The Last Seven Words on the Cross 3 “Woman, behold, your son... Behold, your mother.”
|
|
|
 11 |
 |
November 09, 2025 |
|
|
|
“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!’
From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.”
(John 19:26?27)
In John 19:26?27, we see that Jesus told Virgin Mary who was grieving over His crucifixion to regard John as her son, and asked John, as a child of God, to take care of Mary as if she were his own mother.
Why Did Jesus Call Mary “Woman”?
Here, the word mother is used from the perspective of the disciple John. But why did Jesus not call the one who gave birth to Him “Mother,” but instead say “Woman”? In John Chapter 2, we find the first miracle Jesus performed after beginning His public ministry?turning water into wine.
There was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and Jesus and His disciples were also invited. When the wine ran short, Mary said to Jesus, “They have no wine.” Jesus then replied, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.”
Mary spoke to Jesus, feeling sorry that the wine had run out and wishing to bring joy to the guests at the wedding. However, Jesus replied as He did because the time had not yet come for Him to reveal Himself as the Messiah. Spiritually, making wine symbolizes the shedding of His precious blood on the cross. Thus, Jesus affirmed that, having just begun His public ministry, the time had not yet come for Him to bear the cross and shed His blood.
As we can see, until He fulfilled the providence of salvation through the cross and finished up His public ministry, Jesus addressed Mary as “Woman” to make known that He had come to this earth as the Savior. Jesus is one of the Triune God.
As the Son of God, Jesus is the One who is the First and the Last (Revelation 1:17; 2:8); therefore, He cannot have a mother. For this reason, referring to the Virgin Mary as “the holy mother of the Lord,” or making an image in her likeness and bowing down before it, is not in accordance with the truth (Exodus 20:4).
Jesus Awakened Our Spiritual Belonging
Jesus comforted Mary who was suffering unbearable sorrow and taught the disciple John to care for her as his own mother. Even in the midst of the suffering of the cross, we can feel the Lord’s love as He looked after what would happen after His death.
He also clearly reminds us of our sense of belonging as brothers, sisters, and one family in faith. In Matthew 12:50, Jesus said, “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother,” teaching us the concept of the spiritual family. Indeed, as we accept Jesus Christ and grow in faith, our sense of belonging to the kingdom of heaven becomes clearer, and we find that our brothers and sisters in faith more precious than our earthly family.
That is why Jesus said in Matthew 23:9, “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.” This does not mean that we should distance ourselves from our unbelieving parents or siblings. If we truly love our physical family, we should share the gospel with them so that they too may become our spiritual family.
|
|
Manmin News 
