Final Moments

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12

D.L. MOODY
The one glimpse the Bible gives us of thirty out of the thirty-three years of Christ’s life on Earth shows that He did not come to destroy the Fifth Commandment. The secret of all those silent years is embodied in that verse in Luke’s Gospel—“And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them” (Luke 2:51). Did He not set an example of true filial love and care when, in the midst of the agonies of the cross, He made provision for His mother (Mark 10:35–45)?

ERWIN LUTZER
Yes, even on the cross Jesus was thinking about others. He said to Mary, “Woman, behold, your son!”—referring to John, not Himself. To John: “Behold, your mother!” (John 19:26–27). He prepared her for His death; apparently, her husband Joseph was dead by this time. As a firstborn, Jesus fulfilled His responsibility to care for His mother until the end. This is His last will and testament. Christ’s cross is a place of responsibility.
The attitude of Jesus as He neared an excruciating death destroys any ladder-climbing or self-exaltation, teaching us how to care for others, particularly our parents. Before the cross, we tremble and ask: “In light of what Jesus has done, why is my own self-exaltation so important?” If one or both of your parents are still living, seek to honor them and you will be rewarded.
And then, let us also honor the wider body of Christ. Paul lamented how most people are selfish, “For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 2:21). Let the cross of Christ motivate us to live for God and others—not ourselves.

PRAYER
Lord Jesus, you who thought not of yourself but thought of others throughout your life to the cross, lead me. Keep me near the cross.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What does Christ’s treatment of Mary show us about how we are to treat our parents?

What does honoring your father and mother look like for you?