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From Heaven With Love
the words of pardon spoken to the penitent thief kindled a light that
will shine to earth’s remotest bounds. In His humiliation, Jesus as
a prophet had addressed the daughters of Jerusalem; as priest and
advocate He had pleaded with the Father to forgive His murderers;
as Saviour He had forgiven the sins of the penitent thief.
At the foot of the cross stood His mother, supported by John. She
could not endure to remain away from her Son, and John, knowing
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that the end was near, had brought her again. Looking into her
grief-stricken face, He said to her, “Woman, behold thy son!” then
to John, “Behold, thy mother!” John understood and accepted the
trust. From that hour he cared for Mary tenderly. The Saviour had no
money with which to provide for His mother, but He provided that
which she most needed—the tender sympathy of one who loved her
because she loved Jesus. And John received a great blessing—she
was a constant reminder of his beloved Master.
For nearly thirty years Jesus by His daily toil had helped bear the
burdens of the home. And now, even in His last agony, He provided
for His sorrowing, widowed mother. Those who follow Christ will
respect and provide for their parents. From the heart where His love
is cherished, father and mother will never fail of receiving thoughtful
care and tender sympathy. And now the Lord of glory was dying.
All was oppressive gloom. Not the dread of death, not the pain of
the cross, caused Christ’s agony. His suffering was from a sense of
the malignity of sin. Christ saw how few would be willing to break
from its power. Without help from God, humanity must perish, and
He saw multitudes perishing within reach of help.
The Terrible Weight That Christ Bore
Upon Christ as our substitute and surety was laid the iniquity
of us all. The guilt of every descendant of Adam was pressing on
His heart. All His life Christ had been publishing the good news
of the Father’s pardoning love, but now with the terrible weight of
guilt upon Him He could not see the Father’s reconciling face. This
pierced His heart with a sorrow that can never be fully understood
by man. So great was this agony that His physical pain was hardly
felt.