Jesus Speaks From The Cross: "Woman, Behold Thy Son! And Behold Thy Mother!” & "My God, My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?”

Sermon for March 17, 2024 - 7 Last Sayings of Jesus: “Woman, Behold Thy Son! And Behold Thy Mother!” & “My God, My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?”

We are still in the season of lent, and we are continuing today to look at the very last things that Jesus said while he was on the cross, as he was suffering, after he was beaten, after he was wrongly judged.

These were his last words before his death. This is all in preparation for Holy Week which is just a few weeks away.

And today we are looking at two of those sayings of Jesus on the cross, the ones that were just read by _______.

What we are doing during March is pretty common Christian practice during the season of lent.

Really, for centuries upon centuries, Christians have thoughtfully considered the last words of the Messiah on the cross at this time of year.

His words are rich with meaning. They are impactful. They are literally the words of Jesus, Who is God-in-the-flesh, as He hung on that cross.

We spend this time reflecting on Jesus’ last words on the cross to grow in our understanding and appreciation of the loss suffered on that day, of the love expressed on that day, and the Life given that day that we call Good Friday. [Pause]

That day of loss, of sorrow, of disappointment and emptiness. That day where, for all appearances, hope had died. Keep in mind that for the disciples, it was a day where the bitterest, ugliest reality they could have imagined, came true.

Their fears about Jesus entering Jerusalem, into a toxic climate where the religious leaders were determined to no longer just challenge Jesus and try to trip Him up in terms of the things He taught, but it was clear their tolerance of Jesus had come to an end.

The disciples knew it, and they warned Jesus to not risk going into the City of Peace, Jerusalem.

But he did go, and going into Jerusalem, events unfolded just as ancient prophets had predicted.

And as Jesus hung on the cross dying, He spoke.

Elsewhere, when we hear Jesus speak, it is in parables, in sermons, it is in prayers that He uttered, it is in conversation with others.

There He shared words in a relaxed setting, talking with people He loved, encouraging the weak, lifting up the poor, proclaiming Good News to everyone, challenging those who thought too much of themselves or of their religiosity, their religious rightness.

Here, His words spoken on the cross, are brief, uttered between agonised breaths, as the life was draining out of His body.

They are brief words, but they are potent words. They expose the heart of Jesus - why He came, His humility and compassion, His humanity and ultimately His full acceptance of His mission and His profound faith in the One Who sent Him.

Let’s consider today’s first utterance of Jesus: ““Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.”

Here Jesus reminds us of the fact of His humanity in another sense. Jesus was a mother’s Son. He grew up in a human family, with family allegiances - with a mother, a step-father and, as other Scriptures say, with brothers and sisters and cousins.

Maybe, as we look at Jesus on the cross through the eyes of a mother who raised him, who was present at His first words, His first steps, His first scraped knee, His bar mitzvah;

perhaps when we consider Jesus in His suffering through the eyes of a mother who suffers also at the unjust murder of her Son, we can feel the weight of Jesus’ suffering in another sense, in His mother’s agony.

Please note that Jesus’ referring to Mary as “Woman” does not denote any disrespect in the Koine Greek.

It’s true that Mary is called in Greek the theotokos, the mother of God. She gave birth to God the Son.

A mind-boggling thing for a young teenage virgin to go through. But He was her boy, nonetheless.

And here, in this moment as He speaks from the cross, He gives us a preview into the nature of Church as family.

He tells His dear mother that since He will soon be gone, she is to take the disciple John as her son.

This is Jesus transferring his responsibility for his mom to his best friend, beloved John.

And he is also transferring responsibility for John to Mary. John was Jesus’ security plan for his Mom. Mary was in a sense John’s adoptive parent.

So yes,this speaks of a kind of adoption, this speaks of family, not through blood lines, but through relationship to Jesus. Mary was Jesus’ mother.

She was almost certainly a widow and probably in her late 40s or early 50s, with little or no personal income.