Worship Initiative | Last Words of JesusSample

Behold, your son…behold, your mother…

“…Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, 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 19:25-27)

This moment might seem strange without the color of its meaning, but what we read here is the selflessness and compassion of Christ shining even beyond his own suffering. This is a display of Jesus’s tenderness toward his mother and trust toward his disciple, John.

It was customary in Jewish culture for the family’s eldest son to take on the duty of seeing to his widowed mother’s care in the event of his own death. Since most scholars believe that Joseph had passed by the time of the crucifixion, it would be reasonable to assume that Jesus felt a burden to fulfill his duty – not simply to do what was right, but to demonstrate his love for Mary.

This was an exceptional display of selfless concern. Imagine the reality of this moment: Jesus, on the brink of death, in extraordinary pain and bearing the weight of God’s wrath for the sin of man…was thinking of his mother – looking to provide for her wellbeing. David Mathis describes it this way:

“Under God, [Mary] had raised the man who was God. And even now in his greatest agony, even as he writhes in this dehumanizing, extended execution, his soul does not curve inward to nurse his pain, but opens outward to the one who nursed him.”

What an exceptional window into Jesus’s relationship with Mary. It can be easy for us, at times, to imagine Jesus almost as a character in a story – someone who we feel drawn to and of whom we are deeply aware, but who may not always feel real to us…like a person. But he was – he is – and this short statement, “Behold your son…behold your mother”, in its context, is a beautiful depiction of the personhood of Christ.

He loved his mom.

It sounds almost silly and colloquial to say it that way, especially about the Son of God, but it’s the truth! In the same way that many of us do, Jesus felt deep attachment to his mother. She was with him through his childhood and adolescence, raising him up and keeping him safe just as we do with our own children. The only difference is that he was God, so there’s some mystery as to what parenting Jesus might’ve looked like.

But we know that he was human, which meant that he had to be nursed, carried, taught to walk, taught to eat, taught to speak, and so on. Despite having full divine power within Him, Jesus had to be a little boy who needed his mother. And Mary cared for him well – God was with her as she did. And because of that, Jesus developed a tender, grateful, personal love toward her that continued to pour out of him even in his darkest moment.

Additionally, this demonstration of love is a window into Christ’s character. Until his dying breath, his every thought was toward the good of others, no matter the cost to him. He displayed protective care to Mary and affectionate trust to John; but most significantly, he displayed ultimate, loving sacrifice toward you and I and all who would receive the power of his death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sin.

Two thoughts from Scripture come to mind here:

“…the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)

“Jesus...for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)

As he suffered and died, Jesus’s heart was set on the joy of bringing salvation to us, no matter the cost. This is a Savior who cares, from the simplest need to the greatest in all of humanity. Christ does not cease to pour out his affections on those who belong to him. He never will.

So rest secure, today, in the lovingkindness of your Servant King, who saw you and sought you even with his dying breath.