Horrific - Mary At The Cross

John 19:25-27

It’s hard to imagine anything more horrifying for a parent than to watch his or her child, even an adult child, accused and found guilty of crimes he didn’t commit, and then beaten, tortured, and ultimately put to death in a humiliating and painful fashion.

It seems impossible that a parent would be able to stand by and watch all that happen, but Mary did. Mary stood by the cross of Jesus. How? How did Mary get through something so horrific? Maybe it was with a little help from her friends.

There were others standing by Mary as she stayed by her son’s side. John says Mary’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene were with her, near the cross. No doubt they all loved Jesus and were devastated by what was happening too, but their presence there must have been a comfort to Mary.

John, who is described in the Bible as “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” was there, also (John 13:23, NIV). During his final minutes, when Mary must have been the most beside herself, Jesus spoke to his mother and John.

“Woman, here is your son,” he said, referring to John (John 19:26).

Then he gave John a responsibility and honor. “Here is your mother,” Jesus told him, indicating that he wanted John to look after Mary when he was gone (John 19:27). After Jesus’ crucifixion, John took care of Mary in his home.

Friends and family who loved and cared about Mary stood by her, comforted her, and took care of her when she was facing something that seemed impossible to get through.

Do you have a friend who is going though something very difficult right now? Maybe what she needs is someone to stand by her and comfort her while it’s going on. Maybe you can’t fix whatever the problem is, but you can be there. Take a look around you. Who could use your love, support, and comfort, a little help from a friend, right now?

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4