INTRODUCTION
Dan Dierdorf is a former professional football
player who is now a television sports broadcaster.
“I’ve been on this incredible roll,” he says with
wide-eyed amazement.
“I’ve made more money and bettered myself every
year since I was 21 years old. If my life were a
graph, it would be one continuous line at a
45-degree angle, pointing up.”
While his professional life has had few hitches,
Dierdorf has experienced one grievous, crushing
personal setback. In January, 1985, his
two-month-old daughter, Kelly, died, a victim of
sudden infant death syndrome. Speaking of that
tragedy he said, “My wife, Debbie, woke up at 4 in
the morning and realized she hadn’t heard the baby
cry for its feeding at 2:30 or 3. She knew right away
that something was drastically wrong. She came
back into our bedroom carrying the baby. How do
you describe it? It is beyond belief. Every day you
sit around and start falling farther and farther into
that hole.”
Dan Dierdorf says that his daughter Kelly’s death
taught him a hard lesson.“It made me more sensitive
to other people’s problems,” he says.“When
everything is going well, you’re not aware of other
people’s problems. You don’t have the time. Then
when something happens to you, all of a sudden you
find out that virtually everyone you know has a
problem, sometimes a worse one than yours and you
have been blind to it.” Problems. Burdens. Pain.
Heartaches. Regrets. Everyone has them; no one
escapes them. Consequently, everyone needs
someone to encourage them, to help them through
life’s most difficult times.
The Lord desires that we be there for each other.
Galatians 6:2 says, “CARRY EACH OTHER’S
BURDENS AND IN THIS WAY YOU WILL
FULFILL THE LAW OF CHRIST.” Helping each
other with the burdens and heartaches of life is
God’s desire for those who name the name of
Christ.
As believers we are called children of God. 1 John
3:1 says, “HOW GREAT IS THE LOVE THE
FATHER HAS LAVISHED UPON US, THAT WE
SHOULD BE CALLED THE CHILDREN OF
GOD!” At the cross our relationship with God is
restored and renewed. We become children of God
and members of the Body of Christ. In establishing
a relationship with God through Christ, we
automatically establish a relationship with each
other. In Christ we are family! As family members
we are expected to be there for each other. We are
to love, accept, understand, encourage and help each
other. We are to make a difference in each other’s
lives as we face the adversities, tragedies, hurts and
temptations that are an inevitable part of life in this
sin marred-world. Jesus’ third word from the cross
is a powerful reminder of this fact.
NEAR THE CROSS
While hanging from the cross and waiting for
physical death to relieve His unbearable pain, the
Lord Jesus spoke to this responsibility of His
followers. An endless array of voices were
contemptuously raised against Him as He lifelessly
hung from that cross.Everywhere He looked He saw
those who were ridiculing and taunting Him. “YOU
SAVED OTHERS……SAVE
YOURSELF…..COME DOWN FROM THE
CROSS….”
“When Jesus looked down from the cross, He saw
not only the ignorant indifference of His
executioners, but the anguish of His followers”
(Packer). Peering out over the crowd Jesus couldn’t
escape the distraught and pained look on the face of
His mother Mary and His beloved disciple, John.
He also saw the faces of Mary Magdalene and Mary
the wife of Cleopas. Shocked, bewildered and
saddened they were standing near the cross.
The faithful few followers were there, not out of
duty, but out of love and devotion. “If you and I had
been in Jerusalem that afternoon when Christ was
crucified, I wonder how near the cross we would
have stood. It is one thing to sing, ‘Jesus Keep Me
Near the Cross,’ but quite another thing to actually
stay near the cross.”We need to be near the cross
and identify with the Savior.We need to be close to
the Lord for the sake of others.Only as we are living
close to Him can we be an effective witness to those
who don’t yet know Him. We also need to be close
to Christ for our own sake. It is the place from
which we are more apt to hear Him speak and it is
the place of victory and blessing.
From the cross Jesus spoke a special word to His
mother and disciple John. As He looked out and
saw the pain and suffering etched onto the face of
His mother, He called out the tender words recorded
in verse 26 of our text: “DEAR WOMAN,” He said,
“HERE IS YOUR SON.” “As used in Biblical
times, the title ‘woman’, did not imply a lack of
respect or affection (as it might today). ‘Woman’
was the word used in the tenderest scene of the Iliad
when a husband bid farewell to his beloved wife. It
was a common title of respect.” Then transforming
His gaze from His mother’s face to the face of John,
Jesus said, “HERE IS YOUR MOTHER.”Jesus
gave them each to the other. What message was He
sending to them…and us?
