Divine Love

Jesus made seven statements while on the Cross. Today’s blog is devoted to the third of these statements of Jesus: “Woman, behold your son: behold your mother (John 19:26-27). In the midst of unbelievable personal suffering, Jesus looks down from the cross to see his grieving mother and the family’s devoted friend, John. His great heart sees beyond his own need, grief and pain and he speaks to each of these a word of comfort and hope. In the same way, Jesus sees each of us and feels our suffering today. Truly this is an expression of divine love.

Divine love sees people. In our most frustrating moments, we need to remember that the Lord knows all about whatever is happening in our lives. He sees us. He knows all about us. When Jesus went into Jericho on his way to Jerusalem and the Cross, a blind man called to him from the crowd. He hoped Jesus would see him and help him, and his hopes were fulfilled because Jesus already knew his need. A short distance away, a man named Zaccheus had the same hope, and Jesus knew all about him also. The Savior saw their need. On the Cross, looking down into his mother’s eyes, he understood what she was feeling.

Divine love feels for people. The love of God is true “compassion,” a word that literally means, “to suffer with.” He not only sees and knows our need, he gets under the load with us. As Mary’s son, Jesus’ heart went out to his earthly mother. As the Son of God, he knew her needs in a way not shared by anyone else. Today, the Lord sees the billions of people on this planet, and he literally feels the crushing load of grief, frustration and despair that we ourselves are feeling.

Divine love helps people. Jesus saw Mary and John, and in two brief sentences brought them together so that each could be helped by the other. John was Jesus “beloved disciple,” and was standing on the threshold of a life without meaning or purpose, because his Lord was dying before his eyes. Mary’s heart was breaking in the terrible loss she was feeling. To Mary, Jesus said, “Behold your son (John).” To John: “Behold your mother.” In the days to follow, both would find comfort and strength in that bond of love forged by Jesus. Jesus helps us, too, and all those who will accept his offer of salvation.

Divine love sees us, feels our pain, and helps us. We can be comforted by that knowledge and his promise, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”