Since Lent is already a time of self-examination, taking the time to observe each day of Passion Week is a wonderful opportunity for us to truly meditate on the things of God as we get closer to the celebration of Christ’s resurrection. Over the course of the last several weeks, we have spent time in prayer, fasting, study, worship and charity in an attempt to shift our focus to the things of God. In a world where there are so many potential distractions, it’s important to make a concerted effort to remain focused on what God has for us.
There’s a very real chance that over the course of the few weeks you have found some areas in your life that weren’t completely aligned with God’s word. That is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, we should celebrate the fact that God, through the Holy Spirit has revealed these things to you. The Bible says that God corrects those that He loves (Romans 12:6), so this season of correction and repentance is actually a blessing.
With each of the seven days of Passion Week, we are taking a deeper look at the seven final sayings of Jesus from the cross. We don’t have a lot of information about what Jesus did on Holy Wednesday. We know He went to the house of Simon the Leper where a woman named Mary anointed His feet with expensive oil. We also know that this was the day that Judas reached an agreement to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, the price of a common slave in New Testament times.
The fact that Jesus was spending the third day of Passion Week with a leper that He had cleansed makes the third declaration that He spoke from the cross even more poignant.
Jesus’ Words to Mary and John
John 19:26-27 (TPT)
So when Jesus looked down and saw the disciple he loved standing with her, he said, “Mother, look-John will be a son to you.” Then he said, “John, look-she will be a mother to you!” From that day on, John accepted Mary into his home as one of his own family.
This declaration took place somewhere between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. on the day of the crucifixion. By this point, history teaches us that the pain would have been nearly unbearable. In fact, many victims of crucifixions didn’t last beyond the three-hour mark. However, Jesus, in the middle of incomparable pain realized that He still had things to take care of.
He looked down from the cross and saw His mother and His closest friend. Biblical historians generally agree that Joseph, Jesus’ father died somewhere between the time when Jesus was 12 and when His earthly ministry started at 30. As the oldest son in a Jewish family, Jesus would have been responsible for His mother. However, Matthew and Mark both list four brothers of Jesus (James, Joses, Judas and Simon) in addition to saying that He had “sisters.” Mary and Joseph apparently had children of their own after Mary gave birth to the God-Child. Historically, caring for Mary would have fallen to the next oldest son in the family, but Jesus picked John. Why didn’t Jesus leave any of them in charge of Mary? The answer to that question seems to come from a verse in John 7.
John 7:5 (TPT)
His brothers were pushing him, even though they didn’t yet believe in him as the Savior.
It’s entirely conceivable that Jesus didn’t want to leave His mother in the care of unbelievers. We have reason to believe that at least some of His siblings eventually converted to Christianity. In fact, James wrote the Book of James which appears in the New Testament. However, during Jesus’ ministry, they didn’t believe that He was the Messiah. So, Jesus decided to leave Mary in the care of John, the beloved disciple.
John wasn’t exactly a surprising pick. The Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life seem to indicate that he was the disciple that was consistently closest to Jesus. Even now, at the crucifixion, John was the only disciple who was willing to stand there until the end. Peter had denied knowing Jesus and ran away in shame. Judas had betrayed Jesus and hung himself by this point. The other nine disciples were nowhere to be seen, but John remained. Because of his faithfulness, Jesus left him with the biggest responsibility: to care for Mary.
Isn’t it remarkable that while He was in some of the worst pain that a person could experience, Jesus was focused on caring for others? While it’s remarkable, it shouldn’t really surprise us. Everything that Jesus did was about loving other people. There are five instances where we read that Jesus was “moved with compassion” before He did something for other people. Matthew 9:36, Matthew 14:14, Matthew 18:27, Mark 1:41 and Mark 6:34 all recount times where Jesus was motivated by compassion before He did something for a group of people. Compassion and care for others were at the heart of everything that He did, even in these final moments of His life.
This command did more than ensure that Mary received Godly care, though. It also helped prevent John from taking the easy way out after Jesus’ death. Nothing would have been more tempting for the disciples than to simply forget about ministry and go back to the lives that they had led before they met Jesus. Most of them had established careers before Jesus called them, equipped them and sent them out to change the world. After His death, what was to stop them from simply returning back to life as they knew it before?
Jesus essentially took that temptation away from John, because John would have to come home from work everyday and see Mary, the mother of Jesus sitting in his home. Remember, the verse we read says that John “accepted Mary into his home as his own family.”
In some of the last moments of His life, Jesus made provision for Mary’s earthly wellbeing. He ensured that she would receive Godly care from a Godly man who was His closest friend. He made preparations to ensure that she would have a good place to live with people who would love her. He made sure that she would be surrounded by people who could pray with her, support her and love her during some of the darkest days of her life.
He also made provision for John’s eternal wellbeing. No, there is no guarantee that John would have walked away from his divine purpose after Jesus’ crucifixion, but Jesus took the time while He was hanging on the cross to make sure that John always had a link to the Divine. How could John ever be focused on anything temporal when he had the mother of Jesus living in His home?
What Does It Mean for Us?
Every word that Jesus spoke thousands of years ago are still applicable to us today. The fact that Jesus stared the worst pain that a human could endure in the face and continued to care for others teaches us a valuable lesson about loving others.
Mark 12:31 (TPT)
“And the second is this: ‘You must love your neighbor in the same way you love yourself.’ You will never find a greater commandment than these.”
If Jesus could take the time to provide care for the people around Him in one of the worst moments of His existence, shouldn’t we ensure that we are loving the people around us in a Godly way? Everything that Jesus did and every word that He spoke provided us with an example to follow. The words that He spoke to Mary and John are also a directive to us. We are called to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2) and to “love one another” (John 15:12).
On this third day of Passion Week, spend some time in reflection about your relationships. Examine the way that you treat your family members and your friends. Are there opportunities for you to be a more Godly friend? Is there something you could be doing at home that shows your family the love of God? Allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you.
A Closing Prayer
God, I want to care for people the way that You do. I want to love the people around me the way that Jesus loved Mary, John and every other person who He came in contact with. Help me to show that love and to point people to You. In Christ’s name, Amen.