Devotional 3-29-13

John 19:30 tells us “When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

When the angel Gabriel appeared unto Mary with the news that she would bear a son and his name would be Jesus, Mary surely knew that he would do great things in his life. The Bible tells us she was a witness to his first miracle at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. She was also present at other events leading up to his crucifixion.

As a mother and grandmother I try to envision the agony Mary must have felt as she witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion and heard him say, “It is finished.” I imagine Mary pleading with God to spare her son, while knowing that this was his purpose on earth; to save the lost. Could you or I give up our child to save the sinners of this world?

During Lent we focus on the life, death and resurrection of Christ. But I felt it important to think about Mary and the toll it must have taken on her to be a witness to the treatment her son received. Her faith in God the Father surely carried her through this trying time. Do we have that kind of faith in God? The kind that would allow us to stand by and watch as our son was dying on the cross.

As we prepare to celebrate of the resurrection of Jesus, may this be a time of renewing our faith and recommitting our lives to Christ.

Joyce Townsend