Daily Devotion, August 4, 2020

Devotion: Read John 19:25-27.

 As we consider our passage today, let's recall Simeon's prophecy given to Mary at Jesus' dedication in the temple: "And a sword will pierce your own soul too." (Luke 2:35b) Mary is near Jesus now, and her heart is broken, her soul has been pierced. She is consoled by friends. The disciple whom Jesus loved, St. John, one of three disciples closest to him, is the only male disciple who is at the foot of the cross as Jesus is dying. As Mary’s firstborn son, Jesus is legally responsible for his mother’s welfare. It is his responsibility to ensure that she has a place to live and food to eat during her widowhood. Jesus entrusts his mother to John's care. Look at the extent of Jesus' love. Here he is dying in agony, gasping for each breath. He sees his mother, the one who comforted him through all of childhood's cuts and bruises, teases and taunts. When he was a boy he would run home to mother and instantly be wrapped in her protective, comforting arms. But now as he sees her at the foot of the cross, heartbroken, weeping, inconsolable, his heart goes out to her. Rather than being consumed by an understandable concern for his own welfare, he is touched by hers. This brief moment at the foot of the cross reminds us of the great, sacrificial love he has for each of us. Personal Worship Option: Give God thanks today for this promise of Scripture: “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19