less than fully supportive of His ministry [see Mark 3:21]. Later, Jesus\u2019 brother James became one of the main leaders of the Christian church.)<\/p>\n
Commentators throughout the ages have rightly noticed Jesus\u2019 attention to the needs of others, in this case Hiw mother, even in Hiw hour of excruciating suffering. This is a fine observation and surely fits with everything else we know about Jesus.<\/p>\n
But for many years I have been struck by the thought of what Jesus\u2019s mother must have experienced as she watched her son being crucified. I can only begin to imagine her pain. When my father was dying slowly from cancer, his mother (my grandmother) was still alive. Her anguish over her son was palpable. At one point she said to me, \u201cI\u2019d give anything to change places with Dave. No mother should ever have to see her son suffer like this.\u201d I expect Mary could have said similar words as she stood near the cross of Jesus.<\/p>\n
Yet Mary might have understood that the death of her son was part of God\u2019s mysterious plan. The gospels don\u2019t tell us too much about her experience or faith at this time. She surely knew from the very beginning that Jesus was extraordinary and that God had something very special in store for Him. And there were moments when she probably understood that Jesus\u2019s destiny would not be an easy one, for Him or for her. For example, in Luke 2 when Simeon praised God upon seeing the baby Jesus, he delivered a chilling prophecy to Mary, \u201cThis child is destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel . . . and a sword will pierce your own soul too\u201d (2:34-35).<\/p>\n
I found Mel Gibson\u2019s portrayal of Mary in The Passion of the Christ to extremely moving, partly because he didn\u2019t overplay his hand in depicting Mary\u2019s grief. Though her loving sorrow for her son is obvious, Mary doesn\u2019t weep and wail and carry on. She seems to know that something like this was coming, that Jesus is doing that for which He was born. As a mother, she wants to run to Him, and at one point she is able to do so. But she also understands that she cannot rescue Jesus from His fate and that, in a profound sense, she must not even if she could. Jesus has chosen to lay down His life of His own accord, believing that this is the cup His Heavenly Father has given Him to drink (John 10:18; Mark 14:32-42). Mary\u2019s strength and reserve seems to respect what her son and, indeed, what His Heavenly Father, have chosen.<\/p>\n
As we reflect upon the meaning of Christ\u2019s death this week, Mary\u2019s presence at the cross reminds us of the deeply human drama that is occurring, while it points beyond to the majesty and mystery of God\u2019s plan for salvation.<\/p>\n
Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\nWhen I think of Your mother, Lord, I remember that You weren’t just the Son of God bearing the sins of the world. You were also the son of Mary, the boy whom she loved. Mary gives us a touching reminder of Your humanity, Lord. Because You were truly human, because You truly suffered, You did indeed bear the sins of the world, and mine as will. All praise be to You, Lord Jesus! Amen.<\/p>\n
Permalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Part 12 of series: The Stations of the Cross for Lent and Holy Week Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series John 19:25-27 25 Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother\u2019s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-holy-week-easter"],"yoast_head":"\n
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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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