NEW RELATIONSHIPS
“In a gesture of sublime love, Jesus gave them to
each other for mutual love and care. The sacrificial
death he was dying was to break down the dividing
walls between people so that the deep relationship
of Christian fellowship could be possible’.“He was
saying to His mother Mary, ‘I am going back to
heaven. Because of this, you and I must have a
whole new relationship.’” In order to help her with
her burden and heartache He was giving John to her.
Jesus was asking John to be the son that she would
need. He was to be there for her from that day
forward. He was to make a difference as she
struggled with her heartache and future. “Jesus
looked down from the cross on His mother and saw
a sorrowing woman in need of comfort, care and
security. So he gave her a legacy: anew family.”
Because of the cross they were to have a new
relationship. John 19:27 says that ‘FROM THAT
TIME ON, THIS DISCIPLE TOOK HER INTO
HIS HOME.” They were now family.
In that moment, just before He died, Jesus gave
them each to the other for they were to be, above all
else, a family in Christ. “They were to be bound
together in the divine bonds of love which would be
the essence of the church. They were to care for
each other as Christ had cared for each of them”
They were to bear one another’s burdens. At the
cross, Jesus was assuring His mother of His love as
He took His choice disciple and gave Him as a son
to her. The true nature of the church, the body of
Christ, was expressed that moment. It was
expressed when the Savior gave two people whom
He loved to each other. That is part of what is
involved when we become believers. When we
come to the Savior we become a part of the family
of God. Christ expresses His love to us by giving us
each to the other.
CARING AND BURDEN BEARING
Responsibilities come with membership in the
family of God. Caring and burden-bearing are two
of our primary responsibilities. Galatians 6:2 says,
“CARRY EACH OTHER’S BURDENS AND IN
THIS WAY YOU WILL FULFILL THE LAW OF
CHRIST.” Nine verses later the Scriptures say, “AS
YOU HAVE OPPORTUNITY, DO GOOD TO
ALL PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY TO THOSE WHO
BELONG TO THE FAMILY OF BELIEVERS.” As
believers we have special obligations to each other.
Life can be tough and at times we all are
overwhelmed by the trials of life. For some, the load
is so heavy they don’t know how they will possibly
make it through another day. Knowing that, at
times, none of us can bear the burdens of life alone,
God has given us each to the other. When we come
to the cross and establish a relationship with God
through Christ, we also establish a special
relationship with each other. Mutual caring and
burden-bearing should characterize our lives. God
expects us to care for one another.
When Jesus said to His mother, “BEHOLD YOUR
SON” and to John, “BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER,”
He was binding them and us in a relationship with
our hurting, lonely, needy brothers and sisters in
Christ. Jesus was literally saying to John, “You are
going to take my place.I will no longer be on earth
physically to watch over my mother. You are going
to take her and be a son to her.”As believers, Christ
also honors us by allowing us to take His place. In
John 20:21 He says to us, “AS THE FATHER HAS
SENT ME, I AM SENDING YOU.” As members of
the family of God and the Body of Christ, we are
His feet, hands, ears and mouth here on earth. He
works through us; He expresses His love and caring
through us. John Huffman, Jr. tells the story of
Florence Nightingale who, one night during the
Crimean War, was passing down a hospital ward.
She paused to bend over the bed of a wounded
soldier.As she looked down on him with eyes of
compassion, the young man looked up and said,
“You’re Christ come to me.” When we truly
minister with love and compassion, we reflect Jesus
and His love. We are to take His place and reach out
to the hurting and hungry, the lonely and lost, the
confused and frightened.He sends us forth in is
Name to minister, to care, to make a difference in
our hurting world. What a privilege, what an honor,
what a responsibility!
Helen Keller was one of the world’s most renowned
women.She accomplished much and touched the
lives of millions because someone was willing to
help her with her crushing burdens.Someone was
willing to be there for her.Anne Sullivan was born
in poverty, affliction and partial blindness.When her
mother died she went to live in a poor house. Some
time later, an operation restored her sight.Thereafter
she devoted herself to bearing burdens by caring for
the blind.Meanwhile, down south a baby was born,
a girl destined after early childhood to never see,
speak or hear.Helen Keller eventually came under
the care of Anne Sullivan. In two weeks time Anne
taught her 30 words, spelling them by touching the
hand.Under this system her life was transformed.All
because someone cared and was willing to “BEAR
ANOTHER’S BURDEN.”
When we come to Christ, He points us to someone
beside us….someone near us…someone who has a
hurt or a need.When we, at the cross, become a part
of His family, He says to us, “BEHOLD YOUR
MOTHER….BROTHER….SISTER….FATHER.”
And He sends us forth to care….to minister…”TO
WEEP WITH THOSE WHO WEEP AND
REJOICE WITH THOSE WHO REJOICE”
(Romans 12:15). He sends us forth to reach out, to
put ourselves out, to make a difference in the lives
of those who cross our path. Providing a listening
ear or an understanding heart to someone who is
overwhelmed by the burdens of life is a powerful
ministry.Caring words and loving deeds can work
wonders in the life of someone who is reeling under
life’s pressures.A friendly visit, a card in the mail or
a call on the phone can enable some disheartened
soul to know that God is there and he really does
care. Something as seemingly insignificant as a
smile, a handshake or a word of greeting can be
used of God to make a difference.A lovingly
prepared meal delivered to a family touched by
tragedy or grief can lift their spirits and encourage
their hearts. In scores of ways we can be used of
God to bear burdens.
Author Wes Seelinger writes: “I have spent long
hours in the intensive care waiting room… watching
anguished people…..listening to urgent
questions.‘Will my husband make it?’ ‘ Will my
child walk again?’‘How do you live without your
companion of fifty years?’ The intensive care
waiting room is different from any other place in the
world.
And the people who wait are different.No one is
rude.The distinctions of race and class melt away.
Each person pulls for everyone else. In the intensive
care waiting room, the world changes and people
there can’t do enough for one another.” That is the
way it is supposed to be in the church, the Body of
Christ.
In the midst of hurt and heartache we can easily
become hardened and uncaring. That is what
happened to a R.N. named P. T. Miller who wrote
the following; “While at work in the emergency
room, I learned to ….become insensitive to people
and their needs.Five years of emergency room
exposure had taken its toll until God intervened. I
was taking information for registering a young
woman who had overdosed on drugs and had
attempted suicide. Her mother sat before me as I
typed the information into the computer. She was
unkempt and bleary eyed, having been awakened in
the middle of the night by the police and she could
only speak to me in a whisper. Hurry up, I said to
myself, as she slowly gave me information. My
impatience was raw as I finished the report and
went to copy the medical card. That’s when God
stopped me - at the copy machine. He spoke to my
heart so clearly: ‘You didn’t even look at her.’ He
repeated it gently: ‘You didn’t even look at her.’ I
felt His grief for her and her daughter and I bowed
my head. ‘I’m sorry, Lord, I am so sorry.’ I sat
down in front of the distraught woman and covered
her hands with mine. I looked into her eyes with all
the love that God could flood through me and said,
‘I care. Don’t give up.’ She wept and wept. She
poured her heart out to me about years of dealing
with a rebellious daughter as a single mom Finally,
she looked up and thanked me.
Me…the coldhearted one with no feelings; my
attitude changed that night. My Jesus came right
into the workplace in spite of rules that tried to keep
Him out. He came in to set me free again.He gave
Himself to that woman through me. My God, who
so loved the world, broke that self-imposed barrier
around my heart.Now he could reach out, not only
to me in my pain, but to a lost and hurting woman.
CONCLUSION
As members of the family of God we are to be there
for each other. So many burdens weigh us down,
causing us, at times, to even want to give up. So
many of life’s burdens and circumstances produce
feelings of despair, heartache, discouragement,
loneliness, hopelessness, and worthlessness.The
Lord never planned on our coping with these
debilitating feelings alone. That is why He has given
us the family of God, the body of Christ. Who needs
the benefit of your friendship, listening ear, caring
ways or understanding heart? To whom would the
Lord have you reach out this week? Write a note,
pay a visit, make a phone call. God yearns to use
you to carry a burden and lighten a load.
Dr.F.E. Reinartz was a president of the Lutheran
Seminary and the Secretary of the Lutheran
Church in America. In these positions he traveled
widely, speaking in many churches. As he did,
people would tell him about their impressive
budgets and opulent buildings. They would tell him
about their outstanding pastor or influential
members.
But Dr. Reinartz said that the most moving word he
ever heard concerning a church came from an
elderly woman who said to him, “When a person
joins this church they never have to bear a burden
alone.” That is the way it is supposed to be. For that
is the kind of church that was established two
thousand years ago when Christ, hanging from a
cross, looked at His mother and said, “DEAR
WOMAN, HERE IS YOUR SON” and then looking
at the Apostle John said, :”HERE IS YOUR
MOTHER.” From that moment on no man, woman,
or child in the family of God should ever have to
bear a burden alone.
