Daily Devotions are published Tuesday-Saturday during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

John 19:25 (NRSV)

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

A Virtual Devotion- There’s Something About Mary

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are our storytellers.  It is from them that we have the account of the life and passion of our Lord.   Mary is mentioned 12 times in Luke, six times in Matthew, one time in Mark.    But it is only John who gives us the account of Jesus viewing the crowd beneath him as he hung in shame on the cross, hated and dejected, watching the crowd, and out of all of them he singles out two—the disciple whom he loved and his mother.

Do I ignore this moment? Or do I stop and ask the significance of this passage in scripture?  

I understood when from the pulpit it was suggested that Mary become a model for the Christian life in her chosen obedience to God.  She was given a choice. She chose to accept the will of God, take on the role of mother of God, even at the risk of death. She was not a Jonah who did everything he could to escape God’s will for him.  She was not a Peter who denied him.   Are these not the expected behaviors of we humans?  But Mary calls us to a higher service.  Here I am.

 Once the child was born Mary guarded her son’s safety, took flight into Egypt.  And at the Wedding of Cana, even as Jesus expressed his reluctance, it was she who insisted that this was the moment he begin his ministry, changing water into wine.

In her mother role she was there to experience the deepest pain and sorrow seeing her son on the cross.  What courage.  In her sorrow she followed him even after death to the tomb the next day to anoint his body.  Are not those the things a mother does?

Yet we are somewhat blinded when it comes to Mary’s story. She is a talking point of faith throughout history. She is mentioned 50 times in the Koran.  There are over 339 shrines to her around the world honoring her, but not worshipping her. Venerable, a superior role model of faith, but not a deity.

Have we left Mary as a word on the pages of our Bibles?  Did Jesus have something more in mind for us? In this scripture the disciple spoken to is not named.  Is that so that we could say our own name in that space.  Could we be a disciple Jesus loved?  Even in his final hour Jesus thought of his mother and her protection. He now no longer is in an earthly relationship with Mary, but possibly gave her care over to humanity, not just to a disciple he loved, but to all of us.  Mother behold your son.  And when he said “Behold your mother,” was Jesus speaking to me?

You might enjoy listening to the song Mary Did You Know by Pentatonix CLICKING HERE

Prayer

Please join me by entering  into a contemplative silent prayer beginning with a word from the meditation that spoke to your heart.   In the silence, how does God speak to you about Mary?

Sarah Larson