Even though we may try, we don't quite grasp the horrors of crucifixion. Of course, this is a good thing since it's not a part of our everyday lives. When we travel to the outskirts of town, we don't have to wonder if we might pass by a graphic crucifixion in progress. And so, when we attempt to capture Jesus' death in art and movies, we can't help but sanitize it a bit.
The Romans didn't invent crucifixion, but they perfected it. Theologian Mike Bird says:
To put it bluntly, crucifixion was the attempt to manufacture a temporary hell for its intended victim. Death by crucifixion denied the humanity of its victim and even destroyed something of the humanity of those who had become capable of inflicting it on another human being.
Crucifixion represents the darkest parts of the human imagination. As Mike notes, a crucifixion affected not only its victims but also the people who carried out this dreadful event. It makes a mockery out of God's desire to have humans love and serve one another the way Jesus did. And that is why it is amazing that Jesus chose the cross.
Frederick Buechner says that the Gospel is part tragedy, part comedy. The cross was an instrument of terror and shame. By subjecting himself to it, Jesus was shaming the very thing that brings shame. This is the comedy of the Gospel: redeeming the world through a symbol of destruction. Jesus was allowing the inhumanity of the cross to do its worse so that we could become human again.
And as Jesus hung there experiencing unbearable pain, he continued to love others. Jesus used his final breaths to care for his mother and friend. This is Jesus' third statement from the cross:
Standing near the cross were Jesus' mother, and his mother's sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, "Dear woman, here is your son." And he said to this disciple, "Here is your mother." And from then on this disciple took her into his home." (John 19:25-27, NLT)
Can you imagine Mary's anguish as she watches her son die a gruesome death? Years earlier, when Jesus was only a few weeks old, a man named Simeon foresaw this event. He warned Mary, "a sword will pierce your own soul" (Luke 2:42). Now the time has come, and I'm sure Mary was crushed. But instead of turning away, she bravely remains with her suffering son.
In a culture where widows were vulnerable, Jesus knew Mary would need someone to provide for her. And so he entrusts her to the care of "the disciple he loved," which many believe to be John. It's tempting to imagine Mary as an older woman standing by the cross, but she was only in her mid-40s. As she grew older, it would be John's responsibility to continue to care for her.
But this new mother-son relationship would be beneficial to Mary and John. Jesus made it a point to commission them both. John was one of the youngest disciples, if not the youngest. He was probably in his late teens or early 20s. The days that followed Jesus' death and resurrection would be a whirlwind of emotions. John needed someone wise to lean on, and now he had that in his new mother, Mary.
These words from Jesus remind me that we need each other. The way we care for the people in our life matters to God. The way we allow people to care for us matters too. It takes humility to care for others and to be cared for.
But (and I'm just thinking out loud), I wonder—did caring for Mary ever "slow down" John's ministry? We know John was a leader in the early church, but maybe he wasn't as free to travel as Peter and Paul were. Perhaps he had to move a little slower with Mary by his side. Did this frustrate him? Or did he come to relish the experience, knowing that this was the ministry he was called to by Jesus?
I think there's a temptation to see the people in our life as a stumbling block to productivity. "If everyone would just leave me alone, then I can get more done for God!" We can't wait for our obligations to end so our life can "start." But the people we view as interruptions may be opportunities to live out the Gospel.
Who has God entrusted you to care for?
It could be a child who requires you to give everything you've got for the next 18 years and beyond.
It could be a sick family member who needs your help, and now your life has been completely turned upside down. This isn't what you had in mind for this season of your life. You had bigger dreams.
Or maybe God has entrusted you with the barista at Starbucks for the next 30 seconds. A smile and a kind word can make all the difference before getting on with your busy day.
"Dear woman, here is your son. ... Here is your mother."
Jesus was about to usher in the church and spread his message to all the ends of the earth. John could have seen Mary as a barrier to his role in that. Instead, he and Mary saw it as an opportunity to begin living out the vision of the church. John had to move a bit slower now, but his ministry would be better for it.
This week, let's consider who God has entrusted us to care for. And let's have the humility to allow others to care for us.
The people we see as interruptions may be the people God is using to shape us into who we were created to be.
Questions to Ponder:
What do you think Jesus meant with this statement from the cross? How do you think John and Mary's life changed after this?
Who are some people God has given you to care for? How is God using them to shape you?
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P.S. If you’d like to support my writing, you can buy me a sweet tea to keep me caffeinated and it would be much appreciated.