John 19

Read John 19.

It wasn’t just the crowds and the criminals who gathered around as Jesus suffered upon the cross, “…standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. [26] When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” [27] Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.”  As Jesus demonstrated the extent of his love in the face of unchecked sin, he at the same time declared the result of that love–a new family. It’s a family formed not by physical descent but through love and faith–a family open to ALL and marked by the love Jesus has shown toward us. On the cross, Jesus shows us how to love and calls us to love those he loves. Let’s give thanks today for the family Jesus has formed.