Even In Pain [a reflection on one of Jesus' seven last words from the cross]

JOHN 19:26-27
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!”

I remember when my mom was in the last stages of her battle with cancer. At unexpected moments, pain would attack and wrack her body and I remember helping her focus on breathing through the pain. And on several occasions, in the midst of her agony, my mom would notice someone else walk into the room. Most often it was a hospice nurse, coming to check on my mom, coming to care for her, to help ease her pain. But before the hospice nurse could offer any kind of greeting or utter a word, my mom would say “hello” and begin to ask questions about the nurse’s life. “How is your daughter doing?” “I have been praying for such-and-such that you told me about, how is that going?” And the nurses’ hearts were moved by a woman who was caring for them when they were “supposed” to be caring for her instead. They could have easily said (and they did from time to time) “You have other things you need to be worrying about, Ann.” “Let’s focus on you and getting your pain under control.” “My situation isn’t as important as what you are going through.”

When Jesus hung on the cross, he suffered all kinds of pain. 

- Physical pain. 39 lashes on his back. A crown of thorns pressed into his skull. Nails driven into his hands and his feet.
- Emotional pain. The shame of hanging naked in a place of public torture and punishment that he did not deserve.
- Relational pain. Some of the people he had invested in for three years and loved so well...they were nowhere to be found. They deserted him.
- Spiritual pain. In his body, he carried all the sins of the world. He was forsaken by his Father...with whom he had only known intimacy and communion.
He knows our pain. He is well acquainted with grief.

When Jesus was hanging on the cross, in the midst of agony that we can’t imagine, Scripture says he saw his mother and John the disciple. Often times, when we are in pain, all we can see is ourselves. We can’t get out of our own situation even for a split-second to be able to notice someone else. But, the pattern of Jesus’ life was clear. He was always seeing people. He saw the crowd like sheep without a shepherd. He saw Zacchaeus hiding up in the sycamore tree. He looked at the rich young ruler and loved him. He saw the woman with the issue of blood. And, while hanging on the cross, he saw his mother. In the midst of torturous pain, he cared for his mother. He cared for her well-being, her future. He wanted her to be well taken care of. And, he trusted his beloved friend John to do so.

Mary could have easily felt, and even said... “Jesus, my child. Here you are, carrying the sins of the world...paying for the redemption of all humankind...you have more important things to be concerned about.” “I will be fine. I will figure something out.” But, in these moments, Jesus shows us the very heart of God. God doesn’t just care for you by offering you salvation. The God of the universe, who certainly does have very important things to attend to- things beyond the scope of what we can understand and imagine- cares about us, and the details of our lives. God cares about the things that are important to us. Simply because we are important to Him. God cares about your daughter. God cares about the decisions you are facing. God cares about the emotions you are wrestling with. God cares about the things you are praying about. God cares about you. So, don’t hesitate to trust Him. Share your heart with him. Cast your cares on Him. For He cares for you. See his heart for you revealed in these words He spoke from the cross. Let Him care for you the way He cared for His mother. For indeed, as He said earlier in His life, His mother and brothers are those who hear God’s words and put them into practice in their lives. May it be so of us.