John 19:26
When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son.”
At the cross, Jesus passed the responsibility of caring for his mother to his close friend and disciple, John. He also bequeathed his friend to his mother.
This is an interesting exchange since Mary had other sons. It was not like she would be bereft after Jesus’ death. Nor is it that Jesus was so terribly close to his mother as an adult, although it is possible that she traveled with the disciples since there are references to women who accompanied the disciples. (e.g. Matthew 27:55) I believe Jesus was asking them to be united as family, to adopt one another.
Adoption is a major theme in our church and in our family. Over the years that we have attended Mt. Zion, over 70 families have adopted children. In our own family, we have adopted three orphaned children from Eastern Europe, now all teenagers. Adopting is only one aspect of orphan care… as there are millions of children around the world who cannot be adopted because of illness, circumstances, or country of origin. These children are also looking for a mother.
If each family in the Western world (with even modest means) would adopt an orphan child, whether financially (sponsoring a child), emotionally (fostering or mentoring a child), or literally (bringing a child into the family), the tragic stories could end or, at the very least, dramatically improve.
I consider my “motherhood” to be a gift from God.
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