Mary the Mother of Jesus has probably suffered more than any other woman in the world. What she witnessed on that day - seeing her Son crucified for 6 long hours - with the blood, the nails and the spear - had to be the most horrible sight any mother could witness. Think of what it would be like for a mother to see her child tortured and nailed to a cross.
But with this terrible sight of her Son brutalized in front of her, Mary was not in a faint, was not laying on the ground screaming - she was "standing." Jesus looked down at her from the cross, and she was standing, as in John 19:26 "When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby. He said to His mother "Woman behold your son!"
I believe Mary knew the fate of her Son for years, and that He must go through the ordeal He accepted, to become a sacrifice for us all. I believe she gathered up strength over the years to get through that day. And I believe one of the reasons God chose her to be the mother of Jesus, is because He knew she had that inner strength.
Mary has the right to be venerated by all Christians. How can a woman, handpicked by God to be the mother of His Son, not get the recognition she deserves, not to mention her unparalleled faithfulness and quiet heroism. Actually she does get recognition by the Catholics, but I do not understand why Protestants do not recognize her.
Another fact brought out by Charles Swindoll in his book "The Darkness and the Dawn", is why Jesus picked His disciple John to take care of His mother, when He has 4 half-brothers, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas as well as "His sisters." If Mary did have children after the birth of Jesus, or if these "brothers" and sisters were cousins or close relatives as some believe, why did Jesus pick a friend instead of a blood relative to take care of His mother?
It seems to be because of their unbelief. They had rejected Jesus, at least at that point in time. The indictment of the people in Jesus' hometown includes His own siblings. John 7:5 confirms this: "For not even His brothers were believing in Him." Throughout His earthly ministry, right up to the point of His death, His brothers did not believe in or support Him. His mother did, but not His brothers. And so it stands to reason that shortly before His death, He puts her in the care of one who would not only love her and care for her as His own mother, but also one who loved Him and believed in Him - one of His closest followers.
After the incident in Jerusalem when Jesus was 12 years old, Mary’s husband Joseph is not mentioned again in the Bible. He is not mentioned as being with Mary at the wedding in Cana. This probably means Joseph died sometime after Jesus was 12, and before the beginning of Jesus' ministry.
This too brings out the inner strength of Mary. Not only could she not lean on the brothers and sisters of Jesus for comfort, she could not go to her husband Joseph either. It seems that Mary suffered alone during the trial and ordeal of her Son Jesus, as Jesus suffered alone, for all of us.
At the closing moment of Jesus' life, in the midst of His terrible suffering, Jesus took care of His mother. He told His disciple John "Behold, your mother." He had her welfare near His heart to the very end.
I write this comment as a tribute to Mary and to all other mothers who have experienced their own personal tragedies.
By George Konig
September 12, 2004
www.georgekonig.org
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