Dear Woman, Here is Your Son (Part 1)

Today is Good Friday. It's the day when we remember Christ's sacrifice on the cross. Cedar Park had a service today in remembrance of Christ's death and I had the privilege of speaking with the rest of the pastoral staff. We spoke on the Seven Last Words of Christ...I had "Dear woman, here is your son." The following is what I spoke on:

The third saying of Christ is “Dear woman, here is your son.” We find this account in the book of John…in the 19th chapter. In verse 25 we read:

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

We know that the disciple John, or John the Beloved, is the disciple described here…the disciple whom Jesus loved. He also happens to be the writer of this book.

As I read the account in John, I picture Christ scanning the crowd as he hangs in agony on Calvary. He is only moments from his death and stands on the doorstep of absorbing the Father’s wrath and personally taking on our sin. As he takes in some of his final mental images, his eyes stop at a group of mourners and one figure arrests his attention...he takes in the sight of his mother. In her late forties or early fifties, she still posses much of the beauty of her youth. And yet she finds herself at the foot of the cross that belongs to her son. Parents aren’t supposed to outlive their children.

I imagine his heart is filled with compassion and love and yet perhaps even sorrow for his mother. Sorrow because he knows he will be leaving this wonderful woman soon. What an amazing woman she is. What a saint. It’s hard to think of a human figure that plays a greater role in the story of Christ other than Christ himself. It was a mere thirty four years earlier that she uttered the words, “I am the Lord’s servant…May it be to me as you have said,” in response to the angel that visited her when she was a teen. It was her faith and obedience that changed the entire course of history. As a close follower of her son’s ministry, she was witness to the many miracles and and divine teachings of her son. In fact, it was Mary that encouraged her son to start his ministry at the wedding in Cana. She was one of his most faithful followers. And now with with Jesus’ last breath knocking on the door and with Joseph already dead, she will soon be alone.

In that moment, Jesus shows compassion on his mother and entrusts her into the care of his follower and friend, John. The relationship of Jesus and John was stronger than any of the other disciples, so John could fulfill the duties of a son more faithfully than anyone else. As they are there together at his feet, he tells both of them them that “here is your family.” The King James uses to word “behold” to tell of the account. “Woman, behold thy son!” And to John, “behold thy mother. It’s as if he is saying, behold, take in, realize and embrace your family, your future and my provision for your lives in this moment.

What a beautiful picture.

Jesus, fills the void of his death by giving Mary a new son, securing a home for her future care and even consoles her grief by putting her in the hands of the most loved of all his disciples.

May we follow in our Savior’s example