“….The Scriptures give no indication of anger in Mary’s spirit as she watched her son die, but I confess that if it would’ve been me grieving beneath that blood stained cross, I would’ve had a real heart-to-heart, foot-stomping, angry prayer time with God. My guttural petitions might have been, “What are you doing? He is your Son! How can you let this happen? You are the sovereign God! You provided for Abraham.
Where is the ram?
If I tried to slip my feet in Mary’s worn sandals on that bitter day when Jesus cried out, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachtani” (“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me”), I would’ve been gritting my teeth, screaming within my soul, begging and demanding for God not to forsake my son.
Then again, there’s a chance I would’ve been too numb to move, to think, to pray.
I have a feeling Mary might have had those very same thoughts. The angel Gabriel had said, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32). Can you hear Mary’s heart beating and the questions running frantically through her head? She probably found herself questioning again just as she had questioned Gabriel the night he gave her the assignment. How can this be?
On the day of Jesus’ death, there were no angels in sight. There were no signs given by heavenly beings of the fulfillment of Gabriel’s words; there was only the nauseating, faith-snatching scene of the Son of God nailed upon a cross. It was a day like no other, and Mary N. probably thought that would never end.
We are afforded the ability to see this scene through eyes that know the rest of the story, but at that moment, Mary didn’t have this vision. I applaud her faithfulness to stand by her son until His final breath. But I don’t want us to miss the continued faithfulness and tenderness of our God to Mary during the darkest hour of her life.” (Excerpt from A Mary Like Me)
When reading the crucifixion scene in the Bible, have you ever wondered why Jesus wanted John to take care of Mary? It’s not my normal to do this, but I’m giving you an assignment this week. Read John 19:25-27. This was a tender moment. A purposeful moment. What do Jesus’ words tell you about the faithfulness of God? Also read Acts 1: 14 and Acts 2:1-4. Now do you see the significance of Jesus’ command to John? Why did He want Mary to be with John?
I love the answer.
And I love ya’ll! May I pray for us?
“Oh, sovereign God, we love you. You are faithful and purposeful. You never leave us in our darkest hour. You always provide. Help us find time this week to sit with you and the Bible. Help us find time to read the Scriptures and reflect on the Resurrection story. I know you have something special and unique for each of our hearts to discover. Thank you for the miracle of everlasting life through the power of Jesus–the only man who raised himself from the dead. Amen.”
Much grace,
andy
