Sunday 15 March 2026

Psalm 34:11-20

Background
Chapters and verses were not introduced into the Bible until centuries after the books were written – and they didn’t always get the divisions right! The first sentence of today’s reading is connected to the previous verse. There, we see that the soldiers who had crucified Jesus had just cast lots to see who got his clothes – that is just what the soldiers did. Their callousness is in contrast to Jesus’ compassion, even as he was dying. The priest and poet GA Studdert Kennedy wrote in his poem ‘Indifference': "Those were crude and cruel days, and human flesh was cheap." You can click here to read the poem in full.

Crucifixion was brutal, but hardly unusual – Jesus himself was crucified alongside two others. Maybe the soldiers' casual gambling for his clothes was one way of keeping the horror at arm’s length, like the gallows humour some medical or police professionals need to deal with the everyday horrors they witness.

And then our focus returns to the cross, where some of the women in Jesus’ life are standing by, helpless. Included among them is Jesus’ own mother, Mary. Today is Mothering Sunday, a day to give thanks for mothers and all those who mother us – perhaps especially those who nurture our faith. But sometimes, mothering is heartbreaking. To watch your child suffer and die, even when that child is an adult, is too unimaginably hard for most of us to even dare to contemplate. However, even though he was in agony, Jesus’ compassion is still evident, as he passes the care of his mother over to his friend, John.

I probably watch more 'emergency services' documentaries than is good for me. One thing I notice is the toll it takes on the professionals. They are often deeply affected by what they witness and must deal with. So don’t be too hard on the soldiers, they probably needed that distance to be able to do the task the Roman government demanded of them. But that hardness is not the only possible response to tragedy. Let us remember the women who dared to stand helpless at the foot of the cross. And let us remember Jesus’ compassion for his elderly, widowed mother.

To Ponder:

• Who has mothered you?
• Who has mothered you in faith?
• For whom are you a mother figure?

Prayer
Gracious God, may we allow you to gather us together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wing. Protect us, nurture us and set us free to serve you joyfully in the world. Amen.

Bible notes author: The Revd Richard Parkes
Richard Parkes is a retired presbyter, currently living in Newcastle-under-Lyme.