25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
John 19:25-27
It is said that when you lose someone you love, you not only lose the person, but you lose everything they were to you as well. Having gone through the loss of my beloved mother three years ago, I can attest to that fact. I not only lost my mom, but I lost my friend, my closest confidant, my greatest encourager, my laughing buddy, my dedicated prayer warrior and so much more.
Mary–in watching Jesus hang on that cross–was not only losing her beloved son, but all he was to her. I can imagine Jesus was her friend, her comforter, her companion, her provider of basic needs, her healer, and yes even her Lord.
There is no doubt the overwhelming sense of loss threatened to swallow her up right then and there. Until Jesus, in his final most excruciating moments, utters these odd yet extraordinary words: “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.”
What are we to make of this mysterious statement? Surely this disciple didn’t become her actual son. And surely Mary didn’t become the disciple’s actual mother. No, but Jesus, I think, is revealing here an amazing truth about our Father in Heaven. That God is our Jehovah Jireh–”the Lord who provides.”
In providing Mary with the disciple to take on the role of son and take her into his home, Jesus was initiating what was to become the new model and mode of God’s provision from that point onward. God’s provision for his people was to come not from above, not from below, not from thin air, but through his people. Through his church. Through his body. Through the one family of God.
“You will experience loss, yes.” Jesus seems to be saying. “But never again will you experience lack.”
What amazing news. For the Kingdom of God was and is at hand. Loss is no longer equated with lack. What does that mean in the midst of this unimaginable Covid-19 health crisis? When we, like Mary, may feel swallowed up by the myriad of losses we’ve experienced in just a matter of weeks. Loss of jobs…social interactions…special events…routines…a sense of normalcy and security…and worst of all, the loss of human life.
In all this loss, is there really no lack?
This tsunami of loss will inevitably lead to some earthly lack in the material sense. But Jesus’ death on the cross, I believe, points beyond the temporal to the eternal reality that awaits. I imagine Jesus saying, “Yes this hurts, I know. I see your pain. I feel it and I weep over it. But, behold my child… this isn’t all there is.”
This isn’t all there is. That is why Jesus died such a horrible death on that cross. Just as he assured his disciples all those years ago, he assures us now:
“When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.”
John 14:3
When death is literally staring us in the face, isn’t this wonderful news? We will experience loss in this life, that is a hard and painful fact. But for those who have put their hope in God, there is no lack, ultimately. When discouragement creeps in and we are tempted to fear or despair, we can simply remember, this isn’t all there is.