Anchor Devotional
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Words from the Cross: Relationship
“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
In pain that you and I can scarcely imagine, Jesus looked down from the cross, His heart filled with love and compassion for His mother and His dear friend John. He knew their hearts were breaking and that they needed each other in their grief.
Powerless to help, Mary stood by and watched while Jesus—the Lord of the Universe and yet her boy—died in agony. She had seen her remarkable son turn water into wine. She had seen what He’d done for their people. But all her hopes and dreams now were met with anguish on that cross. As Simeon had said, a sword was piercing her own soul, too (see Luke 2:34-35). Why was Jesus giving up His life?
Mary didn’t have God’s written Word in the Gospels as we do. She didn’t know John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” At the foot of the cross, Jesus’ concern for her reached beyond physical care and all the way to her heart. In two days, her unbearable grief would turn to unparalleled joy at the empty tomb.
SCRIPTURE FOCUS
John 19:16-27
INSIGHT
“Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)
THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Joshua 15-16
Psalm 104
Romans 1-2
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