“…He said to His mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.” – John 19:26-27

What a tender moment. Even as His life slowly was dripping from Him, Jesus had the wherewithal to make provisions for His mother’s care. As He looked around, the scene must have broken His heart even more so. How could His dearest friends abandon Jesus?

There stood the women who had faithfully supported His ministry the last three years. But where were those twelve men who had been his close associates for the last three years? The Bible only accounts for three of them. What happened to the other nine?

Judas, the betrayer, discovered that 30 pieces of silver that once seemed a delight now tormented his soul. We find him ending it all by committing suicide.

Peter, who bravely defended Jesus in the Garden, “went out and wept bitterly” after fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy of turning from defender to denier in just a few short hours.

Maybe being among the unmentionable nine wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

Then there was John – “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”  All the others had faded from view, but there was John, faithful to the bitter end. And bitter it was. As Jesus hung there dying, it was John to whom He entrusted the responsibility of caring for His mother, an obligation he gladly accepted and faithfully executed.

Reasons Some People Abandon Jesus

So let me ask you . . . what does it take to stop you? Where would you be in this picture? At what level do you say, “ENOUGH.”   

1.  Inconvenience.

Sometimes living for Jesus is more difficult than going with the flow, so we choose the path of least resistance. We deem it easier to plead forgiveness from God than

2. Frustration.

You start out doing OK, but something goes wrong.  Maybe things do not pan out the way you think they should.  Perhaps, you face the stark reality of your human frailty.  Whatever the case, however, you feel disappointed.  Rather than pick yourself up and start again, you choose to wallow in the mud hole of self-pity.

3.  Ridicule.

People begin to make fun of you, call you names, joke about your “religion.”  After a while, you tire of being the butt of their joke so you back off.  Human pride is an incredibly powerful motivator.

4.  Cost.

You want to be identified with Jesus as long as you benefit from the identification.  You engage spiritual living from the fringes. However, if a golden opportunity presents itself, you will do what is necessary to get what you have always wanted.

Would You Abandon Jesus?

So if the situation presented itself, would Jesus ask YOU to take care of His mother? Would you be there faithfully standing by even at such a bitter end? At what point to you bail out and run and hide? Could it be that we all need to pray that God would give us a fresh infusion of courage?

Let’s pray that God will break our hearts and toughen our hides.  We can be the kind of people who will endure what comes our way and stand with Him.