Jesus' Final Concern

Impossible Agony

One can only imagine the agony, pain, and hardship endured by Jesus Christ through His scourging and His crucifixion. To hang in the presence of numerous onlookers, slowly asphyxiating as you struggle to bear you own exhausting weight. To realize that, although many onlookers are friends or family full of pity, anguish, and despair, still some onlookers are cynically present to watch an innocent man die, or to see whether He will truly “save Himself” (Mat. 27:41ff).

In the midst of the striking reality that physical death was very near and a certainty, Jesus also faced the unknowable spiritual pain of being a true sin sacrifice, and the separation from His Father that must come with such a sacrifice. This was a cup no other could bear, with a price, pain, and despair no other could ever understand.

A Temporal Concern

It is in this frame of time that, despite all the incredible stresses upon the mind of Jesus Christ as He hung upon a cruel cross, that we find a curious last temporal concern. His own physical life was ending, His followers were in disarray, and He was going to literally become sin for mankind. Despite all of this, He was concerned over the future fate of His own mother Mary (John 19:26, 27).

The reason for such concern was understandable. His adopted father Joseph was likely dead by this point and Mary was likely a widow. He was not in good terms with His half-brothers (although some would later be followers). As the eldest son, it was His responsibility to ensure His mother was well cared for; a duty He fulfilled by making request of the disciple He was closest to on earth.

A Perfect Example

But was Jesus’ concern solely that of a dutiful son? That alone would be enough of an example to follow: to honor one’s mother throughout one’s life. It is possible this is all that is in view, but it is more likely that in this final temporal concern, despite the infinitely greater spiritual concerns, we see a glimpse into the humanity of Jesus Christ.

Jesus loved His mother as any son would. Even though His ministry and purpose for walking this earth meant that He had to do truly unique things, He remembered His mother to the very end of His regular life. If Jesus showed such concern for His own mother while literally hanging from the cross, how much concern, respect, and love is each of our own mothers’ due?