December 13, 2023: Mary Close To The Cross

"but standing by the cross of Jesus was his mother ..." (John 19:25, ESV)
 
By the plan of God, Jesus was born to die for the sins of humanity. One can never separate the birth of Christ from the death of Christ. It is all part of one story: our redemption! Mary is one mother who has endured so many different things in life. The scary fulfillment of prophetic words like "you shall conceive a child having never known a man." What do you tell Joseph? How do you explain this to mom and dad? Not everyone is on board: What do you mean a sword will pierce my soul? (Luke 2:35).

Mary watched her son begin ministry. She saw the miracles, the healings, and the amazement with which people stood before His words. She saw Him rejected, mocked, and accused. Her heart carried the weight of where her son's journey was going. And yet, being the mother of Jesus and a lover of God, she knew she had to stay out of God's way and not interfere. She was His mother, but He was God's Son! 

Now, on that most God-awful day, Mary stood by the cross. Tears falling down. Blood dripping down. Her heart breaking, and His heart broken. "Father, why have you forsaken me?" How is it that you can be so close to the cross and yet so alone? Mother and child, alone...separated by the cross. Yet in just a few days, the cross would be the thing that unites them. Draw me nearer to the cross, Lord Jesus.