“Woman, behold your son!” “Behold your mother!”

When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home. John 19:26,27

The mother of Jesus, Mary, stood near the cross watching her son bleeding out. It is possible that along with Mary, stood other women as noted elsewhere in the gospels. Maybe they were asked to move away from the cross by the soldiers, or perhaps withdrew a little by themselves. Either way, at this point in time Mary stood near the cross. We have no particular mention of Mary weeping here. But, it is quite possible that she did. She might have even remembered Simeon’s words (“a sword will pierce through your own soul also” Luke 2:35), and understood its significance now. Having conceived Jesus miraculously, fully subjecting herself to the will of the LORD, she no doubt understood the purpose of Jesus’ time on earth and all that it entailed. Though the bigger picture was not fully clear to her earlier, she now stood at the point of completion, watching every prophecy about Christ from the scriptures and every word she heard about Jesus being fulfilled. Mary was perhaps strengthened by the LORD to survive the anguish. Yet, the tender heart of a mother could never bear to see her child suffer.

The disciple whom Jesus loved, John, stood by the cross. The disciples have all deserted Jesus. One betrayed, one blasphemed, the others scattered. But this one followed the trails and now stood by the cross. Watching, wondering what would happen next. He was one of those in Jesus’ inner circle. He had experienced many miraculous wonders, more than the other disciples. He too might not have understood the bigger picture, but till the end, he was close to Jesus in every sense of the word. Now in the perfect place to carry another important mission for Jesus.

“Woman, behold your son!”

Jesus called his mother “Woman” not out of disrespect. But to spare Mary the added pain of her son calling her mother just before his dying moments. Also, this would remind Mary that everything that has transpired, had a specific reason. But Jesus was not one to leave his mother without any provision. With Joseph no more, Jesus would have provided for his mother as her eldest son. Now, Jesus wanted to ensure that someone is there to take care of Mary. It is true that Mary had other children through Joseph, but at this point, none of them understood Christ’s purpose. So the person who is to take care of Mary henceforth, must also be someone who understands these as much as Mary did. Thus, Jesus pointed his beloved mother to his beloved disciple.

“Behold your mother!”

The beloved disciple would not have expected this for sure. But he understood. For Jesus to ask him to take care of his mother is a great honour. It showed that Jesus trusted John and believed that John would do the right thing. To take care of another person entails a lot of things. But the disciple did not complain. He understood that it was a great responsibility and immediately took Mary to his own home.

Among the seven savings on this cross, this one stands out. We see Jesus fulfilling his responsibility as a son to his mother. Jesus, while hanging on the cross shows his tender care for his mother, established a new relationship amidst his agony. If we pull back and observe from afar, we see Christ tenderly providing for his mother at his death, by uniting his grieving mother with his most trusted and beloved disciple. Even at the last moment, Jesus ensured comfort for both of them. Sometimes, when God removes a comfort from us, he arranges another for us so that we are looked after. Further, Jesus through his actions, teaches us that all of us must honour our parents in life and death. It is our responsibility to provide for their wants and needs. And finally by all means possible, we must ensure that they are comforted.