When Jesus saw His mother there,
and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby,
He said to His mother,
“Dear woman, here is your son,”
and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.”
John 19:26-27
Can you imagine being there and witnessing this scene—of a mother watching her Son up on the Cross? He is struggling to even breathe…and His mother is struggling even more. A friend gets His attention and compassion pours out like rain. He begs them to love and support each other, as He hangs there dying. And in His dying He gives them hope.
He has that same compassion for His children of today too. Just think, His death on that Cross secured salvation for whoever would believe in Him and would call upon His name. At that moment, the enemy was defeated and no longer had the power to completely destroy believers. He had so much sin on Him that His own Father had to look the other way. His death was the most defining moment of our lives.
Yes, His mother wept…and yes, His disciples were so distraught…and oh! the tears…but nothing compared to the salvation that came that very day. Yet His mother and His friend couldn’t see past His death to see the beauty that would come from it. He told them that it wasn’t forever but still they could only see what was in front of them.
How many times do we do this, too? We feel like what is in front of us or what we are going through will last forever and we can’t see Him because of the mountain in front of us. There is a purpose in all of it and nothing is wasted. We may not ever know on this side of Heaven the why’s of some of our sufferings, but we do KNOW there is a greater purpose and a much bigger picture that we cannot even imagine.
What if Jesus had climbed down off the cross because they wanted Him not to die and because they didn’t want to suffer after He was gone? Just imagine that for a minute. Of course, we don’t want to…. But I want you to know that He has compassion for you just like HE did that day for those who watched Him die. He doesn’t think we are silly for wasting tears on earthly things knowing there is Heaven on the other side. No, He is the Man of Sorrows and He understands; and He wants us to share it all with Him.
Jesus knew that everything was now finished and, to fulfill the Scriptures,
He said,”I am thirsty.”
A jar of wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it,
put it on a hyssop branch and held it up to His lips.
When Jesus had tasted it, He said, “It is finished.”
Then He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
John 19:28-30
Friends, He wants to know your hurts. He wants to catch your tears in His nail-scarred hands and He wants to carry you through it all until that glorious day that He comes back to get us! Don’t lose hope in whatever is in front of you, whatever cross you are bearing has a purpose and, if you could actually see, you wouldn’t change a thing. Even if we could write our own story, we wouldn’t change any of it.
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Do you know this Savior that I wrote about? Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth and lived as a man and died with your sin on Him so that you would be forgiven. All you have to do is ask Him. I would love for you to pray with me today…
Dear God, I know that I am a sinner,and I need forgiveness and I cannot do this life alone. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son and that You sent Him to die in my place. I don’t know all there is to know yet, but I know that I want You to walk with me through the rest of my life. Thank You for being Lord of my life. I can’t wait to get to know You better! In Jesus’ name, amen!
