Behold Your Mother

Photo by Alex Pasarelu, from Unsplash.

How did Jesus view his love, responsibility, and duty towards his mother? How do we view our love, responsibility, and duty towards our mothers? How do we love, honor, and care for our mothers?

Jesus loved and cared for his mother Mary throughout his life and ministry. We see Jesus turning water into wine, his first miracle, at his mother’s request in John chapter 2. And one of Jesus’ last acts before his death on the cross—literally from the cross—was ensuring that his mother was taken care of.

John’s gospel account tells us, “Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.” (John 19:25-27, ESV).

As the eldest son, it was Jesus’ primary responsibility to care for the family in the absence of his father Joseph, who was not at the cross, which could indicate that Joseph had already died. In Joseph’s absence, and considering Jesus’ impending death, Mary would need to be loved and cared for.

Even in the middle of his suffering and death, Jesus honored and cared for his mother Mary. Jesus directed the only disciple at the cross, his best friend John—the disciple whom Jesus loved, to take charge of his mother and to care for her. What better person to care for Jesus’ mother than the Apostle John? Jesus said to John, “Behold, your mother!” And from that moment John took Mary to his own home.

As Jesus obeyed the fifth commandment, to “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12, ESV), we are to also “behold our mothers” by loving them, honoring them, and caring for them.

May we enter into that blessed opportunity and responsibility to love, honor, and care for our mothers.

A Collect for The Fourth Sunday of Easter: Good Shepherd: “O God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd of your people: Grant that, when we hear his voice, we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Book of Common Prayer, 2019).

A Collect for the Third Sunday of Easter: “Almighty God, you gave your only Son to be for us both a sacrifice for sin and an example of godly living: Give us grace thankfully to receive his inestimable benefits, and daily to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Book of Common Prayer, 2019).

Begin the month with a #dailydevotional. I have created a #devotional book for each month, a devotional for every day of the year, and offering them for #free by subscribing. Get a link to #Grow365: #May2022—A #Daily Devotional here: robbiepruitt.com.

Photo by Alex Pasarelu, from Unsplash. More photography can be found here: https://unsplash.com/photos/S8BW-Wx9G8I