Behold, Your Son | John 19:23-27

How many of you (if you were honest) say that at times you struggle with loneliness? Not just being alone but feeling alone. We are living in what many are calling a loneliness epidemic. We are more connected digitally than any generation in history, but more disconnected relationally than ever before. 1 out of 2 Americans feel lonely; 1 out of 5 feel lonely every day. It’s not just emotional but physical. Studies show that the health impacts are the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Loneliness weakens your immune system and increases your risk of heart disease, cancer and stroke. Loneliness is not just something you feel, but it affects your whole life. Where I often see loneliness is among men. Most men don’t have friends. They have a few buddies but not friends: no deep connection. My dad used to say, “Son, if you have three real friends, you are blessed.” God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” God created us for community. He designed us for friendship. Not only with Him but with others. At the very moment that Jesus was dying on the cross, suffering the more than we can imagine, He addresses one of the deepest needs of the human heart: the need to belong.

We are looking at the third of seven sayings of Jesus from the Cross. There are seven saying because they are completely what Jesus wanted us to know as He is dying for us on the Cross. Every word mattered, because every word cost Him. Every breath was painful and every sentence intentional. The Cross offers a glimpse into the heart of God who is willing to be with us in death and suffering, so that we would not face ultimate death and suffering. Jesus’ last words from the Cross remind us of His great love for us and give us courage to live our lives for Him. The third word from the Cross teaches us that Jesus not only died for our sins, but gave us a new life and a forever family.