Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.”
NL Daily Devotion for Thursday, April 14, 2022
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: Tonight, we sit uncomfortably in the grief and despair of losing Jesus.
Even as he died, Jesus clung to his identity to the very last breath. Hanging on a cross, tortured and despairing, his thoughts were for his mother who was losing her son, and his disciples who were losing their rabbi, teacher, and friend. “Woman, here is your son.” To his disciple, “Here is your mother.” Jesus knew the work was not finished, and he entrusted his loved ones into the care of one another so that they could console each other, find strength in one another, and continue his work after his departure.
Today marks the first of the most desolate three days we recognize each year. The time when we remember and feel the absence of Jesus, the loss, the grief, and the gravity of the things Jesus bore for us. While it is tempting to rush toward relief from that grief, let us sit with the discomfort. This time of reflection can be cathartic and healing.
