Read the Bible in a year by reading John 19:23-42 today His Mother Stood By By Don Ruhl John wrote, Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother�s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene (Jn. 19:25). This sentence from John struck me, as it had not before. John had just written of the humiliation of Jesus when the soldiers took His garments and divided them among themselves and cast lots for the tunic, leaving Him either totally naked or close to it. Then John wrote that standing by the cross of Jesus Christ was His mother. She saw Him naked coming into the world, then she saw Him leaving in the same way. This pierced her soul deeply. She did not just see a naked son, but a beaten body, bloody from the crown of thorns, from the beatings, from the scourging, and from the nails in His healing hands and in His precious feet. If He had been your son, what would have been happening in your heart? I know the agony that would have been tearing up my insides. We also know Mary's agony. After Joseph and Mary had Jesus circumcised when He was eight days old, they presented Him in the temple. A man was there whose name was Simeon. He saw them, and the Spirit revealed to him who the Child was. Simeon spoke to Mary and said that, "a sword will pierce through your own soul also." Yes, Mary had incredible pain that day when she saw her Son naked on the cross. That poor woman. Yet, He allowed it to happen for her sake and for yours. Question from the text: How much did the spices weigh that Nicodemus brought? A good friend of mine, Steve Lloyd, has an interesting web site: www.closerlookbooks.com Check it out and see what you discover. Church of Christ 220 NE Savage Street Grants Pass, Oregon 97625 541-476-3100 www.GrantsPassChurchofChrist.com http://associate.com/groups/emaildevotionals/ To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: emaildevotionals-leave@... To subscribe, send ANY message to: emaildevotionals-join@...