March 6 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

John 19:25–27

Devotional

“Woman, behold thy son.” This saying from Jesus on the cross does not only evolve from compassion for His mother, but above all it originates from His concern to be the Surety. Christ has deep concern for His mother and He recommends her to John. This is His last will and testament. But there is no inheritance to be divided. This dying One has literally left nothing behind. His last possessions have just been divided. Someone else will have to take care of His mother.

“Woman, behold thy son.” Never has a richer testament been left behind. Jesus loves His own to the end. He says goodbye to Mary not only as His mother but also as woman. He understands her pain and will hold on to her forever. Mary loses her Child in order to find in that same Child her everlasting Savior. She will never be separated from Him. Her motherhood is now over but the divine Fatherhood remains forever, for He is now at work to merit the restoration of the bond between her and God the Father.

These are losses, but they are blessed losses. Blessed are the mothers, the fathers, children, and spouses, who, when they say goodbye to one another, have deeper ties than only the ties of blood. They will not be separated from one another forever, because the bonds in God cannot ever be broken by death.

The mutual bond in God which they share exceeds the bonds of blood, as we see with Mary and John. Here we see the communion of saints, and that is also a fruit of the merits of Christ’s sufferings on the cross. The characteristic of such communion is that people do not end in one another, but they end in God, also now already in this present life on earth.

Mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, and spouses, are your names written in this testament? Then you have also learned to grieve because of the cause of sin. That cause is that you have broken the ties with God. In such grieving hearts love to God and to one another starts to grow. This love is a fruit of His love, that He was willing to be the Surety. This love leads one to die to self-love. We know this from the epistles of this same John, who received Mary into his home.

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.