Relationships Matter
Jesus gave us what is probably the greatest example of "Relationships Matter" in all of the Bible here at the end of John's Gospel. As He was desperately struggling to breathe by pushing up on the nail through His feet and scrapping His raw, bleeding back on the rugged cross, He stooped to take care of His mother, who was at the foot of the cross.(John 19:26,27) Forgetting His personal pain for a few moments, He fulfilled His role of the oldest son of a widow. He delegated the care of Mary to the disciple He loved. There is so much for us to learn from these two verses.
We see the steadfast love of a mother for her Son. Mary followed Jesus all the way to the cross, but the pain for her must have been excruciating. She was not thinking about herself. She was suffering with her Son. She is the picture of every mother who has stood by a sick, hurting, or dying child to the very end. The mother child relationship molds us into who we are, just like our relationship with our father.
We see the love of a true friend in the disciple Jesus loved being at the cross. The other disciples had forsaken Jesus, but John was right there. I feel sure his eyes were saying to Jesus, "I will do whatever I can to help you." He got his chance when Jesus turned over His mother to him. He took her into his home from that hour. That is the commitment of a real friendship relationship. This shows us the depth of Jesus' relationship with John, as well as how John felt about Jesus.
Before Jesus went to the cross, He spent time in the garden praying to the Father. We read it in John 17. He was concerned about all of His disciples, and us. He wanted all of us to have the same relationship He has with the Father. His relationship with the Father sustained Him through the pain of the cross. Jesus would never have gone to do anything without talking it over with the Father.
Jesus loved His earthly family. Jesus loved His Heavenly Father. Jesus was not self-centered when He bled and died for us. He did what it took to care for His mother. He did what it took, so He could have a relationship with all people by paying the price for sin once and for all. Everything about the cross screamed "Relationships Matter." I pray that we will get the message and grow in all of our relationships for our good and His glory.
Tomorrow, I intend to read John 21 and Acts 1-3.
We see the steadfast love of a mother for her Son. Mary followed Jesus all the way to the cross, but the pain for her must have been excruciating. She was not thinking about herself. She was suffering with her Son. She is the picture of every mother who has stood by a sick, hurting, or dying child to the very end. The mother child relationship molds us into who we are, just like our relationship with our father.
We see the love of a true friend in the disciple Jesus loved being at the cross. The other disciples had forsaken Jesus, but John was right there. I feel sure his eyes were saying to Jesus, "I will do whatever I can to help you." He got his chance when Jesus turned over His mother to him. He took her into his home from that hour. That is the commitment of a real friendship relationship. This shows us the depth of Jesus' relationship with John, as well as how John felt about Jesus.
Before Jesus went to the cross, He spent time in the garden praying to the Father. We read it in John 17. He was concerned about all of His disciples, and us. He wanted all of us to have the same relationship He has with the Father. His relationship with the Father sustained Him through the pain of the cross. Jesus would never have gone to do anything without talking it over with the Father.
Jesus loved His earthly family. Jesus loved His Heavenly Father. Jesus was not self-centered when He bled and died for us. He did what it took to care for His mother. He did what it took, so He could have a relationship with all people by paying the price for sin once and for all. Everything about the cross screamed "Relationships Matter." I pray that we will get the message and grow in all of our relationships for our good and His glory.
Tomorrow, I intend to read John 21 and Acts 1-3.