The third words Jesus spoke from the cross give witness to Jesus’ selfless compassion and humble adoration of His Mother, Mary. While most of Jesus’ followers had scattered amid the fear of their arrest, Mary, along with Apostle John did not flee. Instead, they came to the cross to be with Jesus as he suffered. Jesus had spoken words of forgiveness, and words of assurance to the one criminal, and now, amid his suffering, he looked down to see His mother and the Apostle John, and spoke these words of compassion:
“When
Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to
his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold,
your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home” (John
19:26-27).
It might
seem strange to refer to his mother Mary as “Woman”. We might hear that as disrespectful. It was not the first time Jesus had spoken to
his mother that way. At the wedding of
Cana, Mary realized the wedding hosts had run out of wine, and she went to
Jesus to ask him to do something about their needs.
“When
the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no
wine."
And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to
me? My hour has not yet come."
His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you" (John
2:3-5).
Jesus'
words to his mother were consistent with Jewish culture. “Woman” was a dignified way of referring to a
woman who deserved honor and respect. When Jesus refers to his mother as “Woman”, he
is showing his deep respect and honor for her.
Jesus,
hanging on the cross, looks down at the woman whom God had chosen to carry him
in her womb, birth him in a manger, and watch him grow up and become the Savior
the angel had told her he was to become.
Now, recognizing that “his hour had come”, she is both grieving
and giving thanks to God who sent his Son into the world to save all those who
would put their faith in Him.
Did she
remember the words of God in the Garden of Eden? In the Garden, Adam and Eve chose to disobey
God and eat the fruit of the tree. God
spoke to the Serpent, and to Eve, saying: “I will put enmity between you and
the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring, he shall bruise your
head (that is Satan), and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15).
Did Mary
know that her Son, hanging on the cross, was delivering a death blow to the
head of Satan? Did she remember the words of Simeon who met her and Joseph when
they brought their eight-day-old Son to the Temple for his naming and
circumcision? It was a momentous time
and the words Simeon spoke were prophetic.
Did Mary recall them?
“Now
there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous
and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon
him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see
death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the
temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him
according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed
God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have
prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the
Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.
And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child
is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is
opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts
from many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:25-35).
Did Mary
realize that a sword was piercing through her soul? I think she did.
To Mary,
Jesus said, “Woman, behold, Your Son”.
Jesus is suffering, but he wants his Mother to know that she is not
going to be alone. During much of Jesus’
ministry, Mary was not at the forefront.
She also had to see her Son as the “Son of God”. Now, she sees the fruit of her womb as the
Savior of the world the angel Gabriel had told her he was to be. Then, Mary was fearful. The angel Gabriel
said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary”.
She listened to his words and responded by saying “yes” – “And Mary
said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your
word.” And the angel departed from her” (Luke 1:38). The disciples had fled, but she knew Jesus
was destined for the cross, and once again, she needed to be there to say
“Yes”.
To Mary,
Jesus speaks compassionately, humbly, and to comfort; and to John, he speaks
forth his future – “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple
took her to his own home”. Why
John? There’s a great deal of doubt
whether Jesus had brothers and sisters.
The early Church fathers believed that when Jesus’ family was referred
to in the scriptures, they were cousins, aunts, etc…and not children of
Mary. This makes sense when we realize
Jesus was entrusting his Mother’s future to John, a disciple, but not a family
member. Yet, the position John assumed
as the one who would care for Mary for the rest of her life had to be both an
honor and a task Jesus had equipped him to assume.
Church
history does not have complete records of all that occurred after Jesus’
ascension and the Church began to expand.
We know John ended his life after an exile on the Island of Patmos,
which is separated from the western coast of modern-day Turkey and corresponds
to the record of John serving as a Bishop in Ephesus. Mary, estimating biblical time, had to be in
her late 40’s by the time of Jesus’ death
– perhaps even in her early 50’s.
By the year 50 a.d., Mary would have been in her late 60’s, or early
70’s. It seems clear that by the end of
John’s life (estimate 96-100 a.d.), Mary had already gone on to heaven to be
with her Son. Early church tradition claims that John took Mary with him to
Ephesus, and that seems substantiated by early church father’s writings in the
100’s. He is the last Apostle to die, and the only one who did not die as a
martyr.
Jesus’
words were spoken first to Mary, and then to John. He loved both of them and honored his Mother
and John with these words. John is a
type of the Church. As Mary was
entrusted to raise her Son that he might accomplish the Mission the Father had
sent him to do, so also John is entrusted to care for the person Jesus loved,
and after Mary, for the Church, which is Jesus’ bride that he loves.
Peace
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