Sufficient Grace

I was reading in John about the crucifixion of Jesus. I googled crucifixion and this is a short explanation: Crucifixion: Jesus Faced a Horrible Death
Crucifixion sometimes began with a scourging or flogging of the victim’s back. The Romans used a whip called a flagrum, which consisted of small pieces of bone and metal attached to a number of leather strands. The number of blows given to Jesus is not recorded; however, the number of blows in Jewish law was 39 (one less than the 40 called for in the Torah, to prevent a counting error). During the scourging, the skin was ripped from the back, exposing a bloody mass of tissue and bone. Extreme blood loss occurred, often causing death, or at least unconsciousness. In addition to the flogging, Jesus faced severe beating and torment by the Roman soldiers, including the plucking of His beard and the piercing of His scalp with a crown of thorns.

I have heard that Jesus was beaten so badly he was unrecognizable.
I want you to take a moment and get a mental picture of the scene at hand. Got it?
Now I want to take you to another person at this scene. Mary, the mother of Jesus.
John 19:25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother.
The Bible doesn't say Mary was screaming uncontrollably or begging for his life or wailing loudly as I no doubt would have been.
Take that in for a minute. Mary is watching this horrific scene before her eyes. Her first born son, her baby boy, her child. How in the world did she not completely lose her mind?
How did she process the amount of emotions that were going through her? Someone said that her heart bled with His wounds. How true that must have been.
You know when your child gets hurt or is sick how it breaks your heart and you wish it were you instead of them. You don't have to be a parent to feel anguish for a child, seeing anyone you love suffer is heart breaking.
Mary was watching her innocent son be beaten and abused. Again there is no mention of her being hysterical.
How is that possible? It can only be possible through grace.
2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
I know this conversation was between Paul and God. Paul was struggling with something and 3 times he asked for it to be taken away and verse 9 is God's reply, the answer was no.
We rattle off a paraphrase of that verse often, “God's grace is sufficient for me” but have you ever REALLY experienced that kind of grace?
How many times have you asked Jesus to remove something from your life that you're suffering from?
It could only be by the grace of God that Mary was able to endure that day.
You don't know what you can bear until you have been tried and some are tested way more than others.
I don't pretend to know why I just know that God's grace is sufficient but being able to say that is not just a cliche for those who live it.
My very dear friend Fran told me a story once about her great granddaughter. She was walking to an ice cream truck with her mother (Fran's granddaughter) and she was hit by a motorcycle. She was ripped right out of her own mothers hand. Fran goes on to tell that she is standing at her great granddaughter's hospital bed with her daughter (the child's grandmother) at her side and her daughter is demanding that she pray the child back to health. They stood there together completely helpless and watched the child die. It was only the grace of God that Fran could even share that story with me.

The story in John goes on that Jesus speaks to his mother and the discipline standing next to her. John 19:26-27 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
When Jesus takes away one source of comfort He replaces it with another. He knew his mother would still need to be taken care of. God is not only sufficient emotionally and spiritually but physically as well.
Another interesting point here is Jesus called her “woman.” It wasn't being disrespectful it was a term of respect but I think it was more than that.
When your child calls you mommy or daddy it goes right to your heart especially when they are hurting.
I believe Jesus didn't call her mom because it would have been to much for her to bear.
Again, His sufficient grace.
It is only God that can sustain us during life's painful moments. Whether its as horrible as watching your child die or less catastrophic like having to find a new job God's grace is sufficient for you.
I know in my life I have taken that grace for granted when I think “I” handled a situation. The truth is I have only been able to handle what God has given me the strength to handle.
I can't imagine what it was like for Mary but I know she believed in the resurrection and that must have been what she held onto. Knowing she would be with her son again in Heaven.
We too have to hold onto that truth. I have loved ones that I will see in Heaven and that gives me great comfort.
My prayer for you today Gems is first to know Jesus Christ as your Savior, the one who gives you sufficient grace. I pray that when you are tested and you ask God to remove the situation and the answer to that prayer is to go through it not remove it that you will remember Mary and the sufficient grace Christ gave His mother.
I pray that in all things you will understand what Paul meant when he said he would boast about his weakness so God's power could rest on him.
Truly the most powerful time you can experience is when you are so broken and weak that God's power is working in and through you and you are experiencing sufficient grace.
My prayer for you today Gems is to boast about your weakness so others can see God's sufficient grace.