Thought for today: Jesus Loves Us
A son and a mother’s bond is usually unexplainable. He can do no wrong in her eyes. Even when he is dead wrong, that mother still holds the right to say “But he is my baby.” The judge, jury, video, all witness accounts can call him guilty and in that mother’s eyes he is innocent as the day he was born. A mother’s bond with her son is difficult and sometimes even impossible to break challenged only by the woman he marries. In this case Mary was the mom of Jesus, and he really was the perfect child. The baby the only baby in this world who could literally do no wrong. Jesus was the son that every mom wishes she had.
Mary was supposed to have the right to own her place as the woman in Jesus’ life. She was in competition with no one and especially no other woman for Jesus’ heart. He was her special child no one could love him like she did because God gave her to him as a special gift, he was her miracle baby the only baby in the world ever provided to the woman without the seed of a man. Mary’s right as a mother was to protect her son and the one whom she considered her baby boy. But she was robbed, she was robbed of the ability to say that’s my boy and if anyone will discipline him it will be me. No one will hit my son but me. Mary was not only robbed of the ability to protect her son. She was also robbed of the ability to grow old and to die before her son. Most parent’s greatest anguish is when they have to bury a child. It is considered to be the greatest grief. It is heartbreaking and it is difficult to imagine that she couldn’t watch proudly standing by as Jesus, the eldest of her children, her first born would be the first to die. She couldn’t hang her hopes on him and see him mature into a future full of promise as he was taken from this earth too soon. And lastly she was robbed of the ability to have a proper and honorable ceremony to grieve her son. Most funerals are full of respect and dignity for the dead. Most have some type of honor, even if the child had a few issues something at that funeral was said to give comfort to the grieving parent.
At Jesus’ death it is such an appropriate and loving way to honor his mother to say woman behold thy son; son behold thy mother because Jesus is really saying when you are robbed, I will replace what you lost. For his mother, Jesus knew he could not replace himself but he could at least alleviate some of her pain. And for us this act is a representation of how Jesus is thinking about us too. Because most of us were robbed too. We were robbed by satan’s rotten attempt to steal, kill and destroy our souls. We were robbed from a relationship that was promised by God himself. Mary’s baby, promised to alleviate some of that pain, hurt and shame that you encountered for what you lost. The final point I wanted to make is the use of the word “Behold” not only does it mean to “see or observe (a thing or person,” but the definition expounds to state that it is especially a remarkable or impressive one). So when Jesus replaces what was lost, you can best believe it will be remarkable and impressive because it has to convey the right sentiment so that you can say it was all worth it in the end.
I would be remiss, if I didn’t point out how the Bible reveals that Jesus chose the disciple whom he loved. He gave his mother the disciple whom he loved, he loved, the best that he had to replace himself. And isn’t it just like Jesus to give us the most generous gift that he can. If he had to replace it, he is going to replace it with something or someone he loves.
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