Day 28: Mary, the Mother of Jesus (John 19: 23-27)
It was too gruesome. Her mind could not comprehend the brutality that was being leveled against her son. Her Son. Memories carried her back some thirty years to the angel who came to her one day when she was just a teen. Speaking to her he said, “Greetings, favored one!” Favored one. She still couldn’t quite grasp that she had been chosen to bring life to the Messiah, Israel’s long-awaited Savior. But there He was. Her eyes could not turn away from His battered and bloody body struggling for breath on a Roman cross.
Blessedly, another snapshot raced through her mind, taking her away for a moment, from reality. It was of her son, teaching the Jewish leaders in the synagogue. Such wisdom He had! Such discernment of the things of God! For a young man of twelve, it was remarkable. Time and time again God had blessed her as she mothered her Child, and how pleasing it had been to her to watch Jesus become a Man whose only desire was to bring delight His Father and to be near Him. That day at the synagogue had shown her that for sure.
Again, her mind traveled back to another day, in Cana of Galilee. It was there that she witnessed His first miracle. Taking jugs of water, He turned them into wine for wedding guests who would have been otherwise been deprived of their tradition. She had always known there was great Power in Him, and she had grown impatient for Him to become who He was born to be. She implored Him to use His Power in the wine situation. But once again, He acted upon His Father’s desire, not hers. She never saw Him miscalculate His Father’s timing or will.
The thought of God’s timing and will brought her instantly back to the moment. Hesitantly, she looked back up to the cross before her; their eyes met, locked for what seemed like hours. Writhing in agony, He spoke clearly to her. From now on, John, whom Jesus had loved deeply, would look out for her well-being. And she would be a mother to him.
Mary knew her life would never be the same. Today, her son would die. But Mary also knew that He would never be farther away from her than her prayers could reach. She would never be alone.
In your hard places, do you recall the wonderful blessings of God from your past? Do they help you to walk on, in spite of your circumstances?
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