Moving Forward Together

John 19:1-27

“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!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.” John 19:26-27

This was Jesus’ final request –sort of. This was a statement; a statement that expressed His desire for His mother and His disciple during these circumstances of their respective lives. The woman was losing her son, the disciple his teacher. Christ’s hope for these two summarizes, in a way, His work on the cross for all of humanity: life–that we would both receive and live it.

Jesus wants us all to receive eternal life, but part of that includes beginning to live it now amongst His people. Suffering such a great loss, like Jesus’ mother and His disciple, can be debilitating. Losing a son can especially consume us with an inconsolable form of despair. It is the sort of wound that few completely heal from.

It is much easier to write this than it is to live out what Jesus calls us to. There is a place and a time to mourn, but it is not intended to be the house we live in. He called His mom and His disciple to recognize what they had in each other. They mourned. That is for certain. Yet within their mourning they were meant to regroup, rise from their tragedy and press on.

Lamenting our losses often has the effect of shutting us down. Our minds tend to encircle the pain, reliving it moment by moment as we further isolate ourselves from what lies before us. We have not been made to live solitary lives. I guess you are allowed to do so if you choose, but believers are called out of that. At the very least, we are called to be an integral part of His family, otherwise known as the church.

We are to have hearts that are tender towards each other–empathetic hearts of flesh rather than hard and cold. Christians are called to look at each other as if they are their brothers, sisters, moms and dads. If we take on that attitude amongst us, it should also translate into our caring for one another in very practical ways, just as the disciple took Jesus’ mother into his own home.

Healthy relationships require both heart and action. They require at least one person taking the initiative to reach out and the willingness to continue cultivating the relationship. In the case of this passage, it required the disciple providing a home for his teacher’s mother. One would hope that she repaid the gesture by helping care for the home.

None of us can truly care in this way for the whole world. Jesus didn’t ask His mother to be a mom to all of His followers. Likewise, we can’t be there for or provide for everyone who walks into our lives. We are however responsible for some. Who is before you now? Maybe you don’t “feel like” reaching out. Perhaps the cost seems too great, or your personal wounds and losses have left you curled up in the fetal position. Now might be time to look at what you do have, regroup and learn to live again; if not for your own benefit, but for the benefit of the ones Jesus has placed in front of you.

Life brings with it much loss and disappointment. Do yours hold you back from receiving and the life God has called you to?