Daily Word

This is one of the most beautiful portrayals of Jesus Christ.

He has been betrayed, abandoned, and denied by his closest friends; accused and sentenced to death on completely false grounds by envious people; mocked, scorned, beaten, and scourged until he bled.

Now He hangs nailed to a cross—one of the most painful instruments of execution ever devised—surrounded by a mob hurling scornful insults at Him.

Amidst all this, He forgets His own pain when He sees His mother standing there.

Joseph had likely died, and the brothers of Jesus were not there; nor did they yet believe in Jesus.

Mary was a widow and found herself in a highly vulnerable economic and social situation. As the eldest son, it was Jesus’s responsibility to care for his mother, and now she was watching her primary protector and provider undergo a slow, brutal, and public execution.

She must have been utterly devastated.

John was the only disciple present at the cross, and he likely had a home in Jerusalem, enabling him to care for Mary. That is why Jesus entrusted her to him.

Even while enduring the unimaginable physical torture of the crucifixion, Jesus was more concerned with His mother’s physical and emotional well-being than with His own excruciating pain.

How was that possible?

Jesus had cultivated a lifestyle of selfless, sacrificial love. He had always looked out for the good of others, cared for the sick and the suffering, served his disciples, and never lived for Himself. He remained that way until his very last breath.

Can we become like Him?

Can we be freed from our self-absorption and develop a similarly selfless lifestyle?

Only if his "Spirit-breath" becomes our own breath.

We can breathe in the self-sacrificing Spirit of Jesus in every situation we face and breathe out His caring love to everyone we meet.

Step by step, we can be shaped into Christ-like people—not through our own efforts, but through His Spirit